The proposed ultra low emissions zone in London is a commendable first step in the right direction but should be seen as part of the journey and not the final destination. Any opinions expressed are ...our own and not those of our employers. 1 Godlee F. London mayor, Sadiq Khan:...
This paper investigates whether the scope of preferential tax treatment depends on the political strength of the incumbent mayor. A dataset on real estate taxes in Polish municipalities in 2005-17 is ...used. More tax revenues are foregone in municipalities governed by politically weak mayors, albeit the uncovered relationship has limited economic significance. It is tentatively found that the preferential tax policy has a slightly negative, if any, effect on municipal revenues. As such, it is rather a political than an economic tool. Less popular mayors offer higher reductions towards natural persons and in the form of tax rate reductions.
The Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP), promoted by the Covenant of Mayor, is a key tool for policies aimed at reducing fossil fuel consumption and GHG emissions, in accordance with the Kyoto ...protocol and its updates. To achieve an actual implementation of the SEAP and to obtain its expected targets, monitoring is a crucial component. SEAP monitoring has to look at both the progress of each single action and its global environmental effect, which requires more than one level of development. In the present paper, an integrated strategy for surveying, controlling and managing the SEAP through a “Monitoring and Evaluation” (M&E) process is introduced. The implementation in the city of Genoa, Italy, was used to test the efficacy of this approach and to assess its strengths and weaknesses. In particular, cost benefit analysis, bankability, peer review and participatory level were identified as key elements for obtaining an operative SEAP monitoring and for then fostering an effective environmental energy policy. Some recommendations were proposed to better outline the “Monitoring and Evaluation” methodology and to help other cities to define a strategy for SEAP monitoring and fulfilment.
•SEAP monitoring is a key issue for urban energy policies.•Monitoring and evaluation for effective management of sustainable energy planning.•Lessons learned by monitoring the SEAP in the city of Genoa.•Monitoring strategy using CBA, bankability, peer reviewing and participatory level.
El estudio explora cómo se utilizó la narrativa trasnemdia para generar estrategias de proximidad en la campaña municipal de Jorge Yunda Machado a la Alcaldía de Quito 2019, y cómo éstas ...condicionaron la imagen del candidato, como un político «cercano y humano» permitiendo así una identificación «anti carismática» hacia la comunidad de electores. Para ello se empleó una investigación cualitativa, empleando el análisis de contenido (denotativo y connotativo), como metodología para procesar la información obtenida de los soportes comunicacionales y entrevistas a expertos. Para el diseño del modelo de análisis, se consideró las propuestas de Canel (1999; 2008) sobre la organización y planificación de la comunicación electoral y, el aporte de Annunziata (2012), referido a la proximidad política. Tras el análisis se concluye que la proximidad, (física y simbólica) del candidato, hizo que los electores lo percibieran como una persona común, preocupada por los problemas que afectaban a la mayoría de los ciudadanos de Quito.
Aid and the resulting development sector have expanded in developing countries in the past decades. Many studies have explored the effects of aid, but few have studied the effects of the development ...sector on decisions around labor supply and occupational choice. Using primary data from Sierra Leone, this article contributes to the literature by exploring how the presence of a large development sector influences the occupational preferences of skilled workers. Four key findings emerge. First, the development sector is an attractive employment choice as the largest share of skilled jobseekers (44 percent) opt for early-career employment working for a donor organization, international NGO or local NGO. Second, there is an ability-effect as workers with higher cognitive ability are more likely to choose the development sector over the public and private sectors. Third, more prosocial jobseekers and those seeking social status from employment are more likely to prefer the development sector. And fourth, favorable perceptions of the development sector reduce the probability of choosing the public and private sectors. These findings speak to policy and should encourage development organizations to reflect on their impact on the dynamics of the labor market in countries in which they operate.
The article argues that in the course of the early modern period, urban death was ordered in new ways. Since the mid-sixteenth century, clerics and church officials already kept lists of the deceased ...in their congregation. Gradually, these functions were taken over by urban magistrates, who also promoted a new kind of order during burials. Through the rise of additional instructions, rules and orders, they gave urban death a new shape. The reasons for these instructions were manifold and included fear of divine punishment because of inappropriate behaviour, damage to the town through the spread of diseases and the fortification of privileges reserved for mayors, councilors, or high-ranking clerics. As the early modern period progressed, the number and details of the funeral ordinances increased. Additionally, burial spaces became increasingly regulated and by the nineteenth century, decrees by both rulers and individual towns stipulated how cemeteries should be regulated and administered.
We examine the political budget cycle hypothesis using revenue data from Italian municipal administrations. By leveraging on the staggered schedule of local elections and employing a ...difference-in-differences strategy, we find evidence of opportunistic behavior by mayors. In pre-election years, mayors reduce total accrued revenues from municipal solid waste fees and property taxes, which are the primary sources of revenue in municipal financial statements. Non-term-limited mayors who seek re-election engage in such opportunistic behavior, while those facing a binding term limit do not manipulate revenues for electoral purposes. Our findings remain robust across various specifications and controls. Heterogeneity analysis suggests that the observed results are primarily driven by smaller municipalities, as well as by those situated in the South of Italy that exhibit low levels of social capital. Mayors employing political budget cycles also strategically offset reductions in highly salient fees and taxes by raising less salient non-tax revenues. This study contributes to the understanding of political budget cycles in the context of Italian municipal administrations and has implications for the broader literature on electoral behavior and public finance.
This paper argues that electoral competition may hinder rather than foster political accountability, especially when elected officers can choose among a number of tax instruments. We develop a ...political agency model showing that politicians in more competitive jurisdictions use less salient tax instruments more intensely. Defining salience as visibility or, analogously, as voters' awareness of the costs associated with specific government revenue sources, we argue that voters are less likely to hold politicians to account for the associated tax burden of a less salient instrument. This in turn implies that strategic politicians will more heavily rely on less salient revenue sources when electoral competition is stronger. Using data on Italian municipal elections and taxes over a 10-year period, we determine the degree of salience of various tax instruments, including property taxes (high salience) and government fees for official documents (low salience). We then show that mayors facing stronger competition for re-election use less salient tax instruments more intensely.
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