Chapter 14 : Multilevel Governance Reading

Multilevel Governance- how policy makers and interest groups in lib demos find
themselves discussing, persuading and negotiating across multiple tiers, seeking to
deliver coherent policy in specific functional areas. Applies the idea of pluralism and
policy networks, when several levels of gov share the task of making regulations
and forming policy. Example: EU

Central- Regional- Local

Central organizations are more powerful and resourced but work with other
levels
Communication is key
More likely to discuss with people in same field (vertical) than horizontal.
Actors from a range of sectors- public private and voluntary= help to regulate
contemporary societies
With multiple tiers of gov involved in policy making, private groups can exert
more influence
Strengths:
o Flexibility- particularly in the international dimension
o Prgamatic- when finding solutions thru give and take among affected
interests
Weaknesses:
o Complicated form of governance, which resists demo control
o Lower tiers can onl make a difference if well resourced

Federalism- the principle of sharing sovereignty between central and

state/provincial governments; form of multilevel governance; constituational device
that establishes both levels of gov and where their authority lies.

Federation- is any poli system that puts this idea in practice. Legal
sovereignty is shared between national and provincial. (Canada and USA)
o They evolve to remain stable
o Neither tier can abolish the other; which is the difference with unitary
govs (where sovereignty lies in the center only)
o Historic Reason for this: secure the military and economic bonus of
size, due to competition; Americans felt vulnerable
o Center- takes charge of external relations ie defence, foreign affairs
and immigration
o States- more variable, but include education, law enforcement and
local gov; have a voice in national policy making thru an upper
chamber of the assembly; each state has equal representation
(American senate = 2 senators/state)
o Common in large countries: US, Canada, Aus, Brazil, Germ, India
o Can come in two forms:

Coming together- creating a new central authority**More

common ie USA or Canada
Key in Belgium with the different French and Dutch
speaking populations as well as German speaking- it is
useful for bridging ethnic diversity in a divided society;
danger is that these federations reinforce the divisions
(gain by one can be a loss for another)
Holding together- transferring sovereignty from an existing
national gov to lower levels
o Asymmetric federalism- when some states ave more power than
others, typically in response to cultural differences. (Canada and
Quebec nationalists)
Can lead to instablitity
Confederation- central authority acts as merely an agent of component states
hich retain their own sovereignty
o Less common
o Example: short lived system in 1781 used by the USA
Raised a prob because center could not tax or establish its
authority
Dual Federalism- national and state govs retain separate spheres of action,
and ac independently to perform tasks allocated to them by the constitution.
(USA)
o Has disappeared; and is seen to an unattainable ideal
Cooperative federalism- based on collaboration between levels; national and
state govs work together to pursue interests of the whole (Europe/ Germany)
Lander= states in german
o Subsidiarity- no task should be performed by a larger and more
complex org if it can be executed as well by a smaller and simpler
body; central gov just leads
Central gov becomes more powerful because it receives majority of the taxes
due to the fact that otherwise people would move to low tax states, and
states would have less income to rely on
o Even more powerful in welfare states
o Categorical grant- for specific projects
o Block grant- for particular programmes
o Revenure-sharing general funding which places few limits on the
recipients use of funds
o Equalization grant- used in some federations (Canada and Germany) in
an effort to harmonize financial conditions between the states, can
create resentment in wealthier states

Strengths of Federalism
Practical for large countries
Provides checks and balances
Allows for recognition of diversity

Weaknesses of Federalism
Cant respond to security threats
well
Decision making is slow

Reduces overload at centre

Provides competition btwn
provinces and ppl can move
between them
Oppurtunities for policy
experiments
Small units can coop for military
an econ advantages
Brings gov closer to the ppl

Can entrench divisions between

provinces
Centre has difficulty launching
national initiatives
How citizens are treated depends
on where they live
Complicates accountability
Majorities can exmploit minorities
in a province

The European Union: A special case- it is a union of previously sovereign states

created by treaty in which supranational institutions exist but whose range of
powers fall short of the powers exercised by their counterparts in fed systems, can
be thought of as a confederation

Based off of the treaties it was founded by

Euro Court of Justice- adjucates disputes btween diff lvls of gov
Has the characteristics of a federal state like the US
Differences between the US and EU are:
o The us has a single currency, which is only partly true in the EU
o The Eu is governed by treaties, not a consititution
o EU was not built as federation from the start
o USA fought a civil war to keep the union, the EU has had no test or the
army to do so
o The EU has a unicameral parliament, the USA is bicameral
o EU does not tax citizens directly, income from levy on member states
o Member states have retained national control of vital areas of foreign
and defence policy
o Member states retain individual membership in IGOs
o No single person to talk to, to address Europe

