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1

The sub-municipal level of politics in Italy: a case study

100%

Massa A.

Polish Journal of Political Science

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2019

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vol. 5

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issue 1

7-33

XX

District authorities in the system of communal decentralization, known in many Italian cities as Consigli di circoscrizione (Cdc), were established between the end of the ‘70s and the early ‘80s make the local government closer to citizens and to promote, at the same time, the participation of the latter in the administration of the former. The set up of such district councils was also a move aiming to give real answers to the many questions raised by the urban social movements active in the big metropolitan areas of the Country. This article, starting from the results of some recent studies on the decentralization system within the Commune of Genova, is set to discuss the implications of the establishment and the evolution of Cdc for political parties as well as for citizens’ committees exerting pressure on local authorities. In other terms, it will describe the patterns of institutional and non-institutional political participation prompted by this new layout of local government, considered as an example of change in the political opportunity structure, trying also to verify if these two fields of participation may somehow overlap. With regard to the local case study, where a new system of nine decentralized organs called Municipi was set up in 2007, the following points will be discussed. First, what kind of political actors and what kind of lists participate in the elections to the bodies of the communal decentralization system. In more detail: are they civic or local lists (organized bottom-up) or organized by traditional political parties (top-down)? Second, what kind of relationships are set with these institutions by neighbourhood-based citizens’ committees that choose not to take part in elections at this level directly. Third, the sociographic profile and attitudes of the politicians elected to these bodies, trying to verify whether they are closer to the mainstream political class or, say, to neighbourhood volunteers

2

Aktywność mniejszości niemieckiej w polskich wyborach samorządowych

86%

Jarosz A.

Przegląd Narodowościowy – Review of Nationalities

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2015

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issue 4

69 - 89

EN

The presented paper is an analysis of the German minority participation in the Polish local government elections. The electoral results have been compiled and discussed together with the activity of the German associations at the local governmental level. The German minority is concentrated in the area of the Opole Silesia and is an important political factor in this region. The Germans regularly gain many seats in the commune, city and county councils, mostly in rural areas in the Western part of the Opole Voievodeship. They are also important faction in the Opole Regional Assembly. Despite the initial controversies and tensions they proved to be a solid host and an open partner for all political forces on the local political scenes. In broader perspective the participation of the German minority in the Polish local government structures is a natural process of the democratic development which is realized in Poland.

3

Wybory samorządowe na Śląsku Opolskim w 2010 r. i w 2014 r. – analiza porównawcza wybranych wątków

58%

Tkacz R.

Border and Regional Studies

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2015

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vol. 3

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issue 2

135-147

PL

Analiza wyborów do rad gmin, rad powiatów i sejmików województw oraz wójtów, burmistrzów i prezydentów miast wskazuje na ich odmienny charakter od elekcji prezydenckich i parlamentarnych oraz euroelekcji. Zasadniczą ich rolą jest integracja społeczności. W województwie opolskim w latach 2010-2014 zanotowano znaczny spadek liczby wyborców. Główną zmianą prawną było podniesienie w 2014 r. progu rozgraniczającego system wyborów większościowych od systemu wyborów proporcjonalnych. W regionie nie zmieniło to liczby komitetów wyborczych o charakterze regionalnym i lokalnym, uczestniczących w elekcji, zmalała łączna liczba kandydatów na radnych wszystkich szczebli, wzrosła natomiast frekwencja wyborcza. Wprowadzenie jednomandatowych okręgów wyborczych we wszystkich gminach województwa dało wyraźnie większą szansę na końcowy sukces kandydatom niezależnym. Szyld partyjny kandydatom do rad gminnych nie pomagał. Zmiany były widoczne szczególnie w tych gminach, w których wcześniej obowiązywał system proporcjonalny oraz istniały wielomandatowe okręgi wyborcze. Tam po raz pierwszy kandydaci niezależni mieli równe szanse na sukces z kandydatami zgłoszonymi przez partie polityczne.

EN

The analysis of the elections treated as a tool for selecting representatives in commune councils, district councils and province assemblies as well as selecting provincial governors, and mayors of the cities, demonstrates that the aforementioned kinds of elections are significantly different from presidential, parliamentary and European elections. It can be stated that the main aim of the local government elections is to unite the society. In addition, the years 2010 to 2014 were marked by a major decline in the number of voters in Opole Voivodeship. It is worth mentioning that, in 2014, there was an increase in the threshold which appeared to be a differentiating factor between the majority election system and proportional representation system. This has not led to changes in the number of local election committees, but it has resulted in a decline in the number of candidates in elections as well as an increase in the voter turnout. Furthermore, the implementation of the single mandate constituencies in municipalities in Opole Voivodeship has gave an opportunity to independent candidates to be successful.Interestingly, political affiliations have not effected the commune council elections. What is more, significant changes were mainly visible in municipalities in which proportional representation system and multiple mandate constituencies used to be applicable during previous elections. It can be claimed that the independent candidates have obtained equal opportunities in competition with the candidates belonging to parties.

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1 Border and Regional Studies

1 Polish Journal of Political Science

1 Przegląd Narodowościowy – Review of Nationalities

1 Jarosz A.

1 Massa A.

1 Tkacz R.

1 2019

2 2015

The sub-municipal level of politics in Italy: a case study

Aktywność mniejszości niemieckiej w polskich wyborach samorządowych

Wybory samorządowe na Śląsku Opolskim w 2010 r. i w 2014 r. – analiza porównawcza wybranych wątków