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Existing and emerging challenges The financial, economic and social crisis that began in 2008 has brought new chal lenges to the field of basic public services. There is a ‘scissor effect’ developing: on the one hand, an increasing proportion of the population is vulnerable or living in poverty, and meeting their needs is the raison d’être of public services; on the other hand, public services have fewer resources from which to draw from due to adjustment and austerity policies.
26% Water
mean that exemplary and innovative management is essential in order for basic public services to be delivered effectively. Governance innovation in local government touches on central policy debates in Europe: the growing quest for efficiency and effectiveness, the definition and implementation of new services, the development of forms of partnership between public authorities, the participation of community and non-profit partners as well as private operators, and the definition of solidarity-based funding models (e.g. free access or subsidies).
23% Sanitation
Provided by private operators
Meeting the challenges of the crisis and its effects: basic public services have acted as a ‘shock absorber’ of the effects of the crisis by providing essential services to the population. From this perspective, the current situation requires both access and quality to be strengthened. Profound changes: local communities in Europe face a diversity of challenges and have different resources with which to deal with them. At the same time, there are several common issues currently affecting basic services and their sustainable development across the region: demographic and climate change, energy efficiency and the development of renewable energy, and ICT. More efficiency and quality: cuts to public sector spending and human resources
Conclusions and recommendations The definition, organization, financing, regulation and governance of basic public services in Europe are not uniform; they are inextricably defined by unity and diversity, convergence and singularity. These characteristics are bound up in the idea of multi-level governance; a concept that is neither linear nor hierarchical, but rather reciprocal and based on partnership. Combine unity and diversity: for each local public service, governance involves taking into account the specificities of each area and organizing the expression of the evolving needs of citizens and users. It is only on a case-by-case basis that the most appropriate geographical area and organizing authority for each service can