Publication

Book	Innovation for the urban age : innovative approaches to public governance for the new urban age
Editor	, Reddy Purshottama S.; , Minderman Goos
Publisher	Eleven International Publishing, The Hague
Page(s)	88 - 128
ISBN	978-94-6236-611-4
Title of proceedings	Innovation for the urban age : innovative approaches to public governance for the new urban age

Local governments are an important provider of public services. Decentralization, which is often supported by international organizations, has become an important reform strategy in many countries in recent decades. An analysis of the influence of structural variables on local public service delivery can be helpful to determine what tasks can be provided at the local tier of government and what organizational structures are most suitable. This article therefore investigates the question of what structural factors influence the provision of local services. Switzerland is selected as the unit of research; in Switzerland, one-third of public spending is done at the local level, showing the significance of local public service delivery. This article draws data from the Swiss Local Authorities Monitoring, a survey of all 2,324 Swiss municipalities that has been conducted in 2009/2010. Using regression analysis, the article indicates that structural variables influence public service delivery. We can therefore learn how structures should be designed to help municipalities perform better.