What is Local Government? This is one of the most interesting questions in local government studies. The role of local government varies from one country to another, but obviously in every democratic society local government has some part to play. This leads us to an other important question: Why is local government important? Here we provide some descriptions and definitions which may be of use to you.
Local self-government
Local self-government is the key concept in local government studies. It expresses one of the most important aspects of local governance and democracy. Local government can be seen as an institutional and democratic system used in determining the political processes and their outputs at local community level according to the principles defined both in communities and their wider socio-political contexts. J. Toulmin Smith wrote as early as in the 1850s as follows: "All local affairs, of common interest, shall be administered and controlled by true practical Institutions of Local Self-Government; -...". (Smith, J. Toulmin, Local Self-Government and Centralization:---. John Chapman, 142, Strand, London. M.DCCC.LI. 1851). This is the principle which the modern democratic systems rely on. It can be found, for instance, in the European Charter of Local Self-Government drawn up within the Council of Europe, and the Worldwide Declaration of Local Self-Government given by IULA, as well as in the day-to-day activities of western local authorities. The IULA Declaration, Article 2, defines the concept of local self-government in the following way: "1. Local self-government denotes the right and the duty of local authorities to regulate and manage public affairs under their own responsibility and in the interests of the local population. 2. This right shall be exercised by individuals and representative bodies freely elected on a periodical basis by equal, universal suffrage, and their chief executives shall be so elected or shall be appointed with the participation of the elected body." (See above mentioned IULA Declaration 1993).
Local choice
It has been said that local government is the level of government closest to the citizens. In the context of democratic society this means that citizens are able to determine the scope of local public activities and general principles of government. The administrative and political practices should, then, be outcomes of local political processes. As Professor John Stewart has put it, "although a local authority is part of a much wider system of government and its role can only be understood as part of that wider system, it plays a special role in the system of community government, because it is constituted for local choice". (John Stewart, Local Government: The Conditions of Local Choice, INLOGOV, Georg Allen & Unwin, 1983) This characterization tells us something important about the basic idea and nature of local government.
Administration and services
The third category of concepts can be described by words like local administration, service provision and welfare of residents. These indicate the "substance" of local government activities, and shed light on the range of activitites of local government, and also of why local government is important for us. Each of us has some first-hand experiences of services provided by local authorities. Especially in European welfare societies, local authorities play an important role in providing public services and facilities.
Suggested reading a) Introductions - Stoker, Gerry: The Politics of Local Government, 2nd ed. 1991. - Hakamäki, Simo & Harisalo, Risto & Hoikka, Paavo: An Introduction to Local Government Activities, Administration and Finance in Finland. University of Tampere, Dept of Local Government Studies, Publications 1/1988. - Schöber: Kommunale Selbstverwaltung: Die Idee der modernen Gemeinde. Kohlhammer 1991. - Hesse, Joachim Jens (Hrsg.): Kommunalwissenschaften in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft, Baden-Baden 1989. - Stewart, John: Local Government: The Conditions of Local Choice. INLOGOV, University of Birmingham. Georg Allen & Unwin 1983. b) Local government in Europe - Batley, Richard & Stoker, Gerry (eds.): Local Government in Europe: trends and developments. Macmillan 1991. - Delcamp, Alain: Les institutions locales en Europe. Paris 1990. c) Special themes - Smith, B. C.: Decentralization: The territorial dimension of the state. London 1985. - Stewart, John: The New Management of Local Government. Allen & Unwin 1986. - Haynes, Robert J.: Organisation Theory and Local Government. George Allen & Unwin 1980. - Dunleavy, Patrick: Urban Political Analysis. The politics of collective consumption. Macmillan 1980. - Judge, David & Stoker, Gerry & Wolman, Harold: Theories of Urban Politics. SAGE Publications 1995. - King, Desmond S. & Pierre, Jon: Challenges to Local Government. SAGE Publications 1990. - Wickwar, W. Hardy: The political theory of local government. University of South Carolina Press 1970.
You may also be interested in Local Government Studies, a journal which seeks to provide a forum in which academics and those engaged in local government policy making and management can exchange information and ideas.
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