Browsing by Author "Grilo, Filipe"
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- COVID-19 pandemic and local executive-opposition institutional relations: a survey analysisPublication . Sousa, Luís de; Costa, Cláudia S.; Grilo, FilipeLocal governments were on the front line in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. They also had to rethink their action mode and carry out a swift digital transition. These changes affected the performance of local democracy, in particular, the nature of Local Executive-Opposition Institutional Relations (LEOIR). Using new survey data on the perceptions of local elected representatives, we run an ordered probit regression model to understand the perceived effect of exceptional measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic on LEOIR in the Portuguese context. The results show, through the lenses of local key informants, that the Executive’s capacity to explain to its constituents the exceptional measures adopted and its formal duty to communicate these decisions to the Municipal Assembly have aggravated the conflictual nature of LEOIR. This study contributes to local governance research by elucidating how accountability and communication practices can soothe or aggravate Executive-Opposition institutional tensions in extraordinary times.
- Descentralização da saúde nos municípios portugueses e a perceção das assembleias municipaisPublication . Almeida, Luís Filipe Mota; Maia, Tânia; Costa, Cláudia S.; Grilo, FilipeNas duas últimas décadas, a descentralização para o nível municipal de governo tem constituído uma das mais importantes estratégias de reforma das administrações públicas europeias. Muitos argumentos têm sido apontados a favor deste movimento. A maior proximidade à realidade local, o conhecimento mais profundo dos problemas e uma resposta mais adequada e proporcional, a otimização de custos e uma maior eficiência, bem como a maior accountability/ responsabilização dos eleitos locais e a transparência para com os eleitores. Nesse sentido, Portugal não tem sido exceção e, em 2018, iniciou um processo estrutural de descentralização de competências em múltiplos domínios, incluindo o domínio da saúde, neste caso, aplicável a 201 municípios (em 308 possíveis). Naturalmente, este processo exige dos órgãos municipais, executivo e deliberativo, uma estreita colaboração, pelo que nos parece pertinente, analisar possíveis problemas de assimetria de informação inerentes à ação fiscalizadora do órgão deliberativo, sob o órgão executivo. Assim, e considerando este contexto de governação multinível, o presente estudo tem como objetivo avaliar as perceções dos órgãos deliberativos municipais sobre a condução do processo de descentralização da saúde do nível central para os municípios pelos órgãos executivos, à luz da teoria do principal-agente. Para o efeito são aplicados inquéritos por questionário aos presidentes das assembleias municipais do universo municipal.
- Descentralização da saúde nos municípios portugueses e a percepção das Assembleias MunicipaisPublication . Almeida, Luís Filipe Mota; Maia, Tânia; Costa, Cláudia S.; Grilo, FilipeO poder local e as autarquias locais em Portugal sempre estiveram sujeitos a um duplo debate e processo de centralização versus descentralização. Se, por um lado, ainda permanecem vivas as forças que defendem a limitação/aniquilação do poder local em prol da governação central, também é verdade que o debate sobre a descentralização e as "reformas de governação local em Portugal", vinculadas ao princípio da descentralização estão na ordem do dia e merecem uma reflexão sobre a "realidade da cultura política portuguesa", "a espacialização do poder", ou, por outras palavras, "sobre o papel, percurso e rumos do poder local" (Teles, 2021, pp. 14-15). Se considerarmos o amplo e crescente conjunto de serviços públicos locais ao dispor das comunidades, a «multiplicidade de instituições de prestação de serviços e provisão de bens», a diversidade de organizações públicas e privadas que muitas das vezes ultrapassam «as fronteiras dos próprios municípios», facilmente podemos perceber que governar localmente é cada vez mais exigente, quase que clamando par reformas onde o «reforço de mecanismos de descentralização» seja uma realidade (Maia et al., 2023; Teles, 2021, pp. 15-17).
