Local self-government is a key element of modern democracies. It plays an important role in the provision of public goods and services and in the development of the social and economic well-being of its citizens. It is the level of government that is closest to the citizens and represents their interests. It is exercised in the municipalities, which are the basic units of this self-government. The size of a municipality is an issue that is widely discussed in the literature, as it has an impact on its functioning and effectiveness. The dissertation addresses the question of the optimal size of Slovenian municipalities through an analysis of the territorial, functional and normative aspects of their functioning. It focuses on the number of inhabitants as a criterion for determining the size of municipalities and the distinction between small and large municipalities. The analysis shows that politics and geography have been key factors in the historical formation of municipalities, less so factors such as efficiency and citizen participation. The criteria for the minimum number of inhabitants required to establish a municipality, set out in legislation, have often not been respected in practice. The results of surveys conducted among citizens and mayors reveal different views on the advantages and disadvantages of small and large municipalities. Citizens are more satisfied in larger municipalities, which are better able to maintain infrastructure and provide more services due to their size. However, mayors feel that their municipality, whatever its size, is just the right size to meet the needs of citizens. A key finding is that the criteria for establishing municipalities have changed frequently and markedly in the different historical periods, with territorial considerations dominating. This supports the hypothesis that the politics of terrain, and not so much efficiency, services or citizen involvement, have so far played a dominant role in determining the size and boundaries of municipalities. To sum up, in addition to the territorial aspect, the functional and participatory aspects should be taken into account to a greater extent when determining the size of municipalities, in order to strike a balance between the efficiency of municipal operations and the involvement and satisfaction of citizens.
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