Title: Analysis of inter-municipal cooperation in Slovenia: areas of cooperation and reasons for (non) cooperation (V5-2290)
Head of the research team: doc. dr. Iztok Rakar
The basic problem of inter-municipal cooperation in Slovenia from the point of view of systemic legal regulation and public policies in the field of local self-government is relatively poor knowledge and understanding of this phenomenon in practice – in Slovenia there is no comprehensive picture of inter-municipal cooperation as most research so far has focused only on joint municipal administrations, while other forms of cooperation have been neglected. The existence of a quality empirical basis is a precondition for the formulation of good policies and regulation (better / smart regulation) and for good public governance in general. Given this, the main purpose of the research project is to systematically explore the hitherto unexplored area, and the main objectives are to accurately document all types of inter-municipal cooperation (according to Hulst and Van Montfort’s classification), map areas and fields of overlapping and analyze the causes of (non) cooperation. The content of the project is based on its objectives and is divided into three main work packages. The key expected overall result of the project is to find out where and why we are in the field of inter-municipal cooperation in practice and where and how we can go. In other words: we will obtain empirical data that will serve as a basis for decision-makers in the processes of formulating policies and legislation in the field of local self-government. We will fill the current gap in the field of knowledge and understanding of inter-municipal cooperation and thus provide a basis for further development.
Duration (from/to):
1. 10. 2022 – 30. 11. 2023
Contracting Authority:
Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency & Ministry of Public Administration
Financing:
The project is being financed with 142 yearly hours (A price category) for 14 months.