The effective approach to quantum dynamics allows a reformulation of the
Dirac quantization procedure for constrained systems in terms of an
infinite-dimensional constrained system of classical type. For semiclassical
approximations, the quantum constrained system can be truncated to finite size
and solved by the reduced phase space or gauge-fixing methods. In particular,
the classical feasibility of local internal times is directly generalized to
quantum systems, overcoming the main difficulties associated with the general
problem of time in the semiclassical realm. The key features of local internal
times and the procedure of patching global solutions using overlapping
intervals of local internal times are described and illustrated by two quantum
mechanical examples. Relational evolution in a given choice of internal time is
most conveniently described and interpreted in a corresponding choice of gauge
at the effective level and changing the internal clock is, therefore,
essentially achieved by a gauge transformation. This article complements the
conceptual discussion in arXiv:1009.5953.Comment: 42 pages, 9 figures; v2: streamlined discussions, more compact
manuscrip