Latvia - Beyond territorial reform
The large number of local governments in a sparsely populated country such as Latvia, calls for the consolidation of these local governments, which is what the Government is now attempting to implement. This will require reforms to achieve improvem...
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| Format: | Other Urban Study |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
Washington, DC
2013
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2003/08/2493404/latvia-beyond-territorial-reform http://hdl.handle.net/10986/14365 |
| Summary: | The large number of local governments in
a sparsely populated country such as Latvia, calls for the
consolidation of these local governments, which is what the
Government is now attempting to implement. This will require
reforms to achieve improvements in local services, to change
the basis for financing teachers' salaries, or to
rationalize the allocation of hospital funding, among many
others. Additionally, to meet the European Union standards
for solid waste management, water supply, sanitation, and
wastewater treatment, the Government will have to establish
inter-municipal, or regional institutions to meet
operational requirements, as well as a regulatory framework
that increases water tariffs and improves operations. In
financing social assistance, the Government may need to
further finance areas where poverty incidence is unusually
high. The report also addresses the new changes in the
organization, and functions of intermediate levels of
government, suggesting the Government could consider
assigning functions, such as the organization of public
transport, the management of roads funds, or other public
services, to a larger unit of sub-national government. The
five recently created planning regions, might be an
appropriate basis for such level of government. |
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