Reformy samorządności lokalnej w Indiach – przesłanki i determinanty

Abstract

Following the Constitution of 1949, India is a democratic republic, a federation of states. However, in the early years of independence, the democratic rules of organising and functioning of the state applied to only two tiers – the federal one and the state one. The local tier remained undemocratic, which resulted in India being a semi-democratic country. Such a situation could not last long. It was necessary to launch reforms to democratise the local system of government and make India a fully democratic country. Numerous attempts at setting up democratic local self-government had been made, but all failed. It was not until the early 1990s that sustainable legal grounds were established for three-tier governance and its implementation began. Thirty years have passed since the Indian decentralisation. This fact induced the author to present the premises, determinants, and effects of the local government system’s democratisation and attempt to evaluate its role in the life of contemporary India.