The Potential Capacity of Hamlets: Comparative Research on Small European Municipalities
The main theories on small municipalities and the practices as seen in many a country involving the consolidation thereof presume that the contextual and structural conditions under which small municipalities have to perform work to their detriment and pose a threat to their viability. However, the...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Ljubljana Press (Založba Univerze v Ljubljani)
2019-04-01
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| Series: | Central European Public Administration Review |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.uni-lj.si/CEPAR/article/view/20505 |
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| author | Michiel S. de Vries Iwona Sobis |
| author_facet | Michiel S. de Vries Iwona Sobis |
| author_sort | Michiel S. de Vries |
| collection | DOAJ |
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The main theories on small municipalities and the practices as seen in many a country involving the consolidation thereof presume that the contextual and structural conditions under which small municipalities have to perform work to their detriment and pose a threat to their viability. However, the institutional and human resource conditions in which small municipalities operate might work both ways, being profitable as well as disadvantageous. This paper investigates what is theoretically known and can be empirically deduced about the capacity of small municipalities in Europe. The conclusion is that existing research is inconclusive in its outcomes regarding the actual capacity of so-called hamlets and that existing data related to local capacity are unfit to measure such among these small municipalities. Nonetheless, the paper concludes that although no conclusions can be drawn on the actual capacity of small municipalities, their potential capacity is significant. This is concluded based on their legal protection, their inclination to focus on a limited number of policy areas, their access to central and regional decision-making, and especially the trust they receive from their residents.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a3268f8d02104b95aa84dfba7c9efabf |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2591-2240 2591-2259 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2019-04-01 |
| publisher | University of Ljubljana Press (Založba Univerze v Ljubljani) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Central European Public Administration Review |
| spelling | doaj-art-a3268f8d02104b95aa84dfba7c9efabf2025-01-22T10:51:40ZengUniversity of Ljubljana Press (Založba Univerze v Ljubljani)Central European Public Administration Review2591-22402591-22592019-04-0117110.17573/cepar.2019.1.10The Potential Capacity of Hamlets: Comparative Research on Small European MunicipalitiesMichiel S. de Vries0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6827-2852Iwona Sobis1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0196-8454Radboud University, Department in Public AdministrationGothenburg University, The School of Public Administration The main theories on small municipalities and the practices as seen in many a country involving the consolidation thereof presume that the contextual and structural conditions under which small municipalities have to perform work to their detriment and pose a threat to their viability. However, the institutional and human resource conditions in which small municipalities operate might work both ways, being profitable as well as disadvantageous. This paper investigates what is theoretically known and can be empirically deduced about the capacity of small municipalities in Europe. The conclusion is that existing research is inconclusive in its outcomes regarding the actual capacity of so-called hamlets and that existing data related to local capacity are unfit to measure such among these small municipalities. Nonetheless, the paper concludes that although no conclusions can be drawn on the actual capacity of small municipalities, their potential capacity is significant. This is concluded based on their legal protection, their inclination to focus on a limited number of policy areas, their access to central and regional decision-making, and especially the trust they receive from their residents. https://journals.uni-lj.si/CEPAR/article/view/20505capacity, conditions, hamlets, small municipalities, performance, trust |
| spellingShingle | Michiel S. de Vries Iwona Sobis The Potential Capacity of Hamlets: Comparative Research on Small European Municipalities Central European Public Administration Review capacity, conditions, hamlets, small municipalities, performance, trust |
| title | The Potential Capacity of Hamlets: Comparative Research on Small European Municipalities |
| title_full | The Potential Capacity of Hamlets: Comparative Research on Small European Municipalities |
| title_fullStr | The Potential Capacity of Hamlets: Comparative Research on Small European Municipalities |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Potential Capacity of Hamlets: Comparative Research on Small European Municipalities |
| title_short | The Potential Capacity of Hamlets: Comparative Research on Small European Municipalities |
| title_sort | potential capacity of hamlets comparative research on small european municipalities |
| topic | capacity, conditions, hamlets, small municipalities, performance, trust |
| url | https://journals.uni-lj.si/CEPAR/article/view/20505 |
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