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How do face-to-face, assembly processes, and non-face-to-face, popular vote processes impact the decisions made by citizens? Normative discussions of the comparative merits of these two broad types of participatory decision-making processes partly rely on empirical assumptions concerning this question. In this paper, we test the central assumption that assemblies lead to decisions that are more widely supported by participants than popular votes. We do so by analyzing 1,400 decisions made through these processes on the highly salient issue of municipal mergers in Swiss municipalities since 1999. We find that assembly decisions are consistently made by larger majorities than popular vote decisions and that this relationship is significantly mediated by turnout. This suggests that higher levels of agreement in assemblies mainly result from selection biases – with fewer dissenting citizens participating in assemblies than in popular votes – rather than from internal dynamics in assemblies.

Le politiche di riduzione della spesa pubblica condotte a partire dalla crisi finanziaria del 2008 hanno funto da fattori scatenanti di tutta una serie di riforme territoriali in Europa. Se il potere regionale è più marcato in Italia che in Francia, la questione della struttura territoriale reticolare si è posta in termini simili. Questo articolo ritorna sugli argomenti della controversia sulla soppressione del livello intermedio (province e dipartimenti) e sulla natura dei blocchi politici che contribuiscono alla sua conservazione (perlomeno come circoscrizione statale). The policies of reduction of public spending carried out since the 2008 financial crisis have triggered a whole series of territorial reforms in Europe. If regional power is more marked in Italy than in France, the question of its web-like territorial structure has been posed in similar terms. This article analyzes the arguments of the controversy on the suppression of the intermediate level (provinces and departments) and on the nature of the political blocs that contribute to its maintenance (at least as state constituency)., Nazioni e Regioni, N. 7 (2016)

This paper studies 38 splits that occurred between 1995 and 2020 in the Czech Republic. Although the initial splits, that took place during the time of democratic transition, were driven by perceived local identity and the historical memory of being a former independent municipality, the splits after 1995 were predominantly driven by economic factors, be it objective underinvestment and a perceived grievance that the mother municipality was not taking care of its fringe parts. In all cases, the mother municipality had failed to communicate with the initiator of a referendum. However, if the central municipality invested in its parts and its political leaders communicated with its citizens, the municipality did not lose its part despites the attempts of secessionist leaders.

espanolSe estudia el debate del siglo XVIII en torno de la repoblacion de los despoblados con el fin de repensar los criterios barajados en la epoca. Nos preguntamos como se identificaban los despoblados, por que se los queria reformar y cual era el papel de la memoria en estos procesos. Igualmente se indaga como se entendia la utilidad publica y que relevancia tienen estos debates en la actualidad. EnglishThis text studies 18th century debates regarding the repopulation of depopulated enclaves, with the aim of clarifying the criteria contemporaries used. It asks how contemporaries identified depopulation, why and how they wished to reform depopulated enclaves, whether at stake was the reformation of territory or people, what was the role of memory in these processes, and how public utility was defined. The text ends with questions regarding the relevance of these debates in the present.

International audience; After a new and ambitious reform, referred to as the 'Territorial Big Bang', France was confronted, from the end of 2018, with the revolt of the yellow vests, often originating from the country's most peripheral or troubled territories. These oppositions and contestations from the territories may seem all the more astonishing since the ambitious territorial reform initiated in 2015 and which took shape with the NOTRE and MAPTAM laws aimed precisely at repositioning the role of the territories at each scale. How and why have we arrived at the current result, which seems to revive the historical territorial divide between Paris and the provinces, transforming it into an opposition between the major cities and the rest of France? In this article, we show how the territorial reform of 2015 was a failure and we take stock of the fact that far from affirming a new stage of decentralization, it has consisted above all in favouring large structures and the search for economies of scale, and has left behind territories that don't matter anymore for the public policies.

In the last two years comprehensive legislative reforms have been passed in France which aim to change the territorial architecture of the Republic to ensure increased transparency and efficiency in public administration in the long term. The reforms focus on the metropolises, the merging of regions and the reorganisation of the powers of the various levels of regional bodies. Cross-border cooperation on the Upper Rhine and in the Greater Region is affected but not called into question by the reforms.

This entry has been realised in the framework of the H2020-MSCA-RISE-2018 project “LoGov - Local Government and the Changing Urban-Rural Interplay”. LoGov aims to provide solutions for local governments that address the fundamental challenges resulting from urbanisation. To address this complex issue, 18 partners from 17 countries and six continents share their expertise and knowledge in the realms of public law, political science, and public administration. LoGov identifies, evaluates, compares, and shares innovative practices that cope with the impact of changing urban-rural relations in five major local government areas: (1) local responsibilities and public services, (2) local financial arrangements, (3) structure of local government, (4) intergovernmental relations of local governments, and (5) people’s participation in local decision-making. The present entry addresses the structure of local government in Moldova. The entry forms part of the LoGov Report on Moldova. To access the full version of the report on Moldova, other practices regarding the structure of local government and to receive more information about the project, please visit: https://www.logov-rise.eu/. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 823961.

