Local Government Performance Indicators in Europe: an Exploration
| Author | Jaap A. Hoogenboezem |
| Published date | 01 March 2004 |
| Date | 01 March 2004 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0020852304041230 |
| Subject Matter | Journal Article |
Local government performance indicators in Europe:
an exploration
Jaap. A. Hoogenboezem
Abstract
Local governments need reliable information about the cities they are governing.
However, an analysis of the availability of basic descriptive data (population data,
information on household composition, unemployment, poverty, condition of the
housing stock, homelessness, recorded crime and composition and size of local
municipal income) in 55 European cities makes clear that these data are often not
available because they have neither been collected nor disseminated. On average, 30
percent of simple local performance indicators is missing. National statistical traditions
may help explaining the lack of data-gathering.
Introduction
Are local statistics important enough to merit separate attention? The answer is yes:
a variety of organizations can use these statistics to create a better business climate.
Local chambers of commerce come to mind, headquarters of chains, the local police,
urban development agencies, and so on. Without good statistics, it will be difficult to
do business or to create a favourable business environment.
Even seemingly unimportant data — seemingly unimportant because what they
describe seems far removed from operating a local restaurant or clothing shop — are
of prime importance because they paint a picture of the environment in which local
businesses do their work. The housing stock is not just some arcane statistic but has
a relation with the types of customers living in a city, as do population structure and
household structure. Crime has a relation with the attractiveness of shopping areas
or business zones — and with insurance cost. Unemployment, income and poverty
Jaap A. Hoogenboezem works at the European Studies Programme of the University of Maastricht
in The Netherlands, where he teaches European politics and public policy. CDU: 65.012.3(4)
Copyright © 2004 IIAS, SAGE Publications (London, Thousand Oaks, CA and New Delhi)
Vol 70(1):51–64 [DOI:10.1177/0020852304041230]
International
Review of
Administrative
Sciences
02_RAS 70_1 articles 2/27/04 1:00 PM Page 51
To continue reading
Request your trial