Changing local and regional government :issues of democracy, integrality and hierarchies

Abstract

ln this paper the authors discuss some crucial institutiona1 and geographical concepts relating to issues of democratization and rationalization in systems ofterritorial adl1linistration. 11ley point to social, economic and material pressures and to challenging issues of integrality/complexity ofterritorial self-govenuuent and administration. The integralnature of territories (environments) necessarily il1lplies complex tasks of multi-purpose local and regional self-govenllllents. 11le authors argue that contemporary challenges relate to decreasing aspirations of welfare state, simultaneity of decentralization and centralization, and flexible system capability at local and regional levels. Indicating possible future development tendencies, the authors claim that refonus ofterritorial self-govenlluent and adl1linistration wilI always lag behind of economic changes. However, democracy and also territorialized democracy in the fonu oflocal and regionalmulti-purpose self-goveml1lent is an integral affair providing indispensable coordinating franlework for partial and less integral interest fonuation and behaviour of economic and other corporate actors and individual citizens.