Source : ABES [http://www.idref.fr/033702462/id] - theses.fr, 27/01/2022; This dissertation deals with the contemporary process of metropolitanisation in France, by comparing the cases of Lyon and Aix-Marseille-Provence from a historical perspective. From a project led by the modernizing state in the 1960’s, metropolitanisation is progressively appropriated by local elected officials. The reform sequence of the 2010s sheds light on how urban configurations are built through time. At the same time, it provides new political opportunities to modify them. Adopting a multi-sited look at metropolitan reform, this research sheds light on the exercise of urban power and its hierarchies, highlighting the importance of political resources conferred by multipositionality, owned by the most dominant local stakeholders. Seen from this perspective, metropolization is a political process that leads to increase hierarchies within local power.; Cette recherche interroge le processus contemporain de construction institutionnelle des métropoles en France, à travers la comparaison des cas de Lyon et d’Aix-Marseille-Provence. Elle analyse ces créations institutionnelles dans une perspective historique, depuis la politique des métropoles d’équilibre dans les années 1960 jusqu’à l’entrée en vigueur des deux métropoles (2015-2016). D’un projet porté par l’Etat modernisateur, la question métropolitaine est appropriée localement à mesure que les élus locaux gagnent en autonomie durant cette période. L’analyse de la séquence réformatrice des années 2010 renseigne à la fois sur les configurations territoriales singulières forgées historiquement, en même temps qu’elle fournit de nouvelles ressources politiques permettant d’en modifier les équilibres. Adoptant un regard multi-situé de la réforme métropolitaine, cette recherche renseigne sur l’exercice du pouvoir urbain et ses hiérarchies, en soulignant l’importance des ressources politiques conférées par la multipositionnalité, caractéristique de trajectoires politiques notabiliaires. En ce sens, la métropolisation comme processus politique concourt à renforcer les hiérarchies au sein du pouvoir local.

The new public management territorial policies, by enhancing the French regions responsibilities without transferring enough means to manage them, weakens the local authorities and makes it hard to produce resilient strategies. In order to manage the Brexit which destabilises the territories and networks, actors have to define a strategy to manage the risk and seize the opportunities, although they are restrained by the (in)efficiency of their administration. This paper tries to highlight this process of strategy construction to manage the Brexit while underlining the restrains from the states territorial policies, by comparing the actions and the discourses of actors from the Normandie and Île-de-France regions. We suggest some explanatory tracks about the management differences between the two regions by a crossed neo-institutionalist approach and blame theory., La politique territoriale du nouveau management public, en renforçant les compétences des régions sans leur transférer une marge de manœuvre suffisante, fragilise les pouvoir locaux et rend complexe l’élaboration de stratégies résilientes. Face au Brexit qui bouleverse les territoires et réseaux, les acteurs doivent élaborer des stratégies pour prévenir les risques et bénéficier des opportunités, mais sont limités par leurs capacités administratives. Cette communication cherche à mettre en évidence ce processus de construction stratégique en réponse au Brexit tout en soulignant les contraintes apportées par les politiques territoriales étatiques par une comparaison entre les actions et discours des acteurs normands et franciliens. Elle propose des pistes explicatives quant aux différences de gestion par une approche néoinstitutionnaliste croisée et la théorie du blâme.

Les récentes réformes territoriales (Maptam et NOTRe) et celle initiée par la loi sur la liberté de la création, de l’architecture et du patrimoine (LCAP) constituent à la fois des instruments législatifs, des opportunités politiques et des prétextes utilisés par les acteurs pour modifier le système institutionnel des politiques culturelles et particulièrement celui de l’opéra. La contribution, fondée sur une enquête dans deux nouvelles grandes régions, Nouvelle-Aquitaine et Grand-Est, montre des attentes contradictoires, une dialectique métropolisation/régionalisation embryonnaire et un fonctionnement improbable des instances de régulation. Malgré ces incertitudes, le monde de l’opéra entame sa mue en épousant, avec des bonheurs divers, le répertoire le plus actuel des politiques culturelles. The recent laws of territorial reform in France (Maptam and NOTRe) and the law on the Freedom of Creation, Architecture and Heritage (LCAP) constitute legislative instruments, political opportunities and pretexts used by actors to modify the institutional system of cultural policies and particularly in the opera sector. The contribution, based on a survey in two new major regions, Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Grand-Est, shows contradictory expectations, an embryonic metropolisation/regionalisation dialectic and an improbable functioning of regulatory authorities. Despite these uncertainties, the opera world is beginning to change by embracing, with varying degrees of happiness, the most up-to-date repertoire of cultural policies. Las recientes leyes de reforma territorial en Francia (Maptam y NOTRe) y la ley de Libertad de Creación, Arquitectura y Patrimonio (LCAP) constituyen instrumentos legislativos, oportunidades políticas y pretextos utilizados por los actores para modificar el sistema institucional de las políticas culturales y en particular el de la ópera. La contribución, basada en una encuesta realizada en dos nuevas grandes regiones, Nueva Aquitania y Gran Este, muestra expectativas contradictorias, una dialéctica embrionaria entre metropolización y regionalización y un funcionamiento improbable de las autoridades reguladoras. A pesar de estas incertidumbres, el mundo de la ópera está empezando a cambiar al adoptar, con diferentes grados de felicidad, el repertorio más actualizado de políticas culturales.

