Dynamika relacji centralno-lokalnych a jakość demokracji wielopoziomowej pod rządami koalicji prawicowych w Polsce i we Włoszech
Central–Local Dynamics and the Quality of Multi-level Democracy under Right-Wing Coalition Governance in Poland and Italy

Summary/Abstract: This article offers a comparative analysis of how right-wing governments in Italy and Poland have reshaped central – local relations and with what consequences for local democratic quality. Moving beyond institutionalist accounts of decentralization, the study advances a relational perspective on multi-level governance, conceptualizing intergovernmental relations as dynamic, power-laden, and politically contingent. Drawing on legal analysis, fiscal data, policy documents, and secondary literature, the article demonstrates that both countries exhibit hybrid governance patterns characterized by conditional autonomy, selective inclusion, and loyalty-based resource allocation. While Poland exemplifies direct hierarchical recentralization under Law and Justice (PiS) (2015–2023), Italy reveals a subtler form of indirect centralization through differentiated autonomy and competitive funding under Brothers of Italy (since 2022). Despite institutional divergence, both cases converge toward a model of subnational de-democratisation, with significant implications for pluralism, accountability, and democratic legitimacy at the local level.

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