Micro-municipal administration: a review and network-based framework

Micro-municipalities are a widespread form of local government worldwide. However, research into micro-municipalities is often fragmented across various disciplines (e.g. public management, urban studies, etc.), limiting our understanding of the diverse influences impacting micro-municipal administration. Here, we review the literature on micro-municipalities and investigate the network relationships affecting their administration. We performed a systematic literature review on micro-municipal administration. We adopted a network perspective for analysing the sample articles, which helps identify the multiple nodes that influence micro-municipalities’ administration, the drivers of relationships between the nodes, and the direction and flow of authority between these nodes. We propose a network-based framework of micro-municipal administration that incorporates tailored interventions and support from higher government levels, adaptive stakeholder engagement, residents’ active participation, and responsive leadership. This is the first systematic literature review of micro-municipalities and the first to propose a network-based framework for their effective governance.