Gérard Divay

La coproduction des biens collectifs locaux et ses implications institutionnelles : critique de certaines thèses de l'école du public choice

Improvement of services is one of the principal objectives of reforms introduced into local governments, although this objective does not always guide the formulation of the contents of these reforms. A more rigorous analysis of the implications of service improvement should concentrate on local public goods, on their nature and, above all, on their supply and production—aspects hitherto only slightly developed. To start, one can try to infer certain local institutional characteristics which would be the most suitable for the purpose of service improvement. Certain authors who adopt this course anticipate a quasi-market model for local government services. A critical examination of this model shows that it is no longer suitable and that a preferable model is one which we can call “community co-responsibility.”

Hybridity and integration in local collective action: an analytical framework:

Can an integrated territorial approach successfully do away with the silo structure that marks public action through the hybridisation of sectoral logics? Drawing from various strands of research, as well as an assessment of multiple studies on the impact of integrated territorial approaches on local social development, this article develops an analytical framework to address this question. We argue that integration takes place according to four regimes, whose dynamics range from the simple juxtaposition of sectoral organisations to a hybridisation of their organisational logics. The regimes we identify are operational networking, interstitial effervescence, collaborative accommodation and institutional convergence. Each emerges from an interaction between the specific dynamics of each experience in a given milieu and supra-local socio-institutional processes, which generate new ways of conceiving and organising the coordination of public and collective action at the local level. Points for practitioners This article puts into perspective the virtues of the integrated approach as an antidote to public administration silos. An integrated approach to local action only produces the expected effects if each public agency agrees to transform its organisational culture and to direct its action according to the evolution of local ecosystem processes of change in the milieu as a whole.

Recognizing citizens in municipal management: an exploratory study based on a content analysis of municipal websites in the province of Quebec

This article explores the usefulness of a recognition framework for the study of the relationship between municipal administrations and citizens. Within the organizational science literature, employee recognition has been shown to enhance their commitment to their organization. In a context where public authorities consistently seek to improve levels of civic engagement, could this conclusion be applied to the relationship between municipalities and their constituents? Following a review of the literature, we present the results of a content analysis of the websites of Quebec municipalities whose populations are greater than 20,000. Three modes of recognition are identified: personalized attention, value confirmation, and gratitude. Recognition practices are also found to vary between municipalities. Our study opens new pragmatic and theoretical horizons in the area of municipal management. Points for practitioners Managers know that showing recognition toward their employees is not only a sign of respect, but a means to mobilize employee commitment to their organization. This article explores the value of this finding for the field of municipal management and, specifically, to the study of the relationship between municipal managers and citizens. Should serving citizens not ultimately mean recognizing their individual identities, civic capacities, and contribution to their community’s vitality?

Public performance and the challenge of local collective action strategies: Quebec’s experience with an Integrated Territorial Approach

Evaluating the performance of local environment activation strategies, set forth in many central policies, is an exercise fraught with challenges. Based on an analysis of 10 Integrated Territorial Approach initiatives, which were rolled out in Quebec’s fight against poverty, this article proposes a framework to better assess their various effects. These strategies are characterised by a partnership process and a collective focus. Performance occurs at micro-, meso- and macro-levels and is observable not only in the production of deliverables, but also on three other process dimensions, which are characteristic of such strategies: fostering the maintenance of local mobilisation drivers; improving the quality of locally productive elements; and learning strategic coherence. This understanding of collective performance takes public managers out of their comfort zone. Beyond having to develop collaborative skills, as is now well-documented in the literature, it leads them to develop an investor mindset and to become logisticians of the collective, not just efficient service providers. Points for practitioners Public managers sometimes feel disadvantaged in local collective action strategies because their performance depends on the contribution of a number of partners whose actions are driven by logics that differ from theirs. By outlining the many possible facets of performance in local collaborative strategies, the statements made in this article could give them greater peace of mind, as well as point out the systemic stumbling blocks that they may face.