National Municipality Monitoring
The state and development of Swiss municipalities has been under scrutiny since 1988 as part of the National Municipal Monitoring. The overall survey focuses on questions relating to performance, reforms, and the political system. These surveys are conducted by ZHAW in collaboration with IDHEAP Lausanne (or predecessor institutions) and financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation.
Methodology
The municipal monitoring provides valuable insights into the performance of Swiss municipalities, their finances, reforms, collaboration, and politics. The comprehensive data foundation supports associations, governmental institutions, research, and the public in analyzing municipal development.
This is a written full survey of all Swiss municipalities, consisting of two parts:
- Municipal clerks (administrative perspective)
- Executive members (political perspective)
The survey is conducted every six years. The municipal clerks’ survey began in 1988, and the executive survey in 2008. This enables both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses to track developments over a period of more than 30 years.
The questionnaire is available in the three national languages. In 2023, response rates were 83% for the municipal clerks’ survey and 50% for the executive survey.
Data from the 2017 municipal clerk survey are available on SWISSUbase.
Research and Consulting Focus
Swiss municipalities are one of our main areas of research and consulting. We conduct research on various topics in the field of local and regional governance – both in national and international research projects – with renowned universities worldwide. In addition, we offer customized, scientifically grounded expertise based on the latest findings, which are also implemented in a practice-oriented manner. We have many years of experience in municipality and community-related issues.
Selected Publications
Machljankin, J., Neumann, O., Steiner, R., & Ege, J. (2024). Exploring the role of consulting in local government digital transformation. Public Money & Management, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540962.2024.2414060
Steiner, Reto; Ladner, Andreas; Kaiser, Claire; Haus, Alexander; Amsellem, Ada; Keuffer, Nicolas, 2021. Zustand und Entwicklung der Schweizer Gemeinden: Ergebnisse des nationalen Gemeindemonitorings 2017. Chur: Somedia. Verfügbar unter: https://hdl.handle.net/11475/22601
Steiner, Reto; Kaiser, Claire; Tapscott, Christopher; Navarro, Carmen, 2018. Is local always better? Strengths and limitations of local governance for service delivery. International Journal of Public Sector Management. 31(4), S. 394-409. Verfügbar unter: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPSM-05-2018-226
Steiner, Reto; Kaiser, Claire, 2018. Inter-municipal Cooperation in Switzerland. In: Teles, Filipe; Swianiewicz, Pawel, Hrsg., Inter-municipal cooperation in Europe : institutions and governance. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. S. 173-187. Verfügbar unter: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62819-6_9
Steiner, Reto; Kaiser, Claire, 2017. Effects of amalgamations : evidence from Swiss municipalities. Public Management Review. 19(2), S. 232-252. Verfügbar unter: https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2016.1153704
Steiner, Reto; Fetz, Ursin; Käppeli, Stephan, 2016. Gestaltung von Gemeindefusionsprozessen. In: Bergmann, Andreas; Giauque, David; Kettiger, Daniel; Lienhard, Andreas; Nagel, Erik; Ritz, Adrian; Steiner, Reto, Hrsg., Praxishandbuch Public Management. Zürich: WEKA. S. 880-896
Steiner, Reto, 2016. Interkommunale Zusammenarbeit. In: Bergmann, Andreas; Giauque, David; Kettiger, Daniel; Lienhard, Andreas; Nagel, Erik; Ritz, Adrian; Steiner, Reto, Hrsg., Praxishandbuch Public Management. Zürich: WEKA. S. 897-914
Steiner, Reto; Ladner, Andreas; Reist, Pascal, Hrsg., 2014. Reformen in Kantonen und Gemeinden. 1. Auflage. Bern: Haupt. ISBN 978-3-258-07831-1
Kaiser, Claire, 2014. Functioning and impact of incentives for amalgamations in a federal state : the Swiss case. International Journal of Public Administration. 37(10), S. 625-637. Verfügbar unter: https://doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2014.903265
Steiner, Reto; Kaiser, Claire, 2013. Rolle der Kantone bei Gemeindefusionen in der Schweiz. Verwaltung & Management. 19(3), S. 144-149. Verfügbar unter: https://doi.org/10.5771/0947-9856-2013-3-144
Ladner, Andreas; Steiner, Reto; Horber-Papazian, Katia; Fiechter, Julien; Jacot-Descombes, Caroline; Kaiser, Claire, 2013. Gemeindemonitoring 2009/2010 : Bericht zur fünften gesamtschweizerischen Gemeindeschreiberbefragung. Bern: KPM. KPM-Schriftenreihe ; 48. ISBN 978-3-906798-47-9.
Steiner, Reto; Kaiser, Claire, 2013. Die Gemeindeverwaltungen. In: Ladner, Andreas; Chappelet, Jean-Loup; Emery, Yves; Knoepfel, Peter; Mader, Luzius; Soguel, Nils; Varone, Frédéric, Hrsg., Handbuch der öffentlichen Verwaltung. Zürich: Neue Zürcher Zeitung. S. 149-166. NZZ Libro.
Geser, Hans; Meuli, Urs; Horber-Papazian, Katja; Ladner, Andreas; Steiner, Reto, 2012. Die Exekutivmitglieder in den Schweizer Gemeinden. Glarus: Rüegger. ISBN 978-3-7253-0982-5.