| Abstract [eng] |
In modern society, the growing needs of citizens and the shrinking population lead the local government to face a higher number of problems to meet the quality of public services provided. Correspondingly to the issue municipalities are compelled to cooperate with one another in order to find solutions. The phenomenon of municipal cooperation can be noticed in almost all western democracies. On the other hand, in Lithuania, there is a clear lack of scientific analysis conducted regarding this topic. The aim of this master’s thesis is to study the possibilities, incentives and shortcomings of municipal cooperation. Since the content of collaboration between municipalities depends on many factors such as their similarity, common interests and the ability to reconcile them, personal connections and, the determination of managers, the municipalities cooperate only in dire need of one other. By evaluating these circumstances, there is a clear need to examine the approaches in which cooperation takes place, the benefits it provides and their impact on the performance of public services. In the master’s thesis, the cooperation of municipalities is studied with the help of systematic and comparative analysis of scientific literature in various aspects. The research is conducted by applying the methodology of qualitative research in order to obtain a detailed understanding of how the cooperation of Šiauliai and Šiauliai’ district municipalities affect the provision of public services in respective towns. The research was carried out using a semi-structured interview. The participants included informants from the Šiauliai and Šiauliai district municipalities. The results of the master’s thesis analysis revealed important aspects and the main features of cooperation, which are relevant in the case of the Šiauliai and Šiauliai district municipalities. |
