Leader at the centre of action
The creative function of local leaders is obvious. This includes the ability to formulate a programme that identifies areas of local community development. This creation besides refers to the ability to formulate the needs of residents. This is done by setting an agenda, a hierarchy of local affairs. The media is very crucial here. The publicity of certain issues while at the same time cancelling or ignoring others may affect the attitude of the local community, recognising the importance and precedence of the former, even erstwhile the problem has not been noticed by them so far. Topics about which we talk loudly and often, the intellectual force of the mechanisms is gaining developmental significance. Play for the validity of certain issues vs. their annulment takes place in peculiar during the electoral campaign, powerfully supported by political environments. Thus understood the dominant function of the local leader may be dysfunctional, but sometimes, under certain circumstances, functional.
In the first case, it can be assumed that this creative function of local leaders is accompanied by the passiveness of citizens who say/think, "there will be what will happen, they may do something, and if not, it will be what it was." In this case, domesticated inactivity is simply a political ritual that boils down to voting. Asymmetrics in the relation of the carrion/potential carrion of local society are visible. It leads to objectifying the second and its instrumental usage in elections. Sooner or later, the increasing distance between power and citizens will lead to civilian alienation. And that's the dysfunction of leadership dominance.
Disfunctional dominance of the leader is accompanied by tame passiveness of citizens, which leads to their objectification and instrumental usage in elections. On the another hand, the functionality of this function arises erstwhile an active and organised society sees complementarity between its own interests and those created by the leader.
The functioning of the dominant function of a leader, on the another hand, arises erstwhile it enters into dialog with society, individual social and professional groups. This is the case erstwhile an active and organised society sees the complementarity of own interests and those created by the leader. This seems to be a local transactional policy, a certain exchange based on the rule of maximising the profit of the leader and minimising the failure of citizens. It can be, of course, but not everywhere and not always. It becomes crucial here to specify local good and comparatively convergent goals that let you to follow in 1 direction. It must be assumed that it is development, not stagnation, that both citizens and possible creditors are interested. This improvement is possible erstwhile a citizen stands at the centre of the action with his needs and expectations.
A citizen at the centre of activities – towards symmetry and authentic self-government
Authentic self-government has a sense of influence on politics (and this indicator has late been above average in Poland – it increased from 26% in 2022 to 54% in 2023)1. In terms of impact on local affairs, this rate is 61%. The sense of influence on social and political realities is 1 of the foundations and at the same time the determinants of changing expectations for local authorities. However, there is besides another social process – the process of individualisation. Individualist orientation means focusing on your own welfare, self-development, caring for your physical condition and health, as well as cultural aspirations. Secondly, authentic self-government refers to the belief that local governance promotes individual intentions. In another words, good local governance is expected to be a policy that will supply opportunities for them.
Authentic self-government is linked, on the 1 hand, to a sense of influence on politics and, on the another hand, to the belief that it will be a field for achieving individual objectives.
The impact on politics is so straight correlated with the feeling that in those spheres affected, individual values and goals, including professional ones, can be achieved, but besides related to the sphere of culture or lifestyle. Are these 2 conditions: feeling influence and achieving individual goals via Local power is adequate to talk about the effect of symmetry in relationships? Their fulfillment seems to be the basis for forming a proportionate relationship, but there are also very circumstantial expectations. They mention to the imagination of a good host. It should be: honest, incorruptible, moral (nearly 65% of respondents indicate these characteristics)2, secondly (ex aequo) – competent, decently educated and acquainted with the problems of average people (nearly 40% of respondents). Nor should it be related to the political organization and should it be abroad (i.e. to be ‘from here’).
These features make an perfect host profile. Life can be different – but it does not prevent people with certain affirmative qualities from believing that they act “positively” (the moral individual acts morally, analogously: the educated individual – wisely). And while this is simply a manifest cognitive mistake and short-term thinking, it allows you to have assurance (sometimes on credit) and hope to prosecute a sensible policy.
Local policy in the centre of action
The expectations for local policy vary, as policy knowing varies. Firstly, it may emanate a conflict between the largest political formations. Then we are faced with subordination of local government policy to organization interests. Secondly, policy can make improvement opportunities for the community in a collective and, as already mentioned, individual sense. Then we are dealing with politics as an action in and for local space. Local policy can besides be a space for establishing a compromise towards agonist and frequently antagonistic interests. Conflict, capacity creation and compromise are the 3 political energies that appear peculiarly expressive in local communities. However, if local policy is to be at the centre of the action, the energy (co-)create opportunities should be the most present, which is simply a sensible and useful gathering of a strong leader and an active, conscious community.
According to social studies, local governments are attributed a advanced level of efficiency – two-thirds of the full respondents are of the opinion that it is up to local authorities to make the locality and the nearest region. Nearly half of the respondents, on the another hand, recognise the importance of the initiative and activity of the inhabitants themselves in this regard.
This is simply a comparatively fresh anticipation for the local political scene. The foundations are – as social studies show, local governments are attributed to a advanced level of causality – 2/3 of the full respondents are of the opinion that it is up to local authorities to make the locality and the nearest region. In contrast, nearly half of the respondents recognise the importance of initiative and activity of residents themselves in this area3. Local governments are definitely positively rated by 70% of respondents asked by CBOS. The question remains: what policy do local communities anticipate today? These expectations have any generational character. The younger generation of voters is little afraid with who governs and more about how they rule. due to the fact that this question concerns not only the kind of governance, but besides what is modern politics about: jobs and entrepreneurship, clean air, good public services, or possibly cultural and recreational offer? Is the place I live in and can be mine? average and older generations think similarly, only accents are differently distributed (they are besides a small little demanding, due to the fact that they are more accustomed to celebrity politicians). What, though, does the young generation think?
A fellow scientist and I had the privilege of conducting investigation in a region town. We asked the mathematicians, "What do you anticipate from your politicians?" The answers were not conventional, but were in the form of drawings that the students subsequently spoke of. There was a sign on 1 of the drawings of the barbershop and cosmetics. At first, we didn't realize the student's intentions. due to the fact that what does a hairdresser gotta do with local politics? In a very interesting conversation, the conclusion came: “You make yourself pretty, you make yourself beautiful. Similarly, politicians in the run pretend to be better, smarter, and even prettier. We don't want politicians like that. We're not curious in political acting. It offends us. We want an effective policy, to settle our affairs, a substantive debate. And treating us as partners."
So what's local policy expected to be? Far from pretending and fake. Real. Smart. Empowering.
The younger generation of voters is little afraid with who governs and more about how they rule. They do not want a “beautified” policy, they do not want political acting. They request an effective policy, circumstantial cases, substantive debate and partnership treatment.
1A sense of public influence on public affairs, CBOS, No 149/2023.
2Evaluation of the activities of Parliament, president and local authorities in January, CBOS, No 7/2024.
3Assessments of Parliament, president and Local Authorities in February, CBOS, No 15/2024; Opinions on local authorities, CBOS, No 18/2024.
