New development: The crisis and European local government reforms

Abstract

This article highlights the main reform trajectories put in place in French, Italian, German and Portuguese local governments during the recent crisis and identifies a number of important trends: for example increasing centralization of decision-making powers away from local governments. The authors explain why local governments have an opportunity to use reforms during the crisis to strategically reposition their value proposition.

Keywords:

• Crisis
• local government
• reforms
• spending review
• value proposition

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Marco Meneguzzo

Marco Meneguzzo is Full Professor of Public and Non Profit Management at University of Lugano, Switzerland and University of ‘Rome Tor Vergata’, Italy.

Alessandro Sancino

Alessandro Sancino is a research fellow at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Piacenza, Italy.

Marcel Guenon

Marcel Guenon is an assistant professor, Paul Cezanne University, Aix-en- Provence, France.

Gloria Fiorani

Gloria Fiorani is a research fellow at the University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’, Italy.