Local Government and Politics

Local Government and Politics

Standing Group

Established 1994

Number of members: 239

Convenor

Paweł Swianiewicz (University of Warsaw)
Kristof Steyvers (Ghent University)

Steering Committee

Filipe Teles (Universidade de Aveiro)
Gro Sandkjær Hanssen (Norwegian Institute for Urban and Region Research)

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About

The ECPR Standing Group on Local Government and Politics promotes research among European and other scholars in the field of local politics, democracy, governance and administration. The Standing Group has a particular interest in supporting comparative research. It functions as a network of scholars and PhD students but also welcomes practitioners interested in research in the field. It endorses Sections and Panels at ECPR General Conferences and workshops at the Joint Sessions, provides information about upcoming conferences and other events, and reports on new publications. The Standing Group also endorses an annual Summer School for doctoral students on local government and politics.

Aims & Objectives

The aims and objectives of the Standing Group on Local Government and Politics are to:

Contribute to the development of the comparative study of local government and politics;
Establish, develop and maintain an international network of researchers in the field of local government and politics;
Develop links between senior teachers and researchers and PhD-students who work with the same kind of research questions;
Develop specialized courses for PhD-students who follow programs in the field of local government and politics studies or whose research and thesis fall within that field;
Endorse the EUROLOC Summer School in Local Government and Politics as an external event.

Activities

Summer School 2019

We are happy to maintain the collaboration between the Standing Group on Local Government and Politics (ECPR) and the European Urban Research Association (EURA) to endorse this year’s Summer School, organized by the ZHAW School of Management and Law (SML) of the University of Zürich-Winterthur.

The 2019 edition – ‘Is Local Always Better? In Search of Adequate Territorial Structures for Governance, Decision-Making, and Service Delivery’ – will be held in Winterthur, Switzerland (from 6th to 12th July 2019).

It is one of the long-lasting series of summer courses for PhD-students interested in local government and politics issues. It gives an opportunity to develop a further understanding of comparative local government studies and to discuss PhD-related research with an experienced international faculty of different disciplines. The Summer School is also an excellent opportunity to build, deepen or widen networks with scholars working on similar topics in the field.

For further information on the year’s edition, please visit the website: https://www.zhaw.ch/en/sml/study/phd-programs/summer-school-2019/#c121733

Constitution

Constitution for the SG on local government and politics 2016

Constitution approved by the business meeting 2016 at the ECPR GC in Prague.

General

1. The objectives of the Standing Group on Local Government and Politics are to:

Contribute to the development of the comparative study of local politics and administration;
Establish develop and maintain an international network of researchers in the field of local government and politics;
Develop links between teachers/researchers and PhD students who work with the same kind of research questions;
Develop specialized courses for PhD students who follow PhD programmes in the field of local government studies or whose research and thesis fall within that field;
Organise the EUROLOC Summer School.

Membership

2. Scholars affiliated to an ECPR member-institution automatically become members of the Standing Group if they register as such through MyECPR. Others may apply for membership and will be admitted by the Standing Group Steering Committee if they show an active interest in scholarly study in the Standing Group’s field. Such membership becomes effective as soon as the Steering Committee informs ECPR Central Services of its decision.

Governance

3. The Standing Group is governed by a Steering Committee consisting of four Standing Group members elected for a period of two years. Their membership is renewable. One of the members is elected as Convenor. The other three are elected as Treasurer, Responsible for events and Responsible for the Summer School respectively. Two of the members must be affiliated to an ECPR member institution.

4. The Standing Group has no separate membership fee.

5. A business meeting is held during the ECPR conference each year. All members have the right to attend and vote. The meeting is organized by the Steering Committee. The members are informed about the time and place for the meeting and about major issues to be discussed one month in advance of the meeting.

6. Elections of the Steering Committee take place every second business meeting (i.e. bi-annually), beginning with the meeting in 2014. Candidates to the Steering Committee can be nominated before the business meeting.

7. The newly elected Convenor immediately notifies ECPR Central Services of the names and functions of the new Steering Committee.

8. The first Constitution is ratified by the business meeting in 2014. This Constitution can be amended through a decision by a simple majority at the annual business meeting.