Dissertação de mestrado em Administração Pública (área de especialização em Gestão Pública e Políticas Públicas), A literatura científica tem dedicado bastante atenção ao estudo da participação eleitoral, tendo enumerado diversos fatores que exercem influência naquele indicador. Entre eles, o tamanho das circunscrições territoriais tem ocupado um lugar central no debate académico. As posições divergem quanto às consequências que o tamanho gera na participação, havendo quem considere que a maior dimensão promove a participação eleitoral dos cidadãos e, inversamente, quem entenda que é o menor tamanho que surte tal efeito. Na presente tese, pretende-se analisar os efeitos do aumento do tamanho de jurisdições na participação eleitoral dos cidadãos dessas comunidades, tendo por base a reforma territorial (RT) que teve lugar em Portugal entre os anos de 2012 e 2013, que procedeu ao aumento do tamanho de freguesias por via do mecanismo de agregação ou fusão. Para tal, adota-se a perspetiva segundo a qual o aumento do tamanho das jurisdições tem como consequência um decréscimo na participação eleitoral dos cidadãos, em virtude da diminuição do peso relativo de cada voto, do enfraquecimento dos laços comunitários, entre outros fatores. A particularidade deste trabalho refere-se ao facto de o mesmo incidir apenas sobre freguesias que foram efetivamente objeto de fusão, visando-se relacionar a participação eleitoral com as diferenças de tamanho entre as autarquias locais agregadas, por um lado, bem como com a sua participação anterior, por outro. Para cumprir este desiderato, recorre-se aos dados disponíveis referentes ao distrito do Porto no que respeita às eleições autárquicas de 2009 e 2013 – respetivamente, as eleições imediatamente anteriores e posteriores à aludida reforma territorial. Em obediência à linha de raciocínio acima referida, se a Participação Eleitoral (PE) diminui com a agregação, é provável que essa diminuição tenha assumido proporções menores nas jurisdições de maior dimensão e, inversamente, maiores nas freguesias de dimensão inferior. Recorrendo-se a uma análise do tipo painel, os resultados demonstram que a reforma territorial está associada a uma diminuição da participação eleitoral nas freguesias, em especial naquelas que tinham à partida menor tamanho, quando comparando com a dimensão total das uniões de freguesias que as abrangeram., The scientific literature has devoted much attention to the study of electoral participation, having listed several factors that influence that indicator. Among them, the size of the territorial circumscriptions has occupied a central place in the academic debate. The positions differ as to the consequences that size generates in participation, with some authors who consider that the larger dimension promotes the electoral participation of citizens and, conversely, those who understand that it is the smallest size that has such an effect. In this thesis, we intend to analyse the effects of the increase in the size of jurisdictions on the electoral participation of the citizens of these communities, based on the territorial reform that took place in Portugal between the years 2012 and 2013, through which the size of parishes was augmented via an aggregation or merger mechanism. To this end, the perspective that the increase in the size of the jurisdictions results in a decrease in the electoral participation of citizens is adopted. That is expected to happen due to the decrease in the relative weight of each vote, the weakening of community ties, among other aspects. This work’s specific feature resides on the fact that it focuses only on jurisdictions that were actually reformed, intending to relate the electoral turnout with the differences in size between the merged parishes, on one side, as well as with their previous turnout levels, on the other. So as to fulfil this purpose, data referring to Porto’s district regarding the local elections of 2009 and 2013 is used – respectively the local elections immediately preceding and immediately after the said territorial reform. According to the abovementioned line of reasoning, if the PE decreases with the aggregation, it is likely that this decrease has assumed smaller proportions in the larger jurisdictions and, conversely, greater percentages in the smaller parishes. On the other hand, the turnout of 2013 can be explained by the turnout rate that occurred in 2009 and, as such, it could possibly correspond to a trend of that specific electorate. Making use of a panel analysis, the results show that the territorial reform is associated to a decrease in turnout in parishes, especially in those that had smaller sizes, when compared to the total size of the amalgamation that involved those jurisdictions.

