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Do municipal mergers work? Evidence from municipalities in Greece

Greek municipalities involved in mandatory mergers from the Kallikratis program after the end of 2010. The purpose of this study is the accounting evaluation of Greek municipalities after the implementation of the Kallikratis program in the period of the economic crisis in Greece (2011 and onwards). To examine the success of the Kallikratis program in a difficult era for Greece we examine public accounting data for several accounting measures for the Greek municipalities; also we try to reveal if any municipalities’ geographical area gained better performance under these circumstances. The results of this study showed that with the Kallikratis program, several municipalities, apart of new increased responsibilities in the post-Kallikratis period and with reduced state financial support, managed to achieve better results with increased their cash and cash equivalents, their securities and decreased their short-term debt. Last, according to the geographical area, these mandatory municipal mergers were more beneficial for some municipalities than to others, with better financial performance, limiting its obligations and improving its net position, thus providing us new insights to local development for Greece.