Does implementation eat policy design for breakfast? Barriers to cost reduction and service delivery enhancement in municipal amalgamations

Municipal amalgamations have been implemented in many polities and are still part of many governments’ agenda. Nonetheless, although they raise high expectations, they often do not deliver as anticipated. This article... [ view full abstract ]

Municipal amalgamations have been implemented in many polities and are still part of many governments’ agenda. Nonetheless, although they raise high expectations, they often do not deliver as anticipated. This article analyses how pre-existing institutional and service delivery arrangements influence the expected outcomes of amalgamations in terms of cost reductions and service delivery enhancement. In the light of an historical institutionalist background, the article develops a qualitative analytical framework to observe five municipal amalgamation evnts in Friuli Venezia Giulia, north east Italy, between 2014 and 2017. Findings show how pre-existing forms of intermunicipal cooperation, in combination with the trend to contract out services and the rules and routines regarding personnel and budget reduce the room for cost reduction and service reorganization. Results contribute to research on local government amalgamation and more generally to research in public administration, while informing decision-makers on how to more realistically assess the actual benefits of municipal mergers, taking into account polity-specific factors.