У роботі розглянуто теоретико-методичні засади соціально-економічного розвитку об’єднаних територіальних громад. Зосереджено увагу на питанні розвитку територіальної громади як суб’єкта забезпечення економічного розвитку території. Узагальнено міжнародний досвід вирішення соціально-економічних проблем територіальних громад. На основі використання системного підходу визначено особливості та проблеми соціально-економічного розвитку Куликівської територіальної громади. Досліджено тенденції формування фінансово-економічного потенціалу громади. Проведено аналіз ефективності виконання програм соціального-економічного розвитку Куликівської територіальної громади. В работе рассмотрены теоретико-методические основы социально-экономического развития объединенных территориальных общин. Сосредоточено на вопросе развития территориальной общины как субъекта обеспечения экономического развития территории. Обобщен международный опыт решения социально-экономических проблем территориальных общин. На основе использования системного подхода определены особенности и проблемы социально-экономического развития Куликовской территориальной общины. Исследована тенденции формирования финансово-экономического потенциала общины. Проведен анализ эффективности выполнения программ социального-экономического развития Куликовской территориальной общины. The paper considers the theoretical and methodological principles of socio-economic development of united territorial communities. The focus is on the development of the territorial community as a subject of economic development of the territory. The international experience of solving socio-economic problems of territorial communities is generalized. Based on the use of a systematic approach, the features and problems of socio-economic development of the Kulykivka territorial community are identified. The tendencies of formation of financial and economic potential of the community are investigated. An analysis of the effectiveness of the implementation of programs of socio-economic development of Kulykiv territorial community.

Introduction. The essence of administrative and territorial reform is analyzed in the article. The role of capable territorial communities is substantiated in the integrated development of the local government system. Purpose. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the theoretical and methodological provisions concerning the development and functioning of capable territorial communities as a guarantee of the effective economic development of the local territories. Results. The theoretical and methodological provisions concerning the development and functioning of the capable territorial communities as the basis of effective economic development of local territories are substantiated. The financial opportunities of the united territorial communities in the solving of problems of a local level have been analyzed. Conclusions. Consequently, the sustainable development of the social economic systems depends directly on the management of economic entity, namely, their economic activity under the influence of processes occurring in the political, social and legal spheres of the domestic economic system. Today one of such processes is the decentralization of power and the creation of a new system of state and a local government. The policy of decentralization of power contributes to the improvement of the economic and social situation in the country, the improvement of relations between the state and local levels of power relations and the rational and efficient use of budgetary funds at various levels of government. The main task of the administrative territorial reform that has been analyzed in accordance with the law is the transfer of power to the places in order to concentrate their own and public funds and resources and their spending on their own needs and development. It is a matter of establishing united territorial communities, which are called to carry out the development of adjacent territories to the unions through the adoption of independent government decisions. One of the key benefits of creating united territorial communities is a significant increase in their budget revenues. Compared with 2015, the revenues of community budgets have grown by almost 6 times compared to non-united communities, where revenues have grown by only 1.4 times. This indicator is very significant, as an active merger of communities contributes to the growth of their incomes more rapidly, in particular, through access to government programs and international programs to support the development of infrastructure for such communities. The communities, that are not united, are deprived of the right to perform powers by the state agency of the local governments in villages and cities of district significance, which has been delegated by the state. The main problem remains the independent resolution of issues of a local importance, namely the failure to resolve them. Therefore, the main goal of the reform of local government is the creation of independent and capable united territorial communities, which will solve local issues at the expense of their own financial resources and revenues.

International audience; Legislative debates on territorial organization are rarely consensual. The bill of 16 March 2015, which officially aims at “the improvement of the legal framework of new municipalities for strong and living municipalities”, is a singular case. It changes the previous legal framework already presented at that time as an innovative one: but does this new framework create truly new municipalities? Do the legal provisions related to their creation, functioning and finances introduce a change as significant as officially claimed? Despite (or due to) the success of this new type of municipalities, this question can only find a nuanced answer.; Rares sont les dispositifs législatifs portant sur l’organisation territoriale qui font consensus. La loi du 16 mars 2015 relative à « l’amélioration du régime des communes nouvelles, pour des communes fortes et vivantes » est à cet égard un cas singulier. Certes, elle vient modifier un régime juridique récent et présenté dès l’origine comme novateur. Pour autant, ces communes nouvelles le sont-elles vraiment ? Les règles de droit relatives à leur création, leur fonctionnement ou leur financement marquent-elles une rupture aussi forte qu’affichée ? En dépit (ou en raison) du succès rencontré par ce nouveau type de communes, cette interrogation ne peut qu’appeler une réponse tout en nuances.

