IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlands/v14y2025i3p587-d1609526.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Centralization, Local Autonomy and Municipal Activism: A New Framework for Examining Relations Between Central and Local Government

Author

Listed:
  • Orit Shohet Radom

    (Department of Public Policy, Tel-Aviv University, 55 Haim Levanon St., Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
    The authors contributed equally to this article.)

  • Gila Menahem

    (Department of Public Policy, Tel-Aviv University, 55 Haim Levanon St., Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
    The authors contributed equally to this article.)

  • Assaf Meydani

    (School of Government and Society, The Academic College of Tel-Aviv Yaffo, 2 Rabenu Yeruham St., Tel Aviv 6818211, Israel
    The authors contributed equally to this article.)

  • Ravit Hananel

    (Department of Public Policy, Tel-Aviv University, 55 Haim Levanon St., Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
    The authors contributed equally to this article.)

Abstract

This study offers a new framework for examining central–local government relations by distinguishing between two concepts that are usually combined: local autonomy and municipal activism. We define local or municipal autonomy as the legally defined powers and roles of local authorities, typically granted by law and state directives or reforms. Municipal activism consists of actions and decisions by local authorities that may challenge the formal boundaries of local autonomy, in a policy environment with certain attributes. This paper, using the example of Israel’s education system, examines how features of local autonomy as defined by law enhance and shape the emergence of municipal activism. We focus on the impact that incoherence and lack of clarity in legal guidance and directives may have on local policy actors’ decision making. The findings show that in uncertain and incoherent policy environments, local government tends toward municipal activism. However, the surprising findings challenge the prevailing assumptions regarding the connection between a municipality’s characteristics and its municipal activism. The findings can be applied to various policy domains, such as urban planning or sustainability policy, where the interplay between legal autonomy and municipal activism has become increasingly prevalent.

Suggested Citation

  • Orit Shohet Radom & Gila Menahem & Assaf Meydani & Ravit Hananel, 2025. "Centralization, Local Autonomy and Municipal Activism: A New Framework for Examining Relations Between Central and Local Government," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-20, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:3:p:587-:d:1609526
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/3/587/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/3/587/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lori Riverstone-Newell, 2012. "Bottom-Up Activism: A Local Political Strategy for Higher Policy Change," Publius: The Journal of Federalism, CSF Associates Inc., vol. 42(3), pages 401-421, July.
    2. Nivi Gal-Arieli & Itai Beeri & Eran Vigoda-Gadot & Amnon Reichman, 2017. "New localism or fuzzy centralism: policymakers’ perceptions of public education and involvement in education," Local Government Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(4), pages 598-620, July.
    3. David Brasington & Donald R. Haurin, 2006. "Educational Outcomes and House Values: A Test of the value added Approach," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(2), pages 245-268, May.
    4. Fack, Gabrielle & Grenet, Julien, 2010. "When do better schools raise housing prices? Evidence from Paris public and private schools," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(1-2), pages 59-77, February.
    5. Adriana Kemp & Henrik Lebuhn & Galia Rattner, 2015. "Between Neoliberal Governance and the Right to the City: Participatory politics in Berlin and Tel Aviv," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(4), pages 704-725, July.
    6. Schragger, Richard C., 2016. "City Power: Urban Governance in a Global Age," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780190246662, Decembrie.
    7. Pepijn van Houwelingen, 2018. "Local autonomy, municipal size and local political participation in Europe," Policy Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(2), pages 188-203, March.
    8. Sharon Eshel & Ravit Hananel, 2019. "Centralization, neoliberalism, and housing policy central–local government relations and residential development in Israel," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 37(2), pages 237-255, March.
    9. Dahl, Robert A., 1967. "The City in the Future of Democracy," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 61(4), pages 953-970, December.
    10. Charles M. Tiebout, 1956. "A Pure Theory of Local Expenditures," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 64(5), pages 416-416.
    11. Ravit Hananel & Joseph Berechman & Sagit Azary-Viesel, 2022. "Join the Club: Club Goods, Residential Development, and Transportation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-24, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Christian A. L. Hilber, 2017. "The Economic Implications of House Price Capitalization: A Synthesis," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 45(2), pages 301-339, April.
    2. E. V. Leontev & I. A. Mayburov, 2021. "Realization of the Benefits from the Functioning of Municipal Electric Transport in the Taxation of the Property of Individuals," Journal of Applied Economic Research, Graduate School of Economics and Management, Ural Federal University, vol. 20(3), pages 406-427.
    3. W. Bentley MacLeod & Miguel Urquiola, 2018. "Is Education Consumption or Investment? Implications for the Effect of School Competition," NBER Working Papers 25117, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Chen, Jing & Li, Rui, 2023. "Pay for elite private schools or pay for higher housing prices? Evidence from an exogenous policy shock," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    5. Machin, Stephen, 2011. "Houses and schools: Valuation of school quality through the housing market," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(6), pages 723-729.
    6. Hilber, Christian A. L., 2011. "The economics implications of house price capitalization a survey of an emerging literature," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 58596, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    7. Alexander W. Marré & Anil Rupasingha, 2020. "School quality and rural in‐migration: Can better rural schools attract new residents?," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(1), pages 156-173, January.
    8. Loumeau, Gabriel, 2023. "Locating Public Facilities: Theory and Micro Evidence from Paris," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    9. Ozhegov, Evgeniy & Kosolapov, Nikita & Pozolotina, Iuliia, 2017. "On dependence between housing value and school characteristics," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 47, pages 28-48.
    10. Stephen Machin, 2011. "Houses and Schools: Valuation of School Quality through then Housing Market - EALE 2010 Presidential Address," CEP Occasional Papers 29, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    11. Sylvie Charlot & Sonia Paty & Michel Visalli, 2013. "Assessing the impact of local taxation on property prices: a spatial matching contribution," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(9), pages 1151-1166, March.
    12. Imberman, Scott A. & Lovenheim, Michael F., 2016. "Does the market value value-added? Evidence from housing prices after a public release of school and teacher value-added," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 104-121.
    13. Aakrit Joshi & Brady P. Horn & Robert P. Berrens, 2024. "Contemporary differences in residential housing values along historic redlining boundaries," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 52(2), pages 514-551, March.
    14. Oskari Harjunen & Mika Kortelainen & Tuukka Saarimaa, 2018. "Best Education Money Can Buy? Capitalization of School Quality in Finland," CESifo Economic Studies, CESifo Group, vol. 64(2), pages 150-175.
    15. Wigger, Cora J.L., 2025. "Persistence and variation of schools as housing amenities," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    16. Chung, Il Hwan, 2015. "School choice, housing prices, and residential sorting: Empirical evidence from inter-and intra-district choice," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 39-49.
    17. Gibbons, Stephen & Machin, Stephen & Silva, Olmo, 2013. "Valuing school quality using boundary discontinuities," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 15-28.
    18. Yadavalli, Anita P. & Florax, Raymond J.G.M., 2013. "The Effect of School Quality on House Prices: A Meta-Regression Analysis," 2013 Annual Meeting, August 4-6, 2013, Washington, D.C. 151291, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    19. Melser, Daniel & Moallemi, Morteza & Kim, Jun Sung, 2021. "Preferences for single-sex schools: Evidence from the housing market," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 189(C), pages 710-726.
    20. Dhar, Paramita & Ross, Stephen L, 2012. "School district quality and property values: Examining differences along school district boundaries," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(1), pages 18-25.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:3:p:587-:d:1609526. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.