Alternative Methods of Decision-making of the Local Self-government in Slovakia during the Corona Crisis - Challenges and Experiences with the Use of Online Tools

Abstract

The coronavirus pandemic has brought a unique opportunity for local self-government in Slovakia. National legislation allowed city councils to hold meetings online or vote on proposals only in writing. It was mainly a safety measure in order to eliminate the spread of the disease. This alternative way of performing public administration was not possible in Slovakia before the pandemic. The paper presents the results of research mapping trends in the use of alternative ways of performing the activities of city councils in 2021 and 2022. This is a unique interpretation of data that has not been presented or published so far. The article presents the extent to which online meetings of councils or written voting by deputies were used during the pandemic in 141 cities in Slovakia. More than 53% of the country's population lives in these cities. The study also presents comparisons of the results from the two-round data collection, which mapped the behaviour of city governments in two different time periods. In relation to the findings, the author opens a discussion about the benefits, but also the threats, which the new legislation brought with it for the functioning of local self-government.