Many countries have carried out extensive amalgamation-related territorial reforms at the level of local self-government and created relatively large municipalities. The Czech Republic is one of the few remaining European countries with a fragmented territorial structure. There is a lot of discussion in the country about the need for amalgamation, but this discussion is mainly based on political arguments rather than on empirical evidence about the feasibility of amalgamation and its potential to improve local government performance. This paper analyses economies of scale on the local level as a factor that should be reflected in debates about the pros and cons of amalgamation in the Czech Republic. To add to the existing knowledge about the reality of economies of scale on the municipal level in the Czech Republic, we processed the municipal costs of three selected areas on a representative sample of municipalities in the South Moravian Region. The analysis showed that economies of scale can be identified for collecting local fees and for pre-school and elementary education, but not for local administration. Our results suggest that the existence of too small municipalities in the Czech Republic results in inefficiencies and should be addressed.

Since the 1980's, consecutive territorial reforms lead to frequent changes of actors and territories of transport planning. After the last change, due to the "loi NOTRe" in 2015, the Pays de la Loire district started an "étude mobilité" ("mobility study"). It aims at optimizing the intercity network at regional level. A questionnaire passed to intercommunalities of the district highlighted many thoughts about "innovating" transports, that can be gathered into the notion of "altermobility".; Depuis les années 1980, les réformes territoriales successives mènent à des changements fréquents d’acteurs et de territoires d’organisation des transports. A la suite du dernier changement en date, induit par la loi NOTRe en 2015, la Région des Pays de la Loire a entamé une démarche d’ « étude mobilité ». Le but de cette dernière est d’optimiser le réseau interurbain à l’échelle régionale. Un questionnaire transmis aux EPCI ligériens a mis en exergue de nombreuses réflexions en matière de transports dits « innovants », pouvant être regroupés sous la notion d’altermobilité.

International audience; French local authorities have launched on branding strategies, particularly the regions, in the early 2000s with the will to stand their territory in order to increase their attractiveness. Territorial reform created by the law NOTRe (New Territorial Organization of the Republic) effective from 1 January 2016, reducing the regions from 22 to 13, has consequences for some of its brands on their strategy and question their future. Some attach to highlight the social and emotional dimensions that individuals have with their territory and they are also trying to create a proximity between actors and between the territory of even the actors themselves. It is in this context of fusion as we envisage brand territory as a joint instrument of various forms of spatial proximity and non-space from the grid of the economy of proximity (Pecqueur, Zimmermann, 2004; Boschma, 2005; Talbot, Kirat, 2005; Torre, Rallet, 2005). After evaluating the scenarios identified in a prior research work (Rochette, Zumbo-Lebrument, 2016), we show, using a descriptive analysis based on the results of a survey on 102 individuals, what scenario is considered as a desirable one and those considered as a probable one for the brand in the context of the new region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. This study shows the existence of a link between the brand of a region and the different dimensions of proximity. The fragility and friability of the proximities explain the difficulty to evolve the place branding in a context of spatial redefinition of the region. The study also highlights the fact that the geographical dimension of proximity proves to be the anchor of other forms of proximity.; Depuis 10 ans, de nombreuses collectivités territoriales françaises ont initié des stratégies de marque pour renforcer l'attractivité de leur territoire et les liens entre les acteurs. La réforme territoriale questionne le devenir de ces marques et l'activation des proximités sur lesquelles ces marques collectives s'appuient. La grille de l'économie de la proximité (Boschma, 2005) est mobilisée pour dégager les liens entre les acteurs engagés dans la stratégie de marque et leurs intensités. Ce travail met à jour les leviers possibles de l'évolution de la marque dans un contexte de changement de périmètre géographique et administratif des régions. L'étude du cas d'une marque régionale permet, parmi six scénarios possibles d'évolution de dégager celui considéré comme le plus probable.

Cet article propose une analyse comparée des processus récents de création de gouvernements métropolitains dans trois pays européens : Angleterre, France et Italie. Bien que coïncidant dans le temps, les nouvelles formes de gouvernement métropolitain s’encastrent dans des systèmes institutionnels spécifiques (section II). L’analyse comparée porte sur les motivations des protagonistes – gouvernement, parlement, élus locaux… –, considérant que ce jeu d’acteurs compte pour expliquer les nouveaux modes de gouvernance mis en place (section III). Enfin, nous analysons la capacité à agir et la spatialité des nouveaux gouvernements métropolitains dans les trois pays (section IV)., This article develops a comparative analysis of the recent processes of creation of metropolitan governments in three European countries: England, France and Italy. Although coinciding in time, the new forms of metropolitan government are embedded in specific institutional systems (Section II). Comparative analysis focuses on the motivations of the actors of metropolitan reforms – government, parliament, local elected officials... – considering that this set focus is important to explain the new modes of governance put in place (section III). Finally, we analyze the capacity to act and the spatiality of the new metropolitan governments in the three countries (section IV).

