We evaluate the impact of a recent reform that sharply increased the salaries of Italian local politicians on electoral competition and the valence attributes of the candidates elected. Exploiting misaligned election dates across Italian cities, we propose a novel methodology, the time-shifted...

In recent years, advanced democracies have witnessed a marked decline in candidates for local government office, undermining electoral competition and accountability and triggering a sheer political recruitment crisis. Although several factors may contribute to this trend — such as generalized...

The Local Development Councils (LDCs) feature a significant participatory governance function in local policy development, as local government units (LGUs) are mandated to constitute LDCs with members from civil society organizations (CSOs). While the Department of the Interior and Local...

In recent decades, decentralization reforms have surged across the Global South, aiming to bring governance closer to citizens. Despite extensive debate on their effectiveness, systematic methods to assess local government performance remain underexplored, particularly in data-constrained...

This paper examines the fiscal and extra-fiscal effects of decentralizing the collection of Brazil's rural land tax from the federal level to local governments. Using a difference-in-differences research design, we assess the impact of local tax enforcement on revenue, land use, and...

This study investigates how Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles can be effectively integrated into the Balanced Scorecard (BSc) framework within local government organizations (LGOs) to enhance strategic planning and sustainability performance. Addressing a gap in the...

Purpose - The study aims to provide a clear framework of steps on how to implement the balanced scorecard model at the level of measuring and managing local performance, with a mix between what theoretical approaches show in this matter and examples of applied experiences in different contexts....

Section 195(b) of South Africa's Constitution calls for the efficient use of resources in public administration, while the White Paper on Local Government similarly emphasizes the efficient provision of basic services such as refuse collection and water. Despite these policy commitments, South...

In a European context, facing pressure to digitalize public administration, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) at the local level remains a deeply uneven and empirically poorly understood process. This study investigates the degree of adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in...

Urban centers in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and South Asian (SA) regions face challenges like urban sprawl, low-density development, and heavy investment in road infrastructure, worsened by fragmented governance and political instability. This study adopts a qualitative approach,...

This study investigates the nexus between transformational leadership (TL), organisational innovation (OI), organisational transparency (OT), and their collective impact on organisational success (LOS) within Thailand's Local Administrative Organisations (LAOs). Utilizing a quantitative research...

"The book investigates urban development and governance in China and introduces China perspectives to the understanding of governing urban development in the 21st century. Building upon a rich and burgeoning literature on China, the book explains major changes in governance, offers a well...

Different Digital Governance maturity models are established; however, limited research has examined their applicability at the local government level, particularly concerning the interrelations among dimensions such as Strategy, Employees, and Processes. Understanding these connections is vital...

This study seeks to identify the factors influencing the implementation of Project Management Methodologies (PMM) in Local Government (LG) and identify the concepts, themes and characteristics that make up each of those factors. Semi-structured interviews were employed as the primary technique,...

The integration of artificial intelligence plays a critical role in human resource management in local governments by ensuring smooth, essential HR operations, including recruitment, performance management, and workforce planning. The current study is a systematic review focused on determining...

This paper examines the impact of marginal changes in municipal council size on the diversity of candidates and elected councilors in Brazil, focusing on age, gender, race, and educational attainment. Understanding how institutional changes affect representation is crucial for assessing the...