engleski

Interplay Between the Tiers in Croatian Local Government: Who is Winning the Interdependence Game

Paper examines and evaluates relations between the first and the second tier of local government in Croatia and their evolution during last two decades. This period began with great promises for local government development as Croatia began its path to EU membership and constitutionally re- defined local government institutions, embracing a modern concept based on subsidiarity and decentralization values. Absence of territorial consolidation reforms and limited decentralization efforts that followed have produced a specific interplay between the roles of municipalities and counties that deviates from the current comparative (European) trends that suggest the rise of basic municipal tier and diminishing importance of intermediate territorial levels. The context of Europeanization and the concept of multi-level governance shape the framework for the analysis. The interdependency between the tiers has been increasing but only sporadically produces cooperative and complementary relations and outcomes. In many areas, counties have retained a coordinating, supplementing and supervisory role towards municipalities. Competitive and even conflictual relations that emerge from this setting could harm the capacity of the local government system as a whole to be responsive and efficient in dealing with modern-day challenges.

cooperation ; Europeanization ; inter-governmental relations ; Croatia ; multi-level governance ; second tier of local government

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