Local Autonomy and Territorial Decentralisation in Capital Cities
Local Autonomy and Territorial Decentralisation in Capital Cities

Summary/Abstract: The creation of sub-local political bodies in many urban municipalities in many countries in Western Europe can be viewed as an attempt to find the balance between integration and local differentiation. (Bäck et al. 2005) Territorial decentralisation reached its peak in the 1980s and 1990s, and two approaches caused by different objectives can be distinguished. The objective of the Central and Eastern European countries, recently freed from totalitarian dictatorship, was democratisation of their societies. (Illner 1998, Horvath 2000) The objective of Western Europe, especially the Scandinavian countries, was to overcome the consequences of the crisis of the welfare state and to search for a more effective management model. In addition to the ideas about NPM, one way was also territorial decentralisation within the city. (Bogason 1996, Bäck et al. 2005) The introduction of sub-local political bodies in the municipalities implies the creation of a new territorial tier in the local governmental structure. The construction of the relationship between these tiers is a conceptual question.

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