Local Self-government Reforms in Slovenia: Discourse on Centrality and Peripherality

Abstract

This chapter presents the impact that local government reforms have had on the development of Slovenian territory, particularly from the perspective of less-developed (peripheral) areas. In this regard, two main reforms are considered—the one from the 1960s/1970s and the one from the 1990s—by comparing their role in the development of the polycentric settlement system. The first reform resulted in a communal system, in which the polycentric system of spatial development that was planned to be shaped at the regional level devolved to newly established municipalities (or “communes”). Similarly, the emergence of new municipalities in the 1990s caused a second round of dispersion of power to the municipal level—but, because of the absence of regional authorities and the growing authority of the municipalities, this resulted in enhanced development particularly at the local level. The main benefit of the newly established territorial units could be observed in some less-developed areas that have gained new authorities and thus decision-making power, which was mainly used for swiftly developing local infrastructure. The results indicate that the newly established municipal centers improved their supply with services of general interest, whereas some centers with rapid population growth are undersupplied. The provision of services of general interest is relatively rigid and inflexible, and it adapts to the population’s needs only in the long term, which has a positive effect especially on less-developed and marginal areas. In spite of this, thorough reflection is needed to secure the provision of services in the longer term. Adapting functions to the population size would severely impact less-developed and sparsely populated peripheral areas and possibly drive them into marginalization.