SNSF | P3 Research Database | Publication Reforming Local Governments in Times of Crisis: Values and Expectations of Good Local Governance in Comparative Perspective

Reforming Local Governments in Times of Crisis: Values and Expectations of Good Local Governance in Comparative Perspective

Type of publication	Peer-reviewed
Publikationsform	Contribution to book (peer-reviewed)

Author	Denters Bas, Ladner Andreas, Mouritzen Poul Erik, Rose Lawrence E.,
Project	Local Autonomy and Local Public Sector Reforms

Contribution to book (peer-reviewed)

Book	Local Public Sector Reforms in Times of Crisis
Editor	, Kuhlmann Sabine; , Bouckaert Geert
Publisher	Palgrave Macmillan UK, London
Page(s)	333 - 345
ISBN	978-1-137-52547-5
Title of proceedings	Local Public Sector Reforms in Times of Crisis
DOI	10.1057/978-1-137-52548-2_19

Abstract

A lot has been written about normative and theoretical expectations of local government. In this chapter we give the word to the citizens. How satisfied are they with the way local democracy works in their municipality and what do they expect from their municipalities in terms of facilities and services? With the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, and Switzerland, our study covers four relatively well-off countries holding top positions in most overall assessments of democracy. We start with a general evaluation of the citizens’ satisfaction with their life in their municipality. In a next step we address the different ideas citizens have about the very essence of local democracy and local governance. The chapter ends with a discussion of varying degrees of satisfaction considering the different expectations.