This paper analyzes the lack of civic engagement in local government decision-making and the problems that result from it. I consider one explanation as viewed through public choice theory: dominant special interest groups capture local governments for their own private interests. Thus, average...

In recent times, Swiss federalism has undergone important changes. Definitely, one of these transformations is the implementation of a territorial reshaping at the local level through municipalities amalgamation or collaboration. Considering this evolution, the aim of our paper is twofold.The...

In the past year, local governments have made a foray into the hotly debated arena of immigration law and policy by adopting laws to address illegal immigration in their respective jurisdictions. Courts have struck down many of these laws on the grounds that they are preempted pursuant to a...

This article argues that New York municipalities should integrate land banks into the tax enforcement process to break the unhealthy cycle perpetuated by real estate and lien speculators. By transferring all tax liens and foreclosed properties to local land banks, municipalities can generate an...

This thesis consists of four papers, which concern horizontal as well as vertical interactions and interdependencies in a multilevel public sector. <p> In Paper [I] we study spatial spillover effects in the Swedish local rescue services. The analysis is based on a joint product model where...</p>

Infolge der Regionalisierung von Wirtschafts- und Strukturpolitik entstehen entweder vollkommen neue Institutionen (horizontale Regionalisierung) oder Institutionen mit neuen Kompetenzen (vertikale Regionalisierung). Der Erfolg einer Regionalisierungspolitik läßt sich am Grad der...

The European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) is a European legal instrument designed to facilitate and promote cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation. It was introduced in 2006 to enable public authorities of various Member States to team up and deliver joint...

Regionalpolitik wurde lange Zeit wenig beachtet. Zurzeit weisen ihr jedoch viele eine hohe Bedeutung zu, weil regionale wirtschaftliche Unterschiede für gesellschaftliche Probleme verantwortlich gemacht werden. Daher hat die Bundesregierung im Herbst 2018 die Kommission "Gleichwertige...

This paper aims to shed light on the evolution of regional disparities with respect to economic activity, productivity and employment across the European Union. While the "multiple Speeds of Europe" are a buzzword often quoted to underpin different political strategies and visions, they are...

We examine the formation of multilateral, hub-and-spoke and bilateral international R&D strategic alliances (overlapping climate clubs) to reduce CO2 emissions. R&D provision in clubs produces two types of positive externalities: a global public good (i.e., reduction of CO2 emissions) and...