Size and Local Democracy
The Case of Czech Municipal Representatives
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6301552 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Dan Ryšavý (0000-0002-3154-4786, Palacký University Olomouc), J Bernard (0000-0002-3905-9160, Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Sociology) |
| Year | 2013 |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 833-852 |
| Publication date | 2013-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Local Government Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0300-3930 • E-ISSN: 1743-9388 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/03003930.2012.675329 |
| OpenAlex | W1974502110 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 28 |
| References cited | 17 |
The municipal structure of the Czech Republic experienced a wave of fragmentation after the fall of the communist regime. As a result, most Czech municipalities today have populations of only a few hundred inhabitants. This situation creates specific conditions for the democratic functioning of local representative bodies. In this paper we focus on two features of Czech local government. First, we deal with electoral competitiveness in Czech municipalities; second, we analyse councillors' accountability to voters, their readiness to stand for re-election and their electoral success in successive elections. Based on an analysis of data on individual candidates and elected councillors in four successive terms, we demonstrate that the willingness to stand for election and re-election does not decrease over time; however, the choice among different candidates is limited in the smallest municipalities. Thus, the data show a reduced willingness to stand for re-election and an extraordinarily high chance of re-election in smaller municipalities. This finding weakens the general assumption about higher accountability of elected officials in small municipalities. On a more general level, we conclude that Czech local government has some features of small political systems with infrequent occurrence of major election conflicts
Accountability · Czech · Democracy · Economics · Fragmentation (computing · General election · Local election · Local government · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Fiscal Policies and Political Economy · Law · Local Government Finance and Decentralization · Public Administration
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| Unique citing works | 28 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2012 - 2025 (14) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 27 |