Working papers SES

Working papers SES
The Working Papers SES collection is a series of research papers authored by members of the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences of the University of Fribourg (Switzerland). This series exists since 1980 and the themes investigated reflect the different scientific orientations of the Faculty: economics, business administration, computer management, quantitative methods, social sciences and media and communication sciences. The contents of the research papers are the sole responsibility of their authors.
Université de Fribourg

Voluntary amalgamation of local governments: the Swiss debate in the European context

Dafflon, Bernard

(Working Papers SES ; 426)

The debate about the amalgamation of local government units stems from the fact that their political borders (the institutional territory) do no longer coincide with the functional territory required for an efficient provision of most local public services. And both do not correspond with the relational territory which arises out of the private and professional activities of LGUs' residents as...

Université de Fribourg

Performance measurement in environmental management at the local level : an experiment and proposal with reference to Switzerland

Dafflon, Bernard ; Daguet, Sandra

(Working Papers SES ; 425)

This paper deals with the management of three environmental policies at the local level: clean water distribution, sewage and wastewater treatment and household solid waste collection and treatment. The argument is that applying the benefit principle for financing these services will enhance allocative efficiency, budget and environmental accountability, and contribute to induce environmental...

Université de Fribourg

The Political Economy of Decentralisation in Sikkim : Strengthening Gram Panchayat Planning and Budgeting

Dafflon, Bernard

(Working Papers SES ; 424)

The objective of democratic decentralization is to enable institutions at the grassroots level to take decisions in matters related to the day to day life of the people. Transparency and accountability do not happen on their own: they have to be promoted and delivered by performing institutions. In Sikkim, the focus on empowering the Panchayats (local governments) was initiated in 2002-3 with the...

Université de Fribourg

Local Fiscal Equalization: a New Proposal and an Experiment

Dafflon, Bernard

(Working Papers SES ; 418)

This paper formalizes the new schemes of fiscal equalization that has been decided in 2009 and will be introduced at the local level in the canton of Fribourg (Switzerland) in 2011. It develops the political economy of the proposal with the aim of understanding the participative democratic process that led to the acceptance of a radical change in the canton's equalization policy, the normative...

Université de Fribourg

Local debt: from budget responsibility to fiscal discipline

Dafflon, Bernard

(Working Papers SES ; 417)

In the past thirty years, local governments in most European countries have been granted at least limited access to borrowing. The rules in force include limitations on the amount of borrowing and/or debt service, restrictions on the purpose of debt and on borrowing from foreign institutions and/or from the central bank. The description of these rules and sanctions constitute the thrust of...