The book addresses in detail local governance in Spain. In recent decades, local governments in Europe have increasingly found themselves under pressure from a multitude of new challenges, such as demographic change, climate change, fiscal austerity policies, digitization, the demand for more citizen participation in local affairs, and the migration crisis in some of them, to name just a few. Consequently, a wave of political and administrative reforms to address these challenges, pressures and problems, has changed local governance in many countries. In part, these changes were the result of reform policies introduced by national and state governments, often triggered by austerity policies, which has become an overwhelming reality for Spanish local governments that have been forced to introduce innovations in local governance. This book aims to give an account of these innovations in local governance in Spain.
This book considers the local political-administrative structure in its dimensions, focusing on the analysis of its party system, electoral competition and political behavior in the local arena, as well as on local finances, all of which are determining elements in urban and rural governance processes. On the occasion of the recent crisis unleashed by Covid-19, the book will also deal with local governance in crisis situations. The book will also contextualize local governance processes in Spain in relation to the trends in local governance observed in other European countries.
Author(s): Ángel Iglesias Alonso
Series: Local and Urban Governance
Publisher: Springer
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 289
City: Cham
Preface
Contents
Contents
Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 Objectives and Background
1.2 Conceptualizing Governance and Local Governance
1.3 European Comparative Perspective of Local Governments in Spain
1.4 The Political-Administrative Context of Local Governance in Spain
1.5 Overview of This Volume
References
Chapter 2: The Institutional Architecture of Local Governments in Spain
2.1 Introduction
2.2 The Starting Point
2.2.1 Local Government and Governance: Two Sides to the Same Coin
2.2.2 Back to Local Autonomy
2.2.3 Regulation and Reform: The Meaning of Change
2.3 Local Government Organization and Functioning in Spain
2.3.1 Municipal Government
2.3.2 The Provincial Government
2.4 Local Government Powers
2.4.1 Municipal Powers
2.4.2 The Provincial Councils’ Powers
2.5 Critical Points for Improvement in Local Government
2.6 Conclusions
References
Normative and Jurisprudential Annex
Chapter 3: Local Governance in a Context of Multilevel Governance
3.1 Introduction
3.2 System in the Autonomous State
3.2.1 Municipality and Province: A Close Relationship
3.2.2 Internal Organization of the Municipality
3.2.3 Methods of Intermunicipal and Intergovernmental Cooperation: County, Metropolitan Area, and Association of Municipalities and Consortiums
3.3 Political Actors in the Municipal Process
3.3.1 Local Elite, Agents, and Governance
3.3.2 Practice in the Formation of Local Governments
3.3.3 The Federations of Municipalities and Provinces as Pressure Groups
3.4 A Perspective on the Results of Local Governance
3.4.1 Transparency in Municipal Corporations and Provincial Councils
3.4.2 The Introduction of the Sustainable Development Goals into Local Agendas in Spain
3.5 Conclusions
References
Chapter 4: New Formulae for Managing Public Services. Collaborative and Multilevel Governance in Metropolitan Areas and Small Municipalities
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Local Collaborative Government and Urban Governance. A Local Management Perspective in Spain
4.3 Multilevel Local Governance: Centralization, Decentralization, or Interdependence
4.4 The Complexity of Urban Policies in Metropolitan Governance
4.5 The Neighborhood Law. Case Study
4.6 Conclusions
References
Chapter 5: Intermunicipal Cooperation
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Intermunicipal Cooperation: Essential Elements for Its Understanding
