Two themes of particular significance in the changing world of local government are examined: the growing pressures to incorporate participatory and direct forms of democracy into local government; and the varied use of a complex structure of nongovernmental organisations as part of local...

By means of case studies of Slovak cities, the author focuses on decentralisation processes at the local level, paying special attention to the role of local self-government during the transformation period in Central and Eastern Europe. Four main directions of sublocal decentralisation are...

Six distinct though related strands of ‘enabling’ as applied to the ability of local governments to engage in innovative methods of service delivery are distinguished. The practice of ‘enabling’ is analysed to identify possible advantages, obstacles, and disadvantages. Contracting can...