Local Public Services in Times of Austerity across Mediterranean Europe

Description

This book provides a comparative analysis of the processes and impacts of austerity measures introduced in the field of Local Public Services (LPS) across Mediterranean Europe. The book describes and compares the trajectories of austerity, and the types of effects. It investigates how many (and what kind of) different responses were given to similar inputs and under the influence of what factors in order to understand if there are regularities in the way that the Mediterranean countries adopted and implemented the austerity measures and how these latter impacted on local government and LPS management and delivery. The book is a product of a sub network from the COST Action LocRef IS1207 and analyses seven countries (Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Croatia, Cyprus and Albania). Front Matter ....Pages i-xxiii Introduction: Local Public Services in Times of Austerity (Andrea Lippi, Theodore N. Tsekos)....Pages 1-23 Importing or Constructing Austerity? Global Reforms and Local Implementation as a Case of Policy Transfer (Andrea Lippi, Theodore N. Tsekos)....Pages 25-48 Greek Municipalities Before and During the Austerity Era: Imposed Policies, Local Resistance and Unsuccessful Reforms (Theodore N. Tsekos, Nikos K. Hlepas)....Pages 49-71 The Biggest Loser? Local Public Services Under Austerity Measures in Portugal (Patrícia Silva, Filipe Teles)....Pages 73-94 Spanish Local Government and the Austerity Plan: In the Eye of the Perfect Storm (Carmen Navarro, Esther Pano)....Pages 95-114 In the Shadow of Austerity: Italian Local Public Services and the Politics of Budget Cuts (Giulio Citroni, Andrea Lippi, Stefania Profeti)....Pages 115-140 Austerity Measures and Local Public Services in Cyprus: Coping with Challenges Old and New and Reinforcing Historical Continuities (Andreas Kirlappos, Philippos Philippou, Kalliope Agapiou-Josephides)....Pages 141-166 Local Public Services and Austerity Measures in Croatia: Adaptations of the Resilient Social Model Through the Central-Local Power and Blame Games (Ivan Koprić, Mihovil Škarica, Romea Manojlović Tomań)....Pages 167-191 The Bumpy Road of the Externally Transferred Austerity Agenda in Albania and Its Fragmentary Effects on Local Public Services (Visar Dizdari, Arjeta Troshani, Elvisa Drishti)....Pages 193-216 Conclusions: The Direction and Entity of Austerity in Mediterranean Local Public Services (Andrea Lippi, Theodore N. Tsekos)....Pages 217-241 Back Matter ....Pages 243-248