01456pab a2200181 454500 180718b2017 xxu||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d Noda, Yu Forms and effects of shared services: an assessment of local government arrangements in Japan 2017 p.39-50. Mar Various forms of shared services are adopted by local governments throughout Japan, just as they are in many other countries. There are high hopes of their being efficient and effective means of service provision and resource management of considerable value to the localities in which they are established and operate. But are the hopes fulfilled, and what are the key factors in how the arrangements are structured, work and achieve results? These are important questions, which are addressed in this article with particular reference to the experience of partial service associations as one form of shared services in two prefectures in Japan. The findings reveal that such associations do not necessarily improve financial efficiency because of various transaction costs. These costs, along with other significant aspects of the arrangements, are certainly worthy of further comprehensive research and analysis. - Reproduced. Public utilities - Japan Local government - Japan Local government Asia Pacific Journal of Public Administration 114263 114257 114257 0 0 0 0 IIPA IIPA 2018-07-19 Volume no: 39, Issue no: 1 AR114723 2018-07-19 2018-07-19 AR