Decentralization as a Factor of Public Administration Efficiency on the Example of Switzerland and Belgium

Abstract

The influence of the process of decentralization on the efficiency of public administration is analyzed on the example of Switzerland and Belgium. On a retrospective basis, the role and place of the decentralized nature of authority are described, and the advantages and disadvantages of the decentralization process are examined. The case-study method was used to reveal differences in the nature of the impact of decentralization of public authorities on the democratization of different political system types. The method of comparative analysis of the dynamics of decentralization of democratic federal systems is used, including cross-temporal and longitudinal analysis and binary comparison. Countries for the comparative analysis were selected according to the principle of system similarity. As a result, the general and specific political characteristics of two models of decentralized state structures in Switzerland and Belgium were identified.
The decentralized nature of authority is an important principle of functioning of effective management, but the importance of decentralization is different within various theories of public administration. The explanatory mechanism of the importance of decentralization also differs. Thus, according to Good Governance, decentralization is a way to bring public authorities closer to the citizens, to eliminate the phenomenon of political alienation, and to activate political participation, since the instruments of direct democracy that have a correlation in the basic principles of Good Governance can function to the best extent in small local territorial units. Therefore, in accordance with the provisions of the key theories of public administration, decentralization can be a factor of effective governance, since it is one of the principles of democracy functioning.
Decentralization is not about dividing the country, it is about creating opportunities for the development of cities, villages, and settlements where people live in unified Ukraine. This is about creating conditions where the communities can be actively involved in the decision-making process, it is about the withdrawal of energy of masses for the improvement of their own life and the life of their community, and not about creating an additional layer of regional political elites.