Usability of the Concept of Local Democracy in Achieving Democratic Process at Local Level

Usability of the Concept of Local Democracy in Achieving Democratic Process at Local Level

KARISIK, Fatih

Democracy is advocated by the majority of societies and countries today. The dictators of the past were an important factor in adoption of democracy. Such administration types in which certain individuals, groups or classes make the decisions and seize the power in their hands shifted to dictatorship. Democracy has been adopted instead of these administration types. In democratic administration, certain rules and principles are actualised some of which are achieving public participation into administration activities, assuring fundamental rights and freedoms for everyone, adoption of principles of the state of law by the state, not destroying the rights of the minority for the sake of the majority and vice versa. Achieving the public participation that is required in democracy is discussed at local level. There is a close relation between local administrations and democracy. However, there are controversies in defining this close relation conceptually which centre around such concepts as democratisation of local administrations, democratic local administration and local democracy. In the literature, whether these concepts can be used interchangeably has been discussed and it has been decided that one can be used for another. However, preference of one gives the understanding of democracy a different dimension at local level. Therefore, a conceptual preference is a factor in achieving democracy at a local level. Local democracy can be understood as validation of democratic values in local administrations. In this sense, concepts of local democracy, democratic local administration and democratisation of local administrators are considered to be very close, but at the same time, they also appear to have different meanings. In order to determine which of these concepts will be used, these concepts should be defined clearly first. After that, the main elements of these concepts should be put forward analytically. Afterwards, the differences between these concepts should be revealed. Subsequently, different approaches to the problem of applying local democracy at local level should be put across. Also, what kind of a local administration does applying each concept at local level stipulate? What role do these concepts play in achieving democratic participation at local level? Answers to such questions will not only enable sorting out the problem of conceptual expression but also give an idea about which concept is more appropriate to use. Keywords: Local Administration, Democracy, Local Democracy, Democratisation of Local Administrations, Democratic Local Administration.

Article
PeerReviewed

ISSN 978-9958-834-23-3

International Burch University

2013-05-10

1575