Unitary States

Most states; sovereignty lies exclusively with central gov

Emerge in societies with a history of rule by sovereign monarchs and
emperors; France Britain Japan; also in small demos w.o ethnic division (Latin
America, East Euro)
How to Distribute power away from the center
o Deconcentration- central gov functions are executed by staff in the field
away from the capital; cheaper and allows center departments to focus on
policy making; US fed civilian employees
o Decentralization- Central gov functions are executed by subnational
authorities such as local authorities; Scandanavia welfare
o Devolution- Central gov grants some decision-making autonomy to lower
levels; regional govs in France, Italy and Spain, UK

***Even with the power distributed it is unitary bc the center gov can still
abolish these new assemblies
Regional Governance

middle tier of gov; trend since 1945 in unitary, leading to development

of the three lvls of gov
constructs of the national gov; in large states however they are a
vehicle that the centre body uses to decentralize planning, take
responsibility for econ and pub infrastructure (Transport)
mesolevel- the intermediate, regional layer of gov between national
and local lvls
if elected, it creates a system of regional assemblies and execs which
transforms governance into government; France

Local Government

in both federal and unitary; lowest lvl of elected territorial org within a state
where day to day politics get done
Function:
o rep natural communities, remain accessible to their citizens, reinforce
local identities, offer a practical education in politics, provide a
recruiting ground to higher posters, serve as a first power of call for
citizens, distribute resources in light of specialist knowledge
o Provide pub services, implement welfare policies from national lvl
Some privatize their provision of services;
Enabling authority- do not need to provide services, just
coordinate their provision (English speaking world)
Weaknesses:
o Can be too small to deliver services efficiently, lack finances, and
easily dominated by traditional elites
Second half of twentieth century there was a move to make larger, more
efficient, customer led units
In Europe- represent historic communities that predate national govs, In the
New World they are utilitarian by nature
In Nothern Europe- local govs administer the extensive welfare states; In
Southern Europe- they perform more functions since they are smaller
General competence- the authority of a local gov to make regulations in any
matter of concern to its area(Germany, Holland), where it is lacking local
authorities are restricted to those tasks expressly mandated by a higher
authority(UK everything else is ultra vires-beyond the powers)
Local gov has more status in unitary states than federations bc unitary allows
for direct links to form between local and center
Relationships with the centre

Dual- formal separation of local and central; central is soverign but

local is not seen as a part of a single state apparatus; local author is
divided. Britain
o Fused- municipalities form part of a uniform system of admin applying
across the country; central and local gov combine to form a single
sphere of pub authorityFrance
Makes it easy for officials to move btween lvls of gov or hold
both- cumul des mandats (accumulation of offices)
Prefect- an official appointed by central gov to oversee the
implementation of national policy in a particular area; seeking
uniformity and allegiance (established by Napoleon)
Structure
o High profile mayor= higher areas visibility
o Council-manager- The elected mayor and council appoint a pro
manager to run exec departments ie. Dallas and Phoenix
Tries to make politics distinct from admin
o Mayor Council- elected mayor serves as chief exec, councillors elected
from local wards form a council with legislative and financial authority
Strong mayor- is the focus of authority and accountabilities i.e
NYC
Weak Mayor- the council is legislative and the exec authority ie
London
o Council- most traditional; concentrates authority in a college of eleced
councillors which is responsible for overseeing the organizations work,
mayor is appointed by the council or central gov
Can operate thru powerful committees ie England and Sweden
Can combine with mayor to make working body- Holland and
Belgium
Cities are complicated to govern bc thereses so much diversity in them
o Their reps has more power and connection with central
o

Central-Local relations in Authoritarian States

Authority is from top-down so locals are weak

Mayors just want to stay out of the crosshairs
However author rulers depend on provincial ones to sustain their grip on
power
Integrated by patronage; their support is bought by the ruler
Soviet Union- was very centralized and could dictate from there
China- rules different areas in different ways
o Provincial leaders serve the part

Central-local relations in illiberal democracies

Difficult to foster these relations

Focus on national level

In poor nations where locals lack the resources to govern effectively

Very asymmetric federalism
Boris Yeltsin in Russia- build it from the bottom up; prevent civil war
Power vertical- Russian phrase denoting central control over lower lvls of gov
in the federation; Putin achieved by:
o Ending all the bilateral treaties from predessceor; establish uniform
system
o Passing a law requiring future treaties to be approved by both houses
of legis
o Creating seven extra constitutional federal districts (okrugs) to oversee
lower lvl units, and make sure they remain loyal to Moscow
This strengthened his position bc he staffed them with those
loyal to him