Schon lange beschäftigt sich die Stadtsoziologie mit der Frage, ob „Stadt“ für die Soziologie Forschungsfeld oder selbst ein Forschungsobjekt darstellt. Die vorliegende Arbeit stellt einen Beitrag zur Klärung der Relevanz von „Stadt“ für die Soziologie dar, indem sie sie als Form sozialer Integration untersucht. Im Ergebnis unterscheidet „Stadt“ sich insbesondere von „Gesellschaft“ durch das gemeinsame Auftreten zweier Formen anonymer Sozialbeziehungen. Neben differenzierter „Gesellschaft“ ist für „Stadt“ undifferenzierte „anonyme Gemeinschaft“ konstitutiv. Mit der wissenssoziologischen Annahme, dass soziale Gegenstände durch wissensgeleitetes Handeln entstehen, erfolgt auf der theoretischen Grundlage Alfred Schütz’ lebensweltlicher Deutungsschemata bzw. Typen die Rekonstruktion des Alltagswissens über „Stadt“ anhand von Dokumenten zur gescheiterten Städtefusion „Lahnstadt“. In der Interpretation begründet der gemeinsame stadtbezogene Wissensbestand von StädterInnen (Erfahrungen, die sie im geteilten Deutungsschema „Stadt“ zusammenfassen) ihr Gleichsein untereinander. Er stellt damit eine Basis für Verbundenheit unter persönlich Unbekannten (einer städtischen Gemeinschaft), eines Wir-Gefühls dar und kann zugleich als „Sinn“ von „Stadt“ im Alltagswissen verstanden werden. Dass dieser sinnhafte Kern von „Stadt“ im Alltagswissen auch ein „Alleinstellungsmerkmal“ des wissenschaftlichen Gegenstandes „Stadt“ und damit ihre soziologische Relevanz (mit)begründet, kann im Rahmen einer erarbeiteten allgemeinen Systematik sozialer Beziehungen gezeigt werden. Diese kombiniert die Dimensionen Differenz – Homogenität einerseits und Intimität – Anonymität andererseits so, dass neben der klassischen Unterscheidung intim-homogener „Gemeinschaft“ und differenziert-anonymer „Gesellschaft“ mit der „anonymen Gemeinschaft“ persönlich Unbekannter, aber Erfahrungsgleicher eine dritte Form anonym-homogener sozialer Integration sichtbar wird. Anonyme Gemeinschaften lassen sich unterteilen in solche, die Teil eines differenzierten Ganzen sind und solche, die selbst ein (undifferenziertes) Ganzes sind. Die „Erfahrungsgemeinschaft“ der „StädterInnen“ gehört zum letzten Typ. Ihre Kombination mit „Gesellschaft“ ist spezifisch für den Gegenstand „Stadt“., Urban sociology has for a long time been engaged in the question whether the „city“ is an object of study itself or a field of study and thus whether or not of general relevance for the discipline. This work contributes to this question by examining it as a form of social integration. It can be shown that especially compared to „society“ „city“ can be characterised by the concomitance of two forms of anonymous social relations: In addition to the differentiated „society“ „city“ is constituted also by the homogeneous „anonymous community“. The assumption of sociology of knowledge that social phenomena are generated in knowledge-lead actions underlies the examination. Alfred Schütz’ concepts of lifeworld and interpretive schemes (typifications) serve as a theoretical base for the reconstruction of the everyday knowledge concept of „city“. For this purpose documents about the failed amalgamation of two cities (called „Lahnstadt“) are analysed. The interpretation is that among urban dwellers a shared city-related stock of knowledge exists which means that alike experiences are integrated in a common interpretive scheme. This knowledge is a base for social ties among anonymous others and a we-feeling (in a city community) which can be understood as the meaning of „city“ in everyday knowledge. Within a general classification of social relations this meaning of „city“ in everyday knowledge can also be conceptualized as a special characteristic of the scientific object „city“. The developed classification includes all possible combinations of the dimensions difference – homogeneity on the one hand and intimacy – anonymity on the other hand. Thus, in addition to the „classical“ discrimination between intimate-homogeneous „community“ and heterogeneous anonymous „society“ a third type of social integration combining anonymity and homogeneity appears. It is called „anonymous community”. Anonymous communities can be divided in two types, those that are part of a heterogeneous whole (as a superordinate reference system) and those that are wholes in themselves. The anonymous community of experience shared by city dwellers is a whole in itself. Its combination with „society“ is specific for the subject of „city“.

