Sublocal Decentralisation—The Case of Slovak Big Cities

By means of case studies of Slovak cities, the author focuses on decentralisation processes at the local level, paying special attention to the role of local self-government during the transformation period in Central and Eastern Europe. Four main directions of sublocal decentralisation are considered: political decentralisation, managerial decentralisation, decentralisation to the so-called ‘third sector’, and decentralisation to the private or mixed sector. Cities have constituted ‘Councils in City Quarters’ as a tool for the improvement of local democracy and as an aid to more flexible local self-government. The previously state-controlled municipal sector has also been changed to a group of municipal, public – private, and private companies involved in delivery of local services, resulting in enhanced efficiency. A wide range of local functions took over the third sector—from delivery of particular services to the reconciling of many local interests. Sublocal decentralisation processes, although not yet complete, appear very promising and confirm the ability to cope with the transitional situation at the local level. An important feature is that the initial top-down control of the local level transformation has been replaced with an active and more autonomous role of local self-governments following the consolidation period. Slovak transition at the local level also documents the role of local self-government as hard to replace in the facilitation of local civil society building and highlights a need for a local democracy which is more complex in nature.