Consulting local authorities and their associations in the process of drafting legislative acts that affect them is crucial as early as in the decision-making processes on ministerial and government levels. It ensures the quality of regulations in terms of procedures and content, safeguarding (advance) autonomy of local authorities. Public participation in law-making processes has been discussed on many occasions, but not as much when it comes to systematic research about consulting local authorities in law-making processes on both normative and empiric levels.
The purpose of this master’s thesis is to fill the research gap related to one particular aspect of the relationship between the state and self-governing local communities, specifically the participation in law-making processes on ministerial and government levels that directly affect local communities. The research has shown that local authorities and their associations are not satisfied with the current situation and that there is room for improvement in this field.
Local authorities reasonably believe that their involvement in early stages of legislative drafting processes, more consideration to (helpful) suggestions about draft legislations and/or government bills, and improved communication between law-making bodies and self-governing local communities would contribute to the latter being more motivated, and consequently to the quality of the very drafting of regulations as well as their implementation on the local level. This master’s thesis offers a systematic presentation of theoretical and legal foundations for the consultation of local authorities in law-making processes and in the realisation of empiric research that provides a better insight into the implementation of these processes. The empirical research results offer new knowledge on this matter in the Republic of Slovenia, providing a basis for improvement and further research.
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