Abstract
All the local government systems under study in this volume are characterized by a dual power structure in which two bodies play prominent roles: the mayor sometimes as member of a collegial body: an executive board and a directly elected popular assembly (referred to as municipal council). Even though the models of local government in the Western world differ in many important respects, in all systems the council is conceived as a crucial channel in the communication between citizens and their local governments. In a democratic system the council has both an internal and an external role:
a. internally, the council should exert its influence in its relations with other agents to make local government responsive to ‘the voice of the people’,
b. externally, the council should be capable of voicing demands and opinions of the local community in a public debate over major local issues.
a. internally, the council should exert its influence in its relations with other agents to make local government responsive to ‘the voice of the people’,
b. externally, the council should be capable of voicing demands and opinions of the local community in a public debate over major local issues.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | The European Mayor |
| Subtitle of host publication | Political Leaders in the Changing Context of Local Democracy |
| Editors | Henry Bäck, Hubert Heinelt, Annick Magnier |
| Place of Publication | Wiesbaden |
| Publisher | VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften |
| Pages | 271-285 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 978-3-531-90005-6 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-3-531-14574-7 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2006 |
Publication series
| Name | Urban and Regional Research International |
|---|---|
| Publisher | VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften |
| Volume | 10 |
Keywords
- METIS-231909