Abstract
This paper will evaluate the current situation and role of the Hungarian (administrative) lower-middle level and make projections about its future. Centralisation efforts since 2010 have had a non-negligible impact on the administrative and non-administrative (common institution maintenance, micro-regional development policy) tasks assigned to the lower-middle level. However, it may be argued that the transition to the Web 3.0 era – the era of the most advanced, most intelligent and customised web technologies – may put such centralisation efforts into a new context. Revitalisation of formations similar to the multi-functional micro-regional associations of local self-governments which largely disappeared after 1 January 2013 may be justifiable in the forthcoming period in order to promote local synergies. If this is correct, a rethink of the public administration system at the lower-middle level may become a very important task for the public administration as along with regional discourse.
Highlights
The subject matter of this paper is what is known as the lower-middle level of administration, which – with some simplifications – I have placed in the category of the local equivalents of the European Union’s local administrative units (LAU) level 1, as used before 1 January 2017, when EUROSTAT disbanded levels LAU 1 and LAU 2, and implemented a unified LAU classification
In the third section, based on the professional literature on the ideal size and desirable functions of districts, I conclude that it would be a mistake to identify the lower-middle level with one single geographical delimitation, such as the current district system, and that research on the ideal size and desirable functions of lower-middle level administrative units should focus on the needs of users, in line with one of the fundamental postulates of the concept of the neo-Weberian state
The theoretical underpinnings of the study pointed out that it would be a mistake to identify the lower-middle level with one single geographical delimitation, such as the current district system, and that research on the ideal size and desirable functions of lower-middle level administrative units should focus on the needs of users, in line with one of the most fundamental postulates of the concept of the neo-Weberian state
Summary
The subject matter of this paper is what is known as the lower-middle level of administration, which – with some simplifications – I have placed in the category of the local equivalents of the European Union’s local administrative units (LAU) level 1 , as used before 1 January 2017, when EUROSTAT disbanded levels LAU 1 and LAU 2, and implemented a unified LAU classification. The second section of the paper will briefly outline the prehistory of the lower-middle level in Hungary in order to provide a proper context for the situation and role of the current district system, which constitutes the most important representative of the lower-middle level after 2010. In the third section, based on the professional literature on the ideal size and desirable functions of districts, I conclude that it would be a mistake to identify the lower-middle level with one single geographical delimitation, such as the current district system, and that research on the ideal size and desirable functions of lower-middle level administrative units should focus on the needs of users, in line with one of the fundamental postulates of the concept of the neo-Weberian state. The concluding part of the paper will discuss in more detail the fact that there may even be a resurgence of formations smaller than the current districts, which may be best placed to fill the void left by the marginalisation of the multi-purpose associations of small municipalities after 2 013
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