Regions And Regional Governments Essay ⋆ Political Science Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

Region usually denotes a territorial unit, with or without political identity, and the corresponding form of government. This is typically an area smaller than the state but larger than the lowest local administrative layer, which in most countries are the municipalities. Within this perspective, there are different types of regions: the homogeneous or uniform region, the polarized region, and the functional region, each defined according to different criteria. In unitary states, these types of region correspond in most cases to an intermediate administrative tier between the state and the lower level of the political and administrative organization, while in federal states it can coincide with the state level or with one of its subdivisions. In all these cases, regions are contained within the same country. However, in the case of the European Union, the concept of transnational or cross-border regions that emerged in recent years has introduced a new type of region into the already complex institutional landscape.

The Administrative Meanings Of Region And Regionalization

The term region is taken here as synonymous with a subnational form of self-government between the central state and the lower tier of local self-government. This tier of public administration between the state and municipalities, sometimes called province, can be traced back at least to the Middle Ages in some parts of Europe. However, it was during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries that it acquired its contemporary characteristics and its administrative relevance.

The term regionalism also has several meanings. Often it is applied to describe movements associated with the promotion and preservation of a regional identity, as well as nationalist movements whose objective is the separation of a particular region from its host state. It also often refers the process of political and administrative decentralization from the state to the region, a process implemented usually due to a mixture of political, economic, and social reasons specific to each case. The term regionalism is used here as synonymous of regionalization, and by this is meant the process of political and administrative decentralization from the state to the intermediate tier of subnational self-government.

Deconcentration And Decentralization

Region in the sense of subnational administrative or political tier has a long tradition in both unitary and federal states. There are two forms that can define the relationship with the central state: it can be a form of deconcentration or a form of decentralization, with the later characterized by more extensive administrative autonomy. In both cases, the adoption of a regional tier is one alternative for addressing sociogeographical and political diversity inside the country.

In the deconcentration case, when the region is just one level within the vertical organization of the state, a form of peripheral state administration, central government retains the most important keys in the decision-making process and in public resource allocation but the regional boards may make decisions on less important issues, making government services locally accessible. This process is called administrative deconcentration. In some countries, the creation of this form of region is followed by the institutionalization of a regional tier of self-government. When a regional self-government tier is created and elections are held for its boards, the tier often will retain the geographical area and most of the previous professional and administrative structures. In other cases, the regional tier of self-government was introduced with no relation to previous forms of administrative deconcentration. In both cases, there are substantial differences between countries and over time, either in the competences assigned to the region, in the level of public expenditure made by the regional government, or even in the size of the regions.

There is another form of regional self-government that goes beyond administrative decentralization, including also political decentralization, which has been implemented due to specific historical and political conditions, such as in the case of Spain’s autonomous regions. This also can occur in response to geographic, economic, social, and cultural characteristics, including historic aspirations for autonomy within the local population, such as in the case of Madeira and Azores in Portugal.

Features And Trends Of Administrative Regions

Administrative regions have normally an executive (a council, a president, or both) and a deliberative assembly with control powers over the executive as well as the power to issue regulations. In the case of political decentralization, or autonomous regions, the assembly also may possess the power to legislate on issues not pertaining to the sovereign functions of the state, such as justice, foreign affairs, and national defense. The regional assembly normally is elected directly by proportional representation by the citizens of the region, and elects, among its members, the executive council or the president of the region. In practice, however, there are various forms of regional political leadership and each model is influenced by the local political culture, the support that the president or the executive has in the regional assembly, and the demographics of the region, among other factors. Once elected, political and administrative accountability is provided internally by the regional assembly and externally by the press, citizen participation, and ultimately central government inspectorates and the courts. Central authorities would be more likely to judge the legality, rather than the merit, of local political decisions.

The competences of administrative regions are typically defined by the principle of general competence, which means that the administrative region usually is not confined to its specific list of competences, and therefore can execute all other functions deemed to be in the interest of the region by its elected boards. The financial regime of administrative regions is based on its own resources and resources transferred by the state, either in the form of block grants, conditional grants, or a combination thereof. The relative weight of each specific component is another variable that differentiates regional self-government between countries.

Administrative regions have been affected in recent decades by shifts from traditional hierarchical forms of administration to administration through networks of public and private organizations within the same country. This process can weaken political accountability and policy coordination. In other cases this trend was followed also by the development of trans border relations with regions in neighboring countries, such as in the case of European Union in which regions of different countries cooperate under the umbrella of European structural programs. A third major trend affecting regions is the widespread use of information and communication technologies in regional government or regional governance, which allows a transition to administration through electronic communication.

Bibliography:

Berg, Rikke, and Nirmala Rao, eds. Transforming Local Political Leadership. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.
Heinelt, Hubert, and Daniel Kubler, eds. Metropolitan Governance: Capacity, Democracy, and the Dynamics of Place. New York: Routledge, 2005.
Hoorens, Dominique. ed. Sub-national governments in the European Union: Organisation, Responsibilities, and Finance. Paris: Dexia Editions, 2008.
Norton, Alan. International Handbook of Local and Regional Government: A Comparative Analysis of Advanced Democracies. Aldershot, U.K.: Edward Elgar, 1994.
Sagan, Iwona, and Henrik Halkier, eds. Regionalism Contested: Institution, Society, and Territorial Governance. Aldershot, U.K.: Ashgate, 2005.
Silva, Carlos Nunes. “Decentralisation and Regional Governance in Portugal: Self-government or Inter-municipal Co-operation?” In Synergy in Urban Networks? edited by Williem Salet. The Hague: Sdu, 2006.

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