Based on the Presentation given by the author on October 4, 2018 at theInternational Constitutional Congress held in the Spanish Senate on theoccasion of the Commemoration of the 40th Anniversary of the SpanishConstitution, the article aims at reflecting the meaning and the projectionof the Constitution. It equally wants to praise its importance or value andanalyse the most important elements which characterise its wording andits path over time. Finally, the article underlines the most relevant aspectsthat are deemed to be considered in the event of a Constitutional reform. Basado en la ponencia que el autor expuso el 4 de octubre de 2018 en elCongreso Internacional Constitucional celebrado en el Senado con ocasiónde la conmemoración del 40 Aniversario de la Constitución española, elartículo pretende ser una reflexión sobre el significado y proyección dela Carta Magna, así como de su importancia o valor y de los elementosmás importantes que caracterizan su redacción y recorrido en el tiempo.Finalmente, resalta los aspectos más relevantes que se han de considerarante una eventual reforma constitucional.

Cet article explore les transformations du modèle d’administration territoriale français et les processus de migration de l’autorité depuis le milieu des années 1970 à partir des mobilisations de deux grandes catégories d’acteurs : les élus locaux, leurs associations et leurs relais institutionnels au Sénat, d’une part ; les hauts fonctionnaires des administrations centrales, et particulièrement ceux du ministère du Budget, d’autre part. Il cherche à identifier les contextes et mécanismes qui ont permis la conversion d’asymétries ponctuelles de pouvoir en asymétries plus durables, qui ont modifié les trajectoires de réforme. Il met en évidence une dynamique de desserrement du verrou de l’État, qui court depuis le milieu des années 1970 jusqu’au milieu des années 1990, et connaît son apogée avec le vote des lois de décentralisation. Il montre a contrario pourquoi l’adoption de l’euro s’est traduite par un recul très net de l’autonomie budgétaire et fiscale des collectivités et par l’adoption de politiques de fusions de collectivités, et comment la crise des dettes souveraines a amplifié ce resserrement du verrou de l’État. This article explores the transformations of the French model of territorial administration and how authority has changed hands since the middle of the 1970s by examining the mobilization of two main categories of actors : local elected officials, their associations and institutional support in the Senate on the one hand, and senior officials in central administrative positions, particularly in the Ministry of Budget, on the other hand. This article shall identify the contexts and mechanisms which allowed for circumstantial asymmetries in power to be translated into rules, thus modifying reform trajectories. It shall also highlight the loosening of State control, a phenomenon which transpired from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s and reached its zenith with the passing of decentralization laws. On the other hand, however, this article shall also illustrate why the implementation of the euro led to a sharp decline in the budgetary and fiscal autonomy of local authorities, as well to the adoption of policies to merge local governments, and how the sovereign debt crisis magnified the State's control over local and regional affairs.

O programa de assistência financeira a Portugal em 2011 constituiu uma conjuntura crítica que levou à implementação de reformas nos vários níveis da Administração Pública portuguesa, nomeadamente ao nível das autarquias locais. A reforma administrativa e territorial das freguesias (RATF), mais conhecida como "reforma Relvas" constituiu uma dessas reformas. Esta reforma levada a cabo pelo XIX Governo português visou cumprir algumas dos compromissos assinados com a troika que constituíam, desde logo, a diminuição do número de freguesias pela sua agregação. Contudo, a RATF não se limitou a reduzir o número de freguesias, apesar de esta ter sido a medida mais mediática, a RATF comportou uma dimensão territorial (redução das freguesias pela sua agregação), mas também uma dimensão funcional (novas competências e nova lei das finanças locais). Em suma, a RATF não foi em fim em si mesma, aliás, até ser realizada uma avaliação desta reforma ninguém conseguirá dizer que objetivos foram alcançados e expor os erros cometidos. Assim, propõe-se aqui realizar uma avaliação da RATF, na ótica da Administração Pública, no município de Sintra uma vez terminado o primeiro mandato (2013-2017) desde a nova organização do mapa das freguesias. The program of financial assistance to Portugal in 2011 constituted a critical conjuncture that led to the implementation of reforms at various levels of the Portuguese Public Administration, namely at the level of local authorities. The Administrative and Territorial Reform of the Parishes (RATF is the abbreviation in portuguese), better known as the "Relvas reform", was one of such reforms. This reform carried out by the XIX Portuguese Government aimed to fulfill some of the commitments signed with the troika which constituted, firstly, the reduction of the number of parishes by their aggregation. However, RATF has not limited itself to reducing the number of parishes, although this has been the most media-friendly measure, RATF has had a territorial dimension (reduction of parishes by aggregation), but also a functional dimension (new competences and new law of local finances). In short, the RATF was not an end in itself; in fact, until an evaluation of this reform is carried out, no one can say what objectives have been achieved and expose the mistakes made. Thus, it is proposed here to carry out an evaluation of the RATF, from the point of view of the Public Administration, in the municipality of Sintra once the first mandate (2013-2017) has been completed since the new organization of the map of the parishes.