- Health decentralization in portuguese municipalities: the perceptions of municipal assemblyPublication . Almeida, Luís Filipe Mota; Maia, Tânia; Costa, Cláudia S.; Grilo, FilipeOver the past two decades, decentralization to local governments has been a vital reform strategy in European public administration to improve decision-making, optimize costs, increase efficiency, and enhance accountability and transparency (Maia et al., 2023; Teles, 2021). Portugal has adopted this approach and started a decentralization process in 2018, transferring competencies, including healthcare, to 201 out of 308 municipalities. This process requires cooperation between the executive and deliberative bodies. Still, the potential problem of information asymmetry, particularly the control role of deliberative bodies over executive bodies, must be examined. This study uses the principal-agent theory to analyze municipal deliberative bodies' perceptions of executive agencies' implementation of health decentralization. Surveys were conducted to collect data from the presidents of the municipal assemblies (APM) of all 201 municipalities. The survey was distributed by email and was open for completion from December 12, 2022, to February 3, 2023, with the support of the National Association of Municipal Assemblies. One hundred eleven validated responses were collected during this period, resulting in a 55% response rate. The survey aimed to assess Municipal Assemblies' theoretical and practical perceptions of decentralization. Specifically, it examined whether PMAs supported decentralization in theory and contrasted this perception with the actual transfer process within the municipality. The survey also explored the flow of information between the executive body, the central government, and the PMAs. The results show that although the PMA respondents support decentralization in theory, the practical aspects must be improved. In particular, the prevailing view is that the financial resources allocated to the process are insufficient and that decentralization is perceived as a means by which the central government passes on costs to municipalities. These findings highlight the importance of addressing these concerns to ensure a more effective decentralization process. The national government should prioritize better communication and prior coordination with local authorities, especially in defining the financial resources associated with the process. The results also highlight the need for more active involvement of municipal councils and improved communication and coordination with these representative bodies. In addition, the results underline the importance of municipal councils using existing tools, such as municipal health councils or municipal health strategies, to engage in discussions and control the decentralization process.
- O impacto da COVID-19 na qualidade da democracia local: a perspectiva dos Presidentes das Assembleias MunicipaisPublication . Sousa, Luís de; Costa, Cláudia S.; Grilo, FilipeEste capítulo incide sobre os resultados de um inquérito realizado aos Presidentes das Assembleias Municipais (PAM), no actual contexto de pandemia da covid-19, através de uma plataforma online, de 15 fevereiro a 29 Março 2021, durante o segundo confinamento geral. O inquérito procurou captar alguns dos efeitos que as medidas restritivas impostas durante o primeiro confinamento geral tiveram no funcionamento dos órgãos autárquicos no âmbito municipal.
- Making sense of executive-opposition relations in local governance contexts through the perceptions of local elected representativesPublication . Sousa, Luís de; Costa, Cláudia S.; Grilo, FilipeLocal democratic governance is a mixture of rivalry and cooperation between majority and minority political forces. With the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, local governments had to rethink its action mode and carry out a swift digital transition of their modus operandi. This digital transition affected both the administrative and political dimensions of local government, in particular the nature of ExecutiveOpposition relations. Although local democracy was not suspended, the context of exceptionality raised a series of institutional challenges. Using new survey data on the perceptions of local elected representatives (directly elected and ex-officio members of Municipal Assemblies) about the performance of their local democracy, we will seek to characterize Executive-Opposition relations in the Portuguese local government context. We will then run a probit regression model to assess three theory-driven factors influencing the nature of such institutional relationship in normal and exceptional contexts: the way minority rights are protected in practice in normal governance contexts; and the extent to which democratic performance and communication have been negatively affected by the pandemic context. The results show that Executive-Opposition relations are tendentiously conflictual. Our findings also show that the Executive’s capacity to explain to its constituents the scope and impact of the exceptional measures adopted to cope with the pandemic crisis and its formal duty to communicate these decisions to the Municipal Assembly may hinder Executive-Opposition cooperative relations.