The Problem of the Size of Municipalities in Slovenia: Views of Residents and Mayors
The Problem of the Size of Municipalities in Slovenia: Views of Residents and Mayors

Summary/Abstract: The paper analyses the territorial aspects of Slovenian municipalities and the problem of their optimal size. The central question of it, namely, what the ideal or optimal size of municipalities should be in terms of population and surface area, so that they can effectively perform their tasks and at the same time ensure adequate participation of citizens, is a difficult one in political science and has no clear answer. As many other European countries, Slovenia has been facing difficulties since the dawn of its independence (1991) in finding the ideal or optimal size of municipalities and the corresponding scope of their competences. Political arguments often prevail over expert ones, which confirms the seriousness of a social problem that goes beyond local self-government and affects the whole country. The search for the ideal size of municipalities – whether by partitioning or merging them – has been a hotly debated issue, dividing both politicians and the professional community, yet according to the results of the analysis carried out, Slovenia may not be as far from the ideal size of municipalities as these debates sometimes make it seem.

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