Consultations in local government as a form of social participation in the Polish legal system

Abstract

Contemporary administrative doctrine pays more and more attention to the importance of society in the administration and shaping of public policies, as defined by a participatory administration. This type of administration is most effective in local governments, where it is possible to participate in person or groups or to solve local problems directly. A prerequisite for the implementation of the full involvement of local communities is specific actions of public administration consisting, in particular, of identifying the most important problems faced by its residents, getting to know the preferences of residents as to how to solve these problems, and engaging in solving them. One of the forms of community participation in creating decisions for local government units is social consultations. Public consultations carried out in local government acts are opinion- forming and non- binding. They have a legitimizing significance for the specific shape of decisions made by authorities, as well as strengthen the tasks assigned by self- government authorities to citizens. This article aims to analyze the institution of social consultations in local government as one of the forms of social participation in the Polish legal system and to present their role in administrative decision- making processes.