Where Next, Local Self-Governments?
Where Next, Local Self-Governments?

Author(s): Adam Varga
Subject(s): Public Administration, Sociology of Law, Administrative Law
Published by: ADJURIS – International Academic Publisher
Keywords: local self-government; local public power; local public affairs; autonomy; subsidiarity; vertical division of power;
Summary/Abstract: Local self-governments are faced with many challenges in the 21st century. Efficiency plays an increasingly important role in the functioning of public administrations everywhere, and one of the main tasks of public authorities is to provide a good service to citizens. Local communities also expect local self-government to carry out its tasks well. But local self-governance is not just about getting local tasks right; it also necessarily involves making local rules. And all this is carried out by democratically elected bodies. In this paper, I will examine the principles on which we need to look at local selfgovernment if we are to find a place for it in 21st century democracy. I will seek answers to this question primarily by analysing and comparing different terms. In my view, the essence of local self-government cannot be sought in its decentralised nature alone, nor can it be treated as a purely efficiency issue. Local self-governments are also autonomous bodies which, in the principle of subsidiarity, also claim the right to carry out tasks that genuinely serve the local community.

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