Page 294 - POLITIEK OF MANAGEMENT?

The intended goals of reform and their realisation
In all three case studies, reduction of costs, enhancement of quality and reduction of vulnerability appear to be the dominant considerations which prompted cooperation. The conservation of municipal discretion is, in each instance, a precondition. In one instance, the improvement of career opportunities for the employees of the social service is mentioned as a desired but minor aim of the reform. In general, the considerations for cooperation are of a managerial nature, whereas the sole precondition is political by nature. The dominance of managerial thinking evident in our case studies echoes the depiction in the literature on public management, namely that managerial thinking dominates when it comes to the organization of our public administration. Where managerial ideas dominate, the legal and social perspectives play no role whatsoever in deliberations on municipal structures. The three case studies provide further evidence of the focus on managerial aspects such as costs, quality and vulnerability. But the political perspective is also dominant in these evaluations. Issues such as the conservation of municipal discretion (or the lack of it), retention of opportunities for local choice in setting the political framework and insistence on political control are prominent in these evaluations.
In all three case studies the desired effects hardly seem to be realised. Regarding quality improvement, only in the smallest municipalities (up to ca. 15,000 inhabitants) a slight positive effect can be detected. As for the intended cost reduction, in none of the case studies has any positive effect been determined. Regarding the reduction of vulnerability the outcomes suggest only a positive effect for the smaller municipalities (up to ca. 20,000 inhabitants). At the same time the case study for the inter-municipal social service in Voorne-Putten- Rozenburg suggests that an inter-municipal service, separate from a municipal mother organisation needs a certain scale in order to be viable. The effect on the career prospects of the employees is limited and has both positive and negative dimensions.
Not only are the intended effects scarcely realised but the preconditions were not espoused. Although the conservation of municipal discretion was retained in a formal sense, the level on which conflicts of values are dealt with through the political process has shifted to the inter-municipal level. The actual ability of the municipal council to control and influence this process through agenda- setting, workforce selection and resource allocation appears to be limited.
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