Estonian local governments in comparison with each other

Local governments concentrating their resources on and planning their activities for a longer term and preparing for economic decline in the period of economic growth and creating prerequisites for growth in the time of economic decline are more sustainable than others.

Sustainability of Estonian local governments depends on the number of inhabitants in the local government, their knowledge and skills, competitive ability of the population and enterprises and the related economic success, as well as on the use of the natural resources available in the territory of the local government as all different kinds of taxes accruing from the afore mentioned activities form the revenue base of the local government.

However, sustainability of the local government is a far more wider and diverse term than a mere calculation of income and expenses. Other aspects like security and sense of identity, recognition, inclusion in social networks, diverse possibilities for self-realization, feeling of being necessary, also clean environment, possibilities for active recreation and sports are necessary for the welfare of the population. Creation of prerequisites and possibilities for all that is a matter of choices of local governments.

The ground for sustainability of a local government is a long-term development plan based on agreed principles of sustainability forming the basis for choices and decision-making and priorities of action. Principles of sustainability, the state desired to be reached by the year 2030 and the methods for achieving it as well as the priorities for the state as a whole have been agreed upon in the national sustainable development strategy Sustainable Estonia 21 providing four interrelated development goals — achievement of growth of welfare of the population and increase in social cohesion as well as ensuring of the viability of Estonian cultural space and ecological balance.

Progress in achieving the four development goals described above is measured by means of 60 indicators divided between the areas of culture, economy, social cohesion and environment. Limited availability of data on the local government level is the reason for using county data in case of 23 indicators. In terms of these indicators, each local government has got the so-called average point values of the county in the dashboard.

At the end of 2009, there were over 200 local governments in Estonia. In terms of all indicators, Ruhnu and Harku rural municipalities are the first. Viimsi, Kiili and Rae rural municipalities near Tallinn and Saue city and the corresponding rural municipality are more successful than the average local government. Sillamäe and Narva are at the end of the list. In terms of the indicators of growth of welfare, the distribution of local governments is similar: Viimsi rural municipality is the best, it is followed by the rest six rural municipalities around Tallinn, the eighth in ranking is Ülenurme rural municipality — the first remote area. The end of the list is similar to that of general ranking — consisting mostly of Ida-Viru local governments.

In terms of social cohesion, the rural municipalities of Central Estonia (Koigi, Paide, Ambla and Väätsa) and also the rural municipalities of Saaremaa (Pihtla, Pöide and Kuressaare) are among the first ten in ranking. Saue rural municipality which is successful in terms of growth of welfare is positioning as the 100th in terms of social cohesion. And Viimsi rural municipality, which is the first in general ranking, positions in the middle i.e. at the end of the first hundred in terms of social cohesion. It shows that economic success can often have been achieved at the expense of the health of the population, decrease in the feeling of security and in social cohesion. Ida-Viru local governments are among the last also in terms of social cohesion.

In terms of the viability of Estonian cultural space, the first is Ruhnu, followed by Tallinn, Tartu and rural municipalities near Tallinn as well as by Surju and Koigi. Economically successful Viimsi and Saue rural municipalities are among the first and second ten local governments, respectively. Piirissaare and Peipsiääre are at the end of the list.

We hope that anyone interested can find the location of his/her home town or rural municipality on the sustainability map of Estonia and in the comparison of local governments — just to be satisfied when the green colour prevails over other colours or make one’s own analysis and encourage others, incl. the newly elected council members of rural municipalities, to analyse the reasons for the red colour, i.e. a poor condition, in order to find solutions for improving the situation.