1 Local governance in multi- organisational settings, the ‘Flemish way’ Filip De Rynck

2 Focus on… Local multi-organisational governance 1.Some general trends and variables explaining convergence / divergence 2.Impact on local government: towards ‘government by arrangements’ ? 3.Network analysis of central – local relations within those governance arrangements

3 Local multi-organisational settings Multi-organisational settings on local level: –Public – public arrangements horizontal intermunicipal cooperation arrangements on multilevel base (with central government) –Public – private arrangements horizontal and multilevel Central government, a mix of roles: –Meta-governor: setting the legal and organisational stage (imposed or incentives) –Actor in arrangements due to local competencies of central government –Absent in the arrangement but crucial for the arrangement (centralisation of decisions)

4 Logo’s of local arrangements in a small rural area SIT Zomergem SIT Meetjesland Hulpverleningszone Brandweer Meetjesland Waterschap Burggravenstroom …

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6 Trends and variables Trends: –Sharp increase, increase of organisation differentiation –Sectoral profileration Convergent variables: –Decentralisation and task complexity –Presssure on local capacity and management –Meta-governance of central government: institutions imposed and/or central incentives –Institutional differentiation in policy domains due to central regulation –Impact of European programmes and projects

7 Trends and variables Divergent variables: –Rural or city-regional contexts –Role of the province as intermediary or broker: strong in rural areas, weak in city- regions –Broker role of existing ‘holistic’ arrangements –Leadership of arrangements (leading mayors, some key public officials) –Trust and sense of urgency

8 First findings on impact Research on those arrangements: –Central role of politicians AND public officials –Weak mandates: outcome of arrangements –Marginal role of top managers in government –Monopoly of information in departments –Different settings, different accountability ‘systems’ and no system in local government

9 Impact on local government From autonomy to growing ‘heteronomy’ All those arrangements have their own institutional features in sets of different policy cycles with their own pace and timing in which local government is engaged Towards ‘virtual’ government or ‘government by arrangements’ ? Management at the border: ‘boundary management’

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12 Accountability Bilateral accountability in arrangements: –Formal mandates and mandates-in-action –Streams of information from arrangements to local government actors Quality, formal and informal –Streams of information from those actors in their local government Active (giving information) and passive (asked to give information) –Systems of control, feedback in the local government Budgetary cycle, annual reports… Multilateral accountability of arrangements: –To the wider environment, to the public in general Impact of accountability practices on the power relations in local government (council, executive, mayor, public servants)

13 Central – local dynamics in those arrangements New PhD (Joris Voets): –applying network analysis to central – local relations in city-regional multi-organisational arrangements for wicked problems in the field of spatial planning Canal zone Ghent Parkbos (‘Park Woods’) Ghent –reconstructing policy processes in and through those arrangements and how those arrangements are managed –how do central – local relations function in policy processes ?

14 Conceptual framework 1.Resource dependencies –Resources and resource mix, types of resource dependencies, balance of dependencies in time 2.Power –Power sources, distribution and use of power (over, to and for) 3.Multi-actor –Actor properties (needs, interests, attitudes,…) and coalitions 4.Policy process –Trigger, substance, patterns of interaction, rules, trust 5.Network management –Management activities (game and network level), managers and management roles

15 IGR revisited Central-local relations –Coalition building through central-local divide –There are no ‘local’ issues in Flanders –Political localism in the arena of the cabinets –Provinces as broker, intermediate Horizontal relations –Interdependency between horizontal and vertical relations –Strategy towards central government has an impact on relations between local governments

16 IGR - revisited Politico-administrative relations –Policy process is the outcome of ambitions of bureaucrats (advocacy coalitions) –Political and administrative official highly intertwined –Partitocracy blurs distinction –A set of management roles and types Intra-governmental relations –Very fragmented central government: policy networks within the central government –Autonomous roles and strategies of departments and field services –Impact of intra-governmental changes on policy process, strategy and management