Making Strategic Planning Work in Local Government: An Empirical Study of Success And Failure
Since the 1990s, local governments all over Europe have launched reforms to improve local democracy, public management and efficiency in the provision of local services. Some of these reforms are inspired by what previously has worked in private management and some of them have also a macro-level ap...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Strategic Public Management Journal
2015-10-01
|
| Series: | Strategic Public Management Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dergipark.gov.tr/download/article-file/273434 |
| _version_ | 1797924247290511360 |
|---|---|
| author | Ángel IGLESIAS |
| author_facet | Ángel IGLESIAS |
| author_sort | Ángel IGLESIAS |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Since the 1990s, local governments all over Europe have launched reforms to improve local democracy, public management and efficiency in the provision of local services. Some of these reforms are inspired by what previously has worked in private management and some of them have also a macro-level approach, whose main aim is to introduce institutional reforms and reorganizations to ensure contextual problem solving by strengthening governance within the local public sector. In this context, Strategic Planning in public organizations has attracted interest among academic researchers and practitioners as an instrument for dealing with a complex environment and for the achievement of higher performance and the attainment of greater democracy. But the decision on how to introduce Strategic Planning might follow a different rationale.
The hypothesis maintained in this paper is that those that are based in an endogenous rationale are more likely to succeed. To test our hypothesis this paper draws on a comparative empirical analysis concerning the design and implementation of a Strategic Planning process within two Spanish city governments: one considered to have been a failure and the other a success. Focusing on the way in which the use of Strategic Planning has to face the trade-offs between urban and economic development and democracy, the paper explores how this formal mechanism of citizen´s and business’ participation serves to establish relational processes to reinvigorate local economic development, democracy and administrative modernization only when a strong political and administrative leadership is put into motion. Overall, the study yields evidence consistent with the notion that a successful Strategic Planning at the local level has to take into account not only institutional issues, but also the communal, social and political resources that frame the deliberations propelled by the Strategic Planning process. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T14:58:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-47472b4f02a142caab21487a3f9e87e0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2149-9543 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T14:58:36Z |
| publishDate | 2015-10-01 |
| publisher | Strategic Public Management Journal |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Strategic Public Management Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-47472b4f02a142caab21487a3f9e87e02023-02-15T16:07:12ZengStrategic Public Management JournalStrategic Public Management Journal2149-95432015-10-01114055Making Strategic Planning Work in Local Government: An Empirical Study of Success And FailureÁngel IGLESIAS0University Rey Juan CarlosSince the 1990s, local governments all over Europe have launched reforms to improve local democracy, public management and efficiency in the provision of local services. Some of these reforms are inspired by what previously has worked in private management and some of them have also a macro-level approach, whose main aim is to introduce institutional reforms and reorganizations to ensure contextual problem solving by strengthening governance within the local public sector. In this context, Strategic Planning in public organizations has attracted interest among academic researchers and practitioners as an instrument for dealing with a complex environment and for the achievement of higher performance and the attainment of greater democracy. But the decision on how to introduce Strategic Planning might follow a different rationale. The hypothesis maintained in this paper is that those that are based in an endogenous rationale are more likely to succeed. To test our hypothesis this paper draws on a comparative empirical analysis concerning the design and implementation of a Strategic Planning process within two Spanish city governments: one considered to have been a failure and the other a success. Focusing on the way in which the use of Strategic Planning has to face the trade-offs between urban and economic development and democracy, the paper explores how this formal mechanism of citizen´s and business’ participation serves to establish relational processes to reinvigorate local economic development, democracy and administrative modernization only when a strong political and administrative leadership is put into motion. Overall, the study yields evidence consistent with the notion that a successful Strategic Planning at the local level has to take into account not only institutional issues, but also the communal, social and political resources that frame the deliberations propelled by the Strategic Planning process.http://dergipark.gov.tr/download/article-file/273434Strategic ManagementStrategic Planning |
| spellingShingle | Ángel IGLESIAS Making Strategic Planning Work in Local Government: An Empirical Study of Success And Failure Strategic Public Management Journal Strategic Management Strategic Planning |
| title | Making Strategic Planning Work in Local Government: An Empirical Study of Success And Failure |
| title_full | Making Strategic Planning Work in Local Government: An Empirical Study of Success And Failure |
| title_fullStr | Making Strategic Planning Work in Local Government: An Empirical Study of Success And Failure |
| title_full_unstemmed | Making Strategic Planning Work in Local Government: An Empirical Study of Success And Failure |
| title_short | Making Strategic Planning Work in Local Government: An Empirical Study of Success And Failure |
| title_sort | making strategic planning work in local government an empirical study of success and failure |
| topic | Strategic Management Strategic Planning |
| url | http://dergipark.gov.tr/download/article-file/273434 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT angeliglesias makingstrategicplanningworkinlocalgovernmentanempiricalstudyofsuccessandfailure |