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Change and Continuity in Quality of Government: Trends in subnational quality of government in EU member states

Author

Listed:
  • Charron, Nicholas

    (University of Gothenburg. Sweden / Center for European Studies, Harvard University. USA)

  • Lapuente, Víctor

    (University of Gothenburg. Sweden)

  • Bauhr, Monika

    (University of Gothenburg. Sweden)

  • Annoni, Paola

    (European Commission, Directorate-General for Communication Networks, Content & Technology. Belgium)

Abstract

Despite massive investments, studies suggest that anticorruption efforts often times fail and that countries and regions with historically deficient quality of government tend to be stuck in a vicious cycle of high levels of corruption and inadequate public service delivery. However, this study suggests that despite the stickiness of subnational quality of government, regional quality of government does shift over time. Using the 2021 European Quality of Government Index (EQI), and comparing the results to previous rounds of this survey, we show that there has indeed been noticeable shifts in the regional level of Quality of Government both within countries and across time. Overall, we find a slight increase in the perceived quality of government of European regions compared with 2017. However, some regions have evaded the positive trend, most notably in Poland and Hungary, whose response to the pandemic – probably not coincidentally – has involved important infringements of democratic rights and institutions. These changes in Quality of government call for a close mapping of the trends within countries and across regions and a focus on their determinants. To this end, the paper also serves as an introduction to the use of 2021 European Quality of Government (EQI) index, which is the most comprehensive survey to date to measure perceptions of subnational quality of government with a total of 129,000 respondents in 208 NUTS 1 and NUTS 2 regions and all EU 27-member state countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Charron, Nicholas & Lapuente, Víctor & Bauhr, Monika & Annoni, Paola, 2022. "Change and Continuity in Quality of Government: Trends in subnational quality of government in EU member states," INVESTIGACIONES REGIONALES - Journal of REGIONAL RESEARCH, Asociación Española de Ciencia Regional, issue 53, pages 5-23.
    • Handle: RePEc:ris:invreg:0482
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Jonathan Muringani & Rune Dahl Fitjar & Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, 2024. "Political trust and economic development in European regions," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 73(4), pages 2059-2089, December.
    2. Alfano, Vincenzo, 2024. "Unlocking the importance of perceived governance: The impact on COVID-19 in NUTS-2 European regions," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 343(C).
    3. Savoia, Francesco & Bandini, Federica & Bolzani, Daniela & Grassi, Eleonora, 2023. "Quality of institutions and employment dynamics of social enterprises: Evidence from Italian regions," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 56(C).
    4. Phoebe Koundouri & Kostas Dellis, 2022. "Human Security: Concepts and Measurement," DEOS Working Papers 2234, Athens University of Economics and Business.
    5. Monika Bauhr & Nicholas Charron, 2024. "Europe around the corner? How border proximity and quality of government explains European identity," European Union Politics, , vol. 25(2), pages 376-395, June.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Europe; regions; corruption; quality of government; time series; measurement; Covid-19;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H70 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - General
    • H75 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Government: Health, Education, and Welfare
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes

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