'Local government is a key topic for EU scholars. Yet, it has been somewhat under-explored, with the literature on the EU having largely neglected it. This book does much to fill this gap by providing an empirical and theoretical account of the role of local government in the EU. It provides a well informed and very thoughtful account of the different relations between the different elements of European local government'. -Neill Nugent, Professor Emeritus of European Politics, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK 'The authors work with the analytical framework of an integration cycle, according to which local government reacts to the impact of EU decisions by adapting its internal organisation and external interactions in order to shape European integration in general and EU policies in particular. Empirically it is shown how complex this cycle is and how its results emerge from an interplay of formal and informal, vertical and horizontal interactions'. -Hubert Heinelt, Retired Professor of Public Administration, Public Policy and Local Politics, TU Darmstadt - Institute for Political Science, Germany This book addresses the 'bigger picture' of local-European relations and adds a new dimension to existing studies on multilevel governance and the Europeanisation of local government. Drawing from a combination of European integration theories and operational approaches, it introduces the idea of an integration cycle in which local government responds to the top-down impact of the EU internally, horizontally and vertically. This volume presents a wide range of empirical examples to demonstrate how local authorities across Europe have changed their practices, orientation and preferences, and adapted their institutions and organisation. By mobilising formally and informally, they participate in European governance and contribute to the future trajectories of European integration, thereby completing the integration cycle. Marius Guderjan is a Lecturer and Researcher in British Politics at the Centre for British Studies at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany. Tom Verhelst is an Assistant Professor in Local Politics at the Centre for Local Politics at Ghent University, Belgium.

This work considers the role of local government in 13 EU Member States (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The book aims to provide an account of the system of local government in each of the countries studied along with a critical and contextual approach to the level of autonomy that local government enjoys. The approach is comparative, based on a questionnaire which all of the authors considered. There is then a detailed conclusion to the book which offers a detailed summary and comparative analysis of the responses in order to better consider the role of local authorities as the ‘fourth level’ of governance in the EU. The book aims to offer a detailed introduction to and account of each system of local government which may appeal to those seeking an overview of the area, but also a critical and contextual approach that will be of interest to those actively researching in the areas of local and regional government or EU-central-local government relations. The book contains details of reform in local government up to November 2012, including an analysis of the impact of austerity measures on local autonomy where these have become significant.

Obra de referencia en cuanto al análisis de la administración local, en el marco de los países de la Unión europea, tratado por los principales especialistas en la materia. Contenido: Capítulo 1. Local government in Austria // Capítulo 2. Local government in Belgium // Capítulo 3. Local government in Bulgaria // Capítulo 4. Local government in Cyprus // Capítulo 5.Local Government in Czech Republic // Capítulo 6. Local government in Denmark // Capítulo 7. Local Government in Estonia // Capítulo 8. Local government in Finland // Capítulo 9. Local Government in France // Capítulo 10. Local government in Germany // Capítulo 11. Local government in Greece // Capítulo 24. Local government in Slovenia // Capítulo 25. Local government in Spain // Capítulo 26. Local government in Sweden // Capítulo 27. Local government in Uk.

Laws and regulations affect the daily lives of businesses and citizens. High-quality laws promote national welfare and growth, while badly designed laws hinder growth, harm the environment and put the health of citizens at risk. This report analyses practices to improve the quality of laws ...

This book sheds light on the central complexities of municipal cooperation and examines the dynamics, experiences and drivers of inter-municipal cooperation (IMC) in Europe. Particular attention is given to the features of governance arrangements and institutions created to generate and maintain collaborative settings between different local governments in a particular territory. The thematically grouped case studies presented here address the dearth of comprehensive and comparative analyses in recent scholarship. The authors provide fresh insights into the rise of inter-municipal cooperation and its evolution during a period of financial crisis and European Union enlargement. This includes critical examinations of the impact of austerity policies, the behavior and perceptions of key actors; and under-explored new member states. Crucially, this work goes beyond the comparison of institutional forms of IMC to address why the phenomenon so widespread and questions whether it is successful, manageable and democratic. This work which presents the most recent and innovative research on inter-local collaborative arrangements will appeal to practitioners as well as scholars of local government, public economy, public administration and policy.