Mehr als 30 Jahre nach der letzten großen Funktional- und Gebietsreform in Rheinland-Pfalz stellte der Landtag im Jahre 2008 fest, dass die Aufgaben-zuständigkeiten sowie die kommunalen Gebietsstrukturen im Rahmen einer umfassenden Kommunal- und Verwaltungsreform optimiert werden sollen. In der 15. Wahlperiode wurden zunächst auf einer 1. Stufe der Reform die Gebiets-struktur der Verbandsgemeinden und verbandsfreien Gemeinden verbessert sowie eine Änderung von Aufgabenzuständigkeiten mit dem Ziel einer bürger-, sach- und ortsnäheren Aufgabenerledigung vorgenommen. In ihrer Regierungserklärung vom 1. Juni 2016 kündigte die Ministerpräsidentin an, dass die nächste Stufe der Kommunal- und Verwaltungsreform weiterverfolgt werden solle. Das zur Vorbereitung dieser zweiten Reformstufe beauftragte umfassende wissenschaftliche Gutachten ist von einem Gutachterteam aus verschiedenen wissenschaftlichen Disziplinen (Verwaltungswissenschaft, Ökonomie, Soziologie und Rechtswissenschaft) in mehreren Teilgutachten bearbeitet worden, die inhaltlich aufeinander abgestimmt sind. Das Gutachten geht von dem Grundansatz einer ganzheitlichen, durch ein einheitliches Leitbild verbundenen Funktional- und Gebietsreform aus. Allerdings halten die Gutachter ebenso eine Entkoppelung von funktionaler und territorialer Reform für möglich und zeigen verschiedene Reformvarianten auf, um den politischen Entscheidungsträgerinnen und -trägern unterschiedliche Entscheidungsmöglichkeiten zur Verfügung zu stellen. Der folgende Text fasst diese Optionen zusammen. &nbsp

Gutachten im Auftrag des Ministeriums des Innern und für Sport des Landes Rheinland-Pfalz Vor dem Hintergrund wachsenden demographischen und finanziellen Problemdrucks sowie einer veränderten Aufgabenwahrnehmung durch die öffentliche Verwaltung soll mit der zwei-ten Stufe der Kommunal- und Verwaltungsreform in Rheinland-Pfalz unter anderem die funktionale Organisation der Landes- und Kommunalverwaltung überprüft und optimiert werden (vgl. MdI 2015, 2ff.). Anknüpfend an die bisherigen Reformmaßnahmen der ersten Stufe der Kommunal- und Verwaltungsreform soll die Aufgabenanlagerung in der Landes- und Kommunalverwaltung mittels einer umfassenden Aufgabenkritik, die sich an den Zielen einer fachlich fundierten, wirtschaftlichen sowie bürger-, sach- und ortsnahen Aufgabenerledigung orientiert, auf den Prüfstand gestellt und optimiert werden. Hierzu sind alle Ebenen der unmittelbaren Landesverwaltung sowie im kommunalen Bereich insbesondere die Ebene der Land-kreise und kreisfreien Städte einzubeziehen (ebd., 3). Dieses Gutachten soll für die Bereiche der „Funktionalität der künftigen Aufgabenstruktur“ sowie der „Organisation für die kommunalen Ebenen und die Landesverwaltung“ eine Hilfestellung für die politischen Entscheidungsträger liefern. Dabei werden Aufgaben aller Ebenen der unmittelbaren Landesverwaltung sowie des kommunalen Bereichs einbezogen. Ziel ist es, auf der Basis einer umfassenden Bestandsaufnahme der Aufgabenanlagerung im Status quo Vorschläge zur Optimierung der Aufgabenzuordnungen und der Organisationsstrukturen in aufgabenbezogener Betrachtung zu unterbreiten. Hierzu werden ausgewählte Aufgaben der unmittelbaren Landesverwaltung, der Landkreise, der kreisfreien Städte, der kreisangehörigen Städte, Ortsgemeinden, Verbandsgemeinden und verbandsfreien Gemeinden nach funktionalen Kriterien analysiert, um verschiedene Optionen funktionaler (Neu-) Zuordnung zu diskutieren, ohne die dem politischen Raum zustehende Entscheidung über Maßstäbe und konkrete Zuschnitte territorialer Neugliederungen zu präjudizieren. Für die Ebene der Land-kreise/kreisfreien Städte werden ferner unterschiedlich weitreichende Möglichkeiten der Territorialreform angenommen, um aufzuzeigen, welche Konsequenzen sich daraus für die funktionale Aufnahmefähigkeit der Kreisebene ergeben würden.