Nicolas Keuffer
Biographic Data
| ID | 4154471 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Nicolas Keuffer |
| GIVEN NAMES | Nicolas |
| FAMILY NAME | Keuffer |
| SIGNATURE | KEUFFER N |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Lausanne |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-0841-6759 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 8 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 131 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 8 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2016 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Are the normative rationales of local autonomy related to democratic legitimacy justified? Evidence from 57 countries in Europe and beyond (1990–2020)
Frequently, increasing local autonomy is recommended to improve democratic legitimacy and government effectiveness. This paper attempts to verify to what extent these normative rationales are empirically sound. By using observations of local autonomy from the LAI 2.0 project (57 countries from 1990 to 2020) as independent variables and a set of governance indicators as dependent variables, we examine the possible impacts of local autonomy on vari…
Local autonomy around the world
This paper presents an extension and update of the Local Autonomy Index (LAI) under the name LAI 2.0.It applies the comprehensive methodology of the LAI 1.0 to 57 countries over 30 years , including almost all EU, CoE and OECD member states.Looking at the overall results, over thirty years, the LAI has increased around 7-8%, albeit less important in the most recent period of 2015-2020.The biggest increase is to be found in the Central and Eastern…
Digital communication in Swiss cities
While a vast majority of local governments in Europe are communicating on social media, the situation differs in few states. Although Switzerland is often depicted as a technological advanced and innovative country, cities are still largely resisting the temptation to share information on social media platforms. In this study, we rely on a survey distributed to the communication managers of all cities over 10,000 inhabitants in Switzerland to unc…
The bottom-up approach
Local autonomy has been the subject of increasing scrutiny in recent decades. The many studies published, based on indicators on the macro level, show that local autonomy in Switzerland is comparatively high, although its degree varies depending on the canton, the dimension of autonomy and the public policy involved. Some scholars criticise this reductive formal approach. Therefore, this article considers the cantonal legal framework but also fol…
Patterns of Local Autonomy in Europe
Administrative openness and diversity in Swiss municipalities
The increasing demand for transparency has recently fostered greater openness within public administrations. Considered as an essential tool of good governance, transparency helps reinforce the perceived legitimacy of authorities. At the same time, local autonomy has been increasingly embraced in recent decades and recommended by many international institutions. This article combines these two concepts and seeks to highlight the causal relationsh…
Creating an index of local autonomy – theoretical, conceptual, and empirical issues
Any attempt to create an overall measurement of local autonomy is confronted with difficult questions: Is local autonomy a one-dimensional concept? If it is multidimensional, what dimensions should be taken into account? Are legal, functional, financial, organizational, and vertical aspect of autonomy of equal importance, or must they be weighted? How can they be aggregated: can they simply be summed or are more complicated methods needed? On the…
Measuring Local Autonomy in 39 Countries (1990–2014)
Local autonomy is a highly valued feature of good governance. The continuous efforts of many European countries to strengthen the autonomy of local government show the importance given to decentralization and the transfer of far-reaching competences to the lowest units. Measuring and comparing local autonomy, however, has proven to be challenging. Not only are there diverging ideas about the core elements of local autonomy, there are also conside…
Measuring Local Autonomy in 39 Countries (1990–2014)
Local autonomy is a highly valued feature of good governance. The continuous efforts of many European countries to strengthen the autonomy of local government show the importance given to decentralization and the transfer of far-reaching competences to the lowest units. Measuring and comparing local autonomy, however, has proven to be challenging. Not only are there diverging ideas about the core elements of local autonomy, there are also conside…
Creating an index of local autonomy – theoretical, conceptual, and empirical issues
Any attempt to create an overall measurement of local autonomy is confronted with difficult questions: Is local autonomy a one-dimensional concept? If it is multidimensional, what dimensions should be taken into account? Are legal, functional, financial, organizational, and vertical aspect of autonomy of equal importance, or must they be weighted? How can they be aggregated: can they simply be summed or are more complicated methods needed? On the…
Local autonomy around the world
This paper presents an extension and update of the Local Autonomy Index (LAI) under the name LAI 2.0.It applies the comprehensive methodology of the LAI 1.0 to 57 countries over 30 years , including almost all EU, CoE and OECD member states.Looking at the overall results, over thirty years, the LAI has increased around 7-8%, albeit less important in the most recent period of 2015-2020.The biggest increase is to be found in the Central and Eastern…
The bottom-up approach
