Territorial policy agenda revised: Public perceptions on local non-electoral participation capacities in Lithuania

Abstract

Since the 1990s Lithuania has experienced a few territorial reform initiatives aiming for more effective and sustainable local governance; however, the current situation demonstrates an increase in tendencies towards more consolidated local government structures. This paper contributes to the extensive discussion on the relationship between the size of municipalities and citizen non-electoral participation at the local level, using Lithuanian population survey data. In contrast to previous research on the direct effects of municipality size on citizen engagement, our conclusions drawn from population survey data highlight the significant problem of existing normative barriers in new-democracy countries, which limit the potential of citizens to engage with local agendas. The findings indicate that citizens in large municipalities are more likely to establish local contact activities and have better perceptions of municipal problem-solving capacities compared to those in small municipalities.