Functional Competencies of Local Self-Government Units and Barriers to Active Citizen Participation

Abstract

The main goal of the paper is to research the functional competences of local self-government units in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the region and beyond, and ways of citizen participation at the local level through the analysis of data on the competences of local self-government units and ways of organizing citizens. This topic is one of the basic drivers of democratic, social and social processes at the level of the local community because it enables greater productivity and efficiency of employees of local self-government units and benefits for the local population. Functional competences enable various benefits for the work of local authorities as well as more active participation of citizens in the process of participation at the local level. Local communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina have good conditions for the development of citizens' associations, which in this way leads to a better quality of life for citizens. Citizens are increasingly recognizing the importance of active participation because they are the main force and the driving force that solves their problems, and therefore it is very difficult to expect local government employees to solve citizens' problems. In this way, through associations and organizations, citizens have a way to become active and to lobby and advocate for issues that concern them at the local level. Earlier experiences and literature in Bosnia and Herzegovina do not go too far into the past in this matter. Only with the introduction of democratic processes and the establishment of associations and the exchange of practices, citizens become aware of the importance of organizing in the place where they live. Therefore, for Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as for most countries and the region, this issue is somewhat unexplored, but the number of successful examples that show how the competences of local self-government lead to positive changes and that influence the increased participation of citizens increases from year to year. The survey was conducted in 15 selected local self-government units according to the statistical method, and included employees, business entities and citizens. There are numerous challenges in this area, and one of them is that there are functional competencies in local administration that should be directed to serve the interests of citizens. In addition, this research provides a detailed overview and analysis of the obstacles facing citizens to address their problems at the local level. Bearing in mind that the presented topic is quite well-known, but also insufficiently researched in our country, it is necessary to analyze in detail the key areas and challenges related to it. All these areas describe the state of local administration, analyze the competencies and level of citizen engagement in solving their problems, and provide examples of good practices from other environments in the country, region, and beyond.