A possible scenario of modernising the Hungarian local government model

Abstract

In Hungarian political and professional discourse – partly as an effect of the financial crisis – the issue of reform of the local government system has been put on agenda again. This welcome – though under-pressure – fact raises various presumptions and illusions at the same time. The most important of these probably is that the reform must significantly reduce the number of local governments, by which considerable savings can be attained and the sustainability of the whole state budget can be improved. In this article, an attempt shall be made to outline a possible solution, considering the weaknesses of the current local government system, the international challenges and the international tendencies of the operation of the subnational government level.