A.J.G.M. van Montfort

Inter-municipal cooperation in Europe

Preface.- About the authors.- Inter municipal cooperation: a wide spread phenomenon, Rudie Hulst & Andre van Montfort.- Belgium: Flemish inter municipal cooperation under reform, Bart de Peuter & Ellen Wayenberg.- Inter municipal cooperation in Finland: old traditions and new promises, Arto Haveri & Jenni Airaksinen.- Inter municipal cooperation in France: Incentives, instrumentality and empty shells, Karen West.- Inter local cooperation in Germany: the mismatch between existing necessities and suboptimal solutions, Werner Heinz.- Italy: the changing boundaries of inter municipal cooperation, Marcello Fedele & Giulio Moini.- The Netherlands: cooperation as the only viable strategy, Rudie Hulst & Andre van Montfort.- Inter municipal cooperation in Spain: dealing with microscopic local government, Eva Nieto Garrido.- The Missing Ingredient: Inter-municipal cooperation and Central-Local Relations in the UK, Josephine Kelly.- Comparative analysis and conclusions, Rudie Hulst & Andre van Montfort.

Institutional features of inter-municipal cooperation: Cooperative arrangements and their national contexts

Inter-municipal co-operation is a widespread phenomenon throughout Europe. But in spite of its wide spread, inter-municipal co-operation has not been subject to systematic comparative research. This article presents some of the findings of a joint research project concerning inter-municipal co-operation in a series of European countries. A comparative analysis shows that inter-municipal co-operation comes in all shapes and sizes. Nevertheless it is possible to distinguish four basic types of co-operation: quasi-regional governments, planning forums, service delivery organizations and service delivery agreements. Research shows that the national institutional context to a large extent explains the presence or absence of the different types in a country.

Can integrity be taught in public organizations? The effectiveness of integrity-training programs for municipal officials

Integrity-training programs for civil servants are assumed to be useful, but there is little or no empirical proof for this claim. The effectiveness of two Dutch training programs was examined through a study conducted with several hundred municipal officials. One of the two programs was found to be effective only in the short term, and neither appears to be effective in the long term. The article concludes with some recommendations for further research.