A presentation to the Regional Councillors Forum, delivered on 4 September 1999. The address expounds the various problems besetting the Local Government Act 1974, with an emphasis on its bulk and complexity. It evaluates whether a power of general competence could be the solution to these problems

There is considerable regional variation in incomes and poverty in the Czech Republic and gaps have grown over time. With the highest number of municipalities per head in the OECD, subnational government is very fragmented and the resulting lack of capacity at the local level reduces the quality...

The relationship between political leaders and public administrators is a layered and multi-dimensional phenomenon influenced by both organizational characteristics and personal qualities and skills. Continuous reforms of local government structures lead to changes in the interaction between...