5.2.1 Intermunicipality: A Controversial Definition
5.2.2 Legal Regulation
5.2.3 Cooperation, Coordination, or Collaboration?
5.3 Intermunicipal Cooperation Formulas in Spain
5.3.1 A New Vision: From Subjectivity to Functionality
5.3.2 Typology and Classification
5.3.3 A Brief Outline of the Organization and Operation of the Intermunicipal Structures Created
5.4 Context, Importance, and the Future of Intermunicipality
5.4.1 The Structure of Intermunicipality in Spain
5.4.2 Advantages and Disadvantages
5.4.3 New Challenges
5.5 Conclusions
References
Normative and Jurisprudential Annex
Chapter 6: The Governance Structure of Local Government Finances in Spain
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Global Economic Crisis and Local Finances in Spain
6.3 The Distribution of Financial Power Among Central, Regional, and Local Governments
6.4 The Original Framework of Financial Governance and Local Autonomy
6.5 Structure of the Spanish Local Financing Governance Model
6.5.1 Transfers
6.5.1.1 State Transfers
6.5.1.2 Transfers from the Autonomous Communities
6.5.1.3 Self-Taxation
6.5.1.4 Real Estate Tax
6.5.1.5 Business Activity Tax (BAT)
6.5.1.6 Capital Gains Tax on the Transfer of Real Estate
6.5.1.7 Public Fees and Prices
6.5.1.8 Participation in Taxes Managed by the State
6.5.1.9 Borrowing
6.5.1.10 Vehicle Taxation
6.5.1.11 Fees and Public Prices
6.5.1.12 Public–Public Collaboration
6.5.1.13 Public–Private Collaboration
6.6 The Accountability System
6.7 Reforming Local Government Financial Governance in a New Environment
6.8 Conclusions
References
Chapter 7: Local Elections and Political Leadership
7.1 Introduction
7.2 The Spanish Local Level of Government: General Aspects
7.3 The Organization of Municipalities, Provinces, and Other Local Authorities. A Strong Mayor in a Presidential-Type System
7.3.1 The Organization of Municipalities: A Strong Mayor in a Presidential Framework
7.3.2 The Organization of Provinces
7.3.3 Other Local Institutions
7.4 The Local Political System
7.4.1 The Local Electoral System and Electing the Mayor
7.4.2 The 2019 Municipal Election Results
7.4.3 Main Features of the Local Political System. The Impact of Local Political Leaders
7.4.3.1 Second-Tier Elections?
7.4.3.2 Nationalization of the Local Political System?
7.4.3.3 Presidentialization or Personalization in the Local Political System?
7.4.3.4 Assessment of the Local Electoral System
7.5 The Importance of Local Leadership
7.6 Conclusions
References
Chapter 8: Citizen Participation and Democratic Innovation in Spanish Local Governance
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Citizen Participation and Democratic Innovations at the Local Level
8.2.1 The Meaning of Citizen Participation
8.2.2 Democratic Innovation: Meaning and Repertoire of Practices
8.2.3 Ways and Actors of Participation: The Waves of Democratic Innovation
8.2.4 The Reception of Citizen Participation and Democratic Innovation in Local Governance
8.3 Overview of Citizen Participation and Democratic Innovation in Spanish Local Governments
8.3.1 The Two Major Phases of Citizen Participation in Spanish Local Government
8.3.2 New Political Actors and Experiences of Democratic Innovation in Spanish Local Communities and Governments
8.3.3 Spanish Local Governments’ Response to New Political Actors: The Participatory Governance Strategy
8.4 Conclusions
References
Chapter 9: New Local Public Management
9.1 Introduction
9.2 The Emergence of Local Administration Management Culture
9.2.1 New Public Management: The Importance of Clients and Results
9.2.2 Quality Management as a Modernization Strategy: Deploying and Formalizing the New Principles Behind the New Management Model
9.3 Rise and Fall of the Principles, New Local Management Values and Tools: From Citizen Orientations to the Predominance of Control
9.3.1 First Phase (1985–1995): Efficiency and Citizen Orientation
9.3.2 Second Phase (1995–2008): Improving Performance and the Pursuit of Excellence
9.3.3 Third Phase: 2008–2020. Efficiency, Sustainability, and Transparency
9.3.3.1 Efficiency: Echoes of Crises and the Great Recession
9.3.3.2 Social and Environmental Sustainability
9.3.3.3 Transparency, Democratic Quality, and Open Government
9.4 Conclusion: Mission and Values for a New Transformation
References
Chapter 10: Covid-19 and the Response of Local Governance in Spain
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Local Governance in Spain in a Context of Multiple Crisis
10.3 Covid-19 and Short-Term Governance Strategies
10.3.1 Strategies and Measures in Local Public Healthcare
10.3.2 Strategies and Measures to Save the Local Economy
10.3.3 Social Protection Strategies and Measures
10.3.4 Public Order Measure
10.3.5 Urban Planning Measures
10.4 Citizen Participation
10.5 Intra-organizational Governance
10.6 Managing the Crisis and Accountability
10.7 Covid-19 and Long-Term Governance Strategies
10.8 Conclusions
References
Chapter 11: Local Autonomy in Spain: The Place of Spanish Municipalities in the Multilevel System of Government
11.1 Introduction
11.2 Evolution of Local Autonomy in Spain 1979–2020: Constitutional Recognition and Main Milestones
11.3 Measuring Local Autonomy in Spanish Municipalities: the Local Autonomy Index (LAI)
11.4 Looking Ahead: The 2021 Council of Europe’s Assessment on Local Self-Government
11.5 Conclusions
References
Chapter 12: Conclusions
Index
