Miestna autonómia, samospráva a etnické menšiny
Local Autonomy, Local Government and Ethnic Minorities

Summary/Abstract: Local Autonomy, Local Government and Ethnic Minorities. Paper focuses on potential of diverse and flexible forms of local autonomy application in regulation of inter-ethnic relations and in satisfaction of minority rights and needs. The concept of autonomy is briefly characterised and specified, including various partial forms of autonomy according to the political and legal aspects, spatial aspects and formation (top-down and bottom-up). At the local level, besides two main forms of autonomy - spatial and personal, I outline more holistic "extensive local autonomy", that overcomes traditional meanings of autonomy. More attention is paid to prevailing understanding of local autonomy - as autonomy of local government. In this case, important role of decentralisation, relation between autonomy and self-government, as well as relations to the other levels of government and lines of power (executive, legislative, and judiciary) are emphasised. Besides crucial political autonomy, I discuss fiscal autonomy and various other possibilities for functional autonomy. Potential of autonomous institutions based on personal autonomy should not be underestimated also at the local level. Larger section of the paper addresses the most known concrete forms of autonomy applied in regulations of inter-ethnic relations and minority needs satisfaction. They cover autonomy of parallel local governments, autonomy of sub-local governments, autonomy of functional local governments, as well as informal bottom-up cases based on personal and institutional autonomy, as are informal autonomous parallel governments, informal sub-local and functional autonomies. Their main features, advantages, as well as risks in practical application are discussed, including some normative aspects. I reveal high potential of various autonomous structures at the local level. Nevertheless, I recommend applying them as a responsible local autonomy. It should be arranged by combination of various institutions with autonomous position, but circumscribed by guarantees for civil rights and democracy expressed in constitution, legislature and protected by independent courts. Sociológia 2001 Vol. 33 (No. 2: 163-184)

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