Local autonomy has been the subject of increasing scrutiny in recent decades. The many studies published, based on indicators on the macro level, show that local autonomy in Switzerland is comparatively high, although its degree varies depending on the canton, the dimension of autonomy and the public policy involved. Some scholars criticise this reductive formal approach. Therefore, this article considers the cantonal legal framework but also fol…
Are the normative rationales of local autonomy related to democratic legitimacy justified? Evidence from 57 countries in Europe and beyond (1990–2020)
Frequently, increasing local autonomy is recommended to improve democratic legitimacy and government effectiveness. This paper attempts to verify to what extent these normative rationales are empirically sound. By using observations of local autonomy from the LAI 2.0 project (57 countries from 1990 to 2020) as independent variables and a set of governance indicators as dependent variables, we examine the possible impacts of local autonomy on vari…
Digital communication in Swiss cities
While a vast majority of local governments in Europe are communicating on social media, the situation differs in few states. Although Switzerland is often depicted as a technological advanced and innovative country, cities are still largely resisting the temptation to share information on social media platforms. In this study, we rely on a survey distributed to the communication managers of all cities over 10,000 inhabitants in Switzerland to unc…
Administrative openness and diversity in Swiss municipalities
The increasing demand for transparency has recently fostered greater openness within public administrations. Considered as an essential tool of good governance, transparency helps reinforce the perceived legitimacy of authorities. At the same time, local autonomy has been increasingly embraced in recent decades and recommended by many international institutions. This article combines these two concepts and seeks to highlight the causal relationsh…
Measuring Local Autonomy in 39 Countries (1990–2014)
Local autonomy is a highly valued feature of good governance. The continuous efforts of many European countries to strengthen the autonomy of local government show the importance given to decentralization and the transfer of far-reaching competences to the lowest units. Measuring and comparing local autonomy, however, has proven to be challenging. Not only are there diverging ideas about the core elements of local autonomy, there are also conside…
Creating an index of local autonomy – theoretical, conceptual, and empirical issues
Any attempt to create an overall measurement of local autonomy is confronted with difficult questions: Is local autonomy a one-dimensional concept? If it is multidimensional, what dimensions should be taken into account? Are legal, functional, financial, organizational, and vertical aspect of autonomy of equal importance, or must they be weighted? How can they be aggregated: can they simply be summed or are more complicated methods needed? On the…
Patterns of Local Autonomy in Europe
Administrative openness and diversity in Swiss municipalities
The increasing demand for transparency has recently fostered greater openness within public administrations. Considered as an essential tool of good governance, transparency helps reinforce the perceived legitimacy of authorities. At the same time, local autonomy has been increasingly embraced in recent decades and recommended by many international institutions. This article combines these two concepts and seeks to highlight the causal relationsh…
The bottom-up approach
Local autonomy has been the subject of increasing scrutiny in recent decades. The many studies published, based on indicators on the macro level, show that local autonomy in Switzerland is comparatively high, although its degree varies depending on the canton, the dimension of autonomy and the public policy involved. Some scholars criticise this reductive formal approach. Therefore, this article considers the cantonal legal framework but also fol…
Digital communication in Swiss cities
While a vast majority of local governments in Europe are communicating on social media, the situation differs in few states. Although Switzerland is often depicted as a technological advanced and innovative country, cities are still largely resisting the temptation to share information on social media platforms. In this study, we rely on a survey distributed to the communication managers of all cities over 10,000 inhabitants in Switzerland to unc…
Local autonomy around the world
This paper presents an extension and update of the Local Autonomy Index (LAI) under the name LAI 2.0.It applies the comprehensive methodology of the LAI 1.0 to 57 countries over 30 years , including almost all EU, CoE and OECD member states.Looking at the overall results, over thirty years, the LAI has increased around 7-8%, albeit less important in the most recent period of 2015-2020.The biggest increase is to be found in the Central and Eastern…
Are the normative rationales of local autonomy related to democratic legitimacy justified? Evidence from 57 countries in Europe and beyond (1990–2020)
Frequently, increasing local autonomy is recommended to improve democratic legitimacy and government effectiveness. This paper attempts to verify to what extent these normative rationales are empirically sound. By using observations of local autonomy from the LAI 2.0 project (57 countries from 1990 to 2020) as independent variables and a set of governance indicators as dependent variables, we examine the possible impacts of local autonomy on vari…
Political science (8 works) · Autonomy (7 works) · Law (7 works) · Law (6 works) · Economics (5 works) · Sociology (5 works) · Business (3 works) · Corporate governance (3 works) · Economic system (3 works) · Local Government Finance and Decentralization (3 works)