New book makes the case for a directly elected mayor in Dublin
Mayoral Governance in Dublin: Challenges for Citizens, Politics and Policy, a new book edited by DCU academics Prof Deiric Ó Broin and Dr Eoin O’Malley, makes the case for a directly elected mayor for Ireland’s capital city.
A collection of eleven essays, the book draws together contributions from academics and practitioners in the public policy, political, local government and local development sectors. These include Mark Callanan from the Institute of Public Administration, Colin Copus, director of the Local Governance Research Unit at De Montfort University, Councillor Dermot Lacey, former Lord Mayor of Dublin and a member of Dublin City Council since 1993, and Dr Ruth McManus, senior lecturer at the School of History and Geography in DCU.
Many of the most critical services that affect our quality of life are to some extent controlled at the level of local authorities; housing, urban design, transport, connectivity of communities are all impacted upon and shaped by local policies. Local government is the level at which many of the collective problems we face can be solved.
There is an increased awareness that cities are the basis and drivers of economic activity and that this activity can be massively helped or hindered by local policies and governance; and given that Dublin is not only competing with Cork and Limerick, but also the likes of Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Paris, the fact that it is so limited and constrained in it’s policy making functions, severely restricts the city’s autonomy and its ability to deliver the sorts of changes that the city needs.
Prof Deiric Ó Broin said
“Directly elected mayors are a very interesting case study when it comes to public policy reform in Ireland.
Every political party and nearly every key city-orientated civil society stakeholder see the introduction of directly mayors as a huge part of the solution to the challenges facing our cities. And yet it has still not happened.
Directly elected mayors are not a panacea to all that ails local government in Ireland but they offer a massive leap forward in terms of accountability at a local level, leadership and helping to make the city they represent more liveable for all its citizens.”
Dr Eoin O’Malley said
“When we look at cities who are successful at dealing with challenges, for instance the decline in crime in New York, the redevelopment of city centres or docklands in Melbourne, Baltimore or Manchester, the shift from industrial economy to pharma, finance, arts and design in Milan or Gothenburg; political leadership has been central to co-ordinating and mobilising this shift. Directly elected mayors allow cities to make themselves heard on the world stage.”
The book was launched on Tuesday April 2nd in City Hall on Dame Street by Minister for Local Government and Electoral Reform, John Paul Phelan TD
About the editors
Prof Deiric Ó Broin is Head of Civic Engagement in Dublin City University and a Senior Research Fellow in the School of Law and Government in DCU where he lectures in Irish politics and public policy.
Dr Eoin O’Malley is the director of the MSc in Public Policy at DCU, where he is Associate Professor in political science. He writes a weekly column in The Ireland edition of The Times.
The book is published by Glasnevin Publishing.