State and Regional Administrative Coordination in Spain
firstly on institutional aspects , particularly the workings , dynamics , and results of these conferences ; secondly , it explores the influence of the Spanish party system on the role the conferences play as cogovernmental bodies ; and finally , it takes into account the ideological and cultural background of the members of these conferences . F The aim is to analyze the extent to which these conferences act as an effective tool for inter-governmental relations among the elements that constitute the Spanish regional model of territorial organization . G
The concept of inter-governmental relations , according to Wright ( 1997 , 8 – 9 ), includes two dimensions : the first is the connections that are established among different territorial levels of government , and the second dimension is relationships among governmental bodies at the same territorial level . This study examines certain institutions of vertical and multilateral collaboration in Spain , the Sectoral Conferences ( SCs ), given that these are the means most extensively used for shared government or collaboration among authorities ( Colino and Parrado 2009 , 25 ), despite the fact that they display a series of characteristics that reduce their potential as genuine instruments for channeling inter-governmental cooperation ( Ruiz González 2013 , 11 ).
Our research project covers the 2001 – 12 period because this was the time when most activity was registered in these co-governmental institutions . Three of the most long-standing conferences are dealt with : Environment , Health , and Education . With the compiled data and information , an in-depth diagnosis of the Sectoral Conferences is carried out , looking at the different aspects that could explain their real workings .
Inter-governmental Relations in the State of the Autonomous Communities
The State of the Art
Consideration of the system of inter-governmental relations as an object of study in Spain is relatively recent . It is worth pointing out that there are many studies on the essential elements of the political-administrative system tackled from a legal-public perspective . H However , more recently there has been a rise in other kinds of approach , less concerned with searching for the ideal model and more focused on the performance of the institutions , on ensuring levels of efficiency and effectiveness that are acceptable in public policy ( Dente 1985 ) and on an interest in the appropriate operation of each policy
F
The article includes part of the analysis carried out in the study “ The Sectoral Conferences ( 2001 – 2012 ): Working dynamics and the values and perceptions of the political and technical agents ”, funded by the INAP in 2014 , and whose focus was the Sectoral Conferences on Education , Health and the Environment .
G
In this article we refer to the particular Spanish territorial model as the “ State of the Autonomous Communities ” or the “ State of the Autonomous Regions ” (“ Estado Autonómico ” in Spanish ). We use both expressions interchangeably to describe an institutional framework that is intermediate between the federal and unitary states .
H
As stated in Arbos et al . ( 2009 ), German cooperative federalism inspired the dominant doctrine of Spanish public law in the study of the State of the Autonomous Communities .
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