Vietos savivaldos, savivaldybės ir savivaldybės valdžios samprata

LTStraipsniu autorius siekia pateikti ir išaiškinti pagrindinių vietos savivaldos teorijos terminų reikšmes. Autorius parodo, kad vienas ir tas pats terminas gali turėti ne vieną, bet keletą reikšmių. Tačiau tokia situacija nėra vertinama kaip nenormali. Atvirkščiai, autoriaus nuomone, tai rodo skirtingų požiūrių į tą patį reiškinį arba skirtingų to paties reiškinio nagrinėjimo aspektų galimumą. Visgi, siekiant išvengti painiavos ir nesusikalbėjimo (tai dažnai pasitaiko Lietuvoje) kiekvienu atveju svarbu identifikuoti pagrindinius vietos savivaldos teorijos terminus. Straipsnio autorius taip pat pateikia ir išaiškina savo supratimą, kas yra savivaldybė, vietos savivalda, savivaldybės valdžia, decentralizuota visuomenės valdymo sistema. [Iš leidinio]Reikšminiai žodžiai: Vietos savivalda; Savivaldybė; Savivaldybės valdžia; Visuomenės valdymo sistema; Local self-government; Community; Local authority; System of public government.

ENThe aim of this article is to present and explain the meaning of the main terminology used in the theory of local self-government. The author of the article explains that one term may not be mono-semantic - it may have several meanings. However, the author does not regard such situation as normal. On the contrary, in the opinion of the author, it demonstrates different approaches to the same phenomenon or implies that different aspects of the same phenomenon arc taken into account. In order to avoid confusion and misunderstanding, which is quite frequent in Lithuania, it is instrumental to identify in all cases the main terminology of the theory of local self-government. The author of the article also presents and explains his understanding of community (savivaldybė), local self-government (vietos savivalda), local authority (savivaldybės valdžia), and decentralized system of public government (decentralizuota visuomenės valdymo sistema). The article reveals that in the Lithuanian language, the term "community" (savivaldybė) has several meanings, which are reflected in different definitions. The author has divided the definitions into three groups. In the author's opinion, the most acceptable definition of a community is "a special association of people (a social group organized in a special way)", because this concept reveals a broader approach to a community. The author concludes that every social group as an "embedded" special mechanism that ensures purposeful functioning of the social group, and a successful search for, selection and implementation of joint decisions. The essence of this mechanism is division into entities performing certain roles, i.e., the governing system and the governed system, and the relations of power and subordination that are established between them.Community, a social group that is organized on a theoretical basis, also has the "imbedded" and functioning mechanism of government (self-government), as well as the bodies that perform the functions of the governing system and the governed system. In a community, the function of the governing system is performed by the hierarchical system of local self-government bodies. One group of these bodies is referred to as local authority (which is the members of the community as well as the elected bodies and the executive institutions), another group embraces political government of the community (the elected bodies and the executive institutions of the community), and the third - public government of the community (that is, the elected bodies and executive institutions of the community, and the community administration). The article demonstrates that, similarly to the term "community", the term "local self-government" has several meanings. The term "local self-government" can: a) be used to signify one of the forms of territorial government; b) mean a right granted to a community (members of the community) to independent management of a share of common public affairs; c) mean the realization of the right to independent management of a share of common public affairs granted to a community (members of the community), which manifests itself in multifaceted activities of the bodies of local selfgovernment. According to the author, the latter concept (c) of local self-government is the most acceptable. Having expressed his approval of this concept, the author attempts to define the types of the bodies of local self-government whose activities are recognized as local self-governance.The author further compares centralized and decentralized forms of public government and reveals the main differences between the two systems. The article is concluded by recognition of the bodies of regional and local (or only local) self-government as separate (independent) groups of public government bodies (levels of government) functioning in parallel with state government bodies (i.e., on the state level of public government). [From the publication]