Swiss politics and political institutions: 2b) Federalism and Municipalities

1. Swiss politics and political institutions:2b) Federalism and Municipalities Prof. Dr. Andreas Ladner iMPA 2012

2. 26 cantons and 2596 municipalities

3. Content Block 2: Part 2: Muncipalities • Characteristics • Local politics • Reforms

4. Capacity of the local government – the citizen’s view

5. Characteristics • Public bodies appointed by the public law of the cantons • Largely autonomous: municipalities can choose an appropriate structure, levy taxes, and independently perform tasks • 2551 (1.1.2011)municipalities in 26 cantons. Median: about 1000 residents, Mean: about 2800 residents (Corippo: less than 20, Zurich: 370’000) • No areas which do not belong to a municipality; some municipalities consist of smaller units

6. Characteristics (2) • Origin of municipalities between the 14th and 19th century • 1874: All citizenshavethesamerights in all municipalities • 1998: First mentionning of municipalities in theSwiss Constitution (Art. 50) • Local authorities under increasing pressure: tasks that are increasingly complex, sharp rise in the debt quota, equal legal standing of towns and less importance of community boundaries.

8. Typology of Municipalities

9. Number of municipalities within the cantons 2003/31.12.2009, projets acceptés

10. Size of municipalities (%)

11. Population (%)

12. Size and Population

13. Size and canton

14. Tasks of the Swiss Municipalities • Education: Kindergarten, Primary School, Secondary School I • Social Welfare and Health • Water, Electricity, and Traffic • Planning and Construction, Sport and Culture • Municipal Police (Fire, Roads, and Commerce) • “Swiss Maker” • Internal Organization, Financial Management Autonomous and non-autonomous tasks (assigned by the cantons)

15. Problems from municipalities’ perspectives (2005)

16. Performance limits reached

17. Debts of Different Tiers of Government

18. Finance • Main sources of finance: Direct taxes, Fees • No other European country has lower transfers from the superordinate level of government • Financial transfers: • Indirect financial transfers vs. direct financial transfers • Horizontal vs. vertical financial transfers

19. Tax autonomy: Federalist and unitary countries compared

20. Changes of the local tax level

21. Difficulties to find sufficient candidates for the local executive

22. Content Block 2: Part 2: Muncipalities • Characteristics • Local politics • Reforms

23. Two types of local government • Small municipalities: municipal assembly • Big municipalities: parliament (less than 20 per cent, more often in the French-speaking part of Switzerland)

24. Local assembly or local parliament Baar: 20,266 inhabitants Olten: 17,000 inhabitants Assembly Parliament

25. The political system of the small Swiss municipalities Citizens (about 50– 20‘000 inhabitants) Municipal assembly Direct Democracy Direct Elections Local Executive (5 or 7 members Mayor* * The Mayor is a member of the local executive

26. The political system of the bigger Swiss municipalities Citizens (about 5000 – 360‘000 inhabitants) Direct Elections Direct Democracy Local Parliament (20 -125 members) Local Executive (5 or 7 members) Mayor* * The Mayor is a member of the local executive

27. Setting up your own political system • What are the arguments in favour or against a local assembly/local parliament? • How would you assign the members of the local government?

28. Characteristics • Number of executive members: 15’000 • Special role of the mayor • Low professionalization (« militia system ») • Big differences as far as size and the electoral system is concerned • With no party affiliation: more than 30 per cent

29. Average size of the local executive 1988 and 2009 and size of the municipalities N=775, only municipalities participating in both surveys

30. Election of the executive: ballot, assembly or parliament (1988)

31. Electoral system (local executive)

32. Parties in local executives *Nur Gemeinden, die in allen drei Befragungen brauchbare Daten geliefert haben

33. Women in local executives

34. Content Block 2: Part 2: Muncipalities • Characteristics • Local politics • Reforms

35. Local secretary surveys (1988, 1994, 1998, 2005, 2009)

36. Types of reforms Canton Division of tasks Equalization of finances and charges Municipalities: NPM Intermunicipal cooperation, amalgamations PPP, Outsourcing

37. Reforms on Local Level since 1990s (2005) Reforms of the politico-administrative System: Introduction of New Public Management 7.4% Territorial and functional reforms: Increase in intermunicipal co-operation 71.9% Discussions to merge 38.7% Reallocation of tasks in 20 cantons and new state legislation regarding municipal affairs in 12 out of 26 cantons

38. Definition of (New) Public Management (NPM) New Public Management (NPM) is the generic term for administrative reforms which have been implemented in various countries since the end of the 1980s. It is a model of reorganizing the steering processes within the Public Sector with the scope of a higher effectiveness (Goal achievement) and efficiency (Input-Output-Relation).

39. Spread of NPM in Swiss Municipalities (1998)

40. What is a NPM reform exactly? • Global budgets, performance contracts, definition of products • Administrative reforms in a broader sense (Outsourcing, customer orientations, e-government, etc.)

41. NPM According to Size (1998)

42. Implemented Elements of New Public Management (2005)

44. Global Budgeting (2005)

45. Intermunicipal cooperation • Intermunicipal cooperation (IMC) is understood to be the fulfillment of a public municipal task by an individual municipality, jointly by two or more municipalities, or by a third legal party, whereby the task fulfillment serves at least two municipalities simultaneously and the participating municipalities directly ("performing") or indirectly ("organizing") participate. • Various forms: core municipality model, joint fulfillment of tasks in the more narrow sense, and legal entity (private law or public law, i.e. particularly special purpose association).

46. Typesof IMC (1)

47. Typesof IMC (2)

48. IMC in Switzerland • Swiss Municipalities work together in 9 different tasks. There is more IMC in Agglomerations. • Associations of Municipalities are widely spread (especially in case of high sunk costs and controversial tasks). Contracts become more common. • Most important partners are neighbouring municiaplities and those of the same county.

49. IMC According to Task Area (2005)

50. Municipal Mergers • Merging of two or more municipalities into a new municipality (merger in the more narrow sense), or the incorporation of one municipality into another one (incorporation) • The essential characteristic of a merger is the complete surrender of independence of one or several municipalities.All municipal tasks are fulfilled by the new municipality.