DECENTRALIZATION AND ADMINISTRATIVE CAPACITY OF MUNICIPALITIES

Process of decentralization was and constantly is an immanent part of public administration reform. It signifies transfer of competences and responsibilities from central to lower (autonomous) level of government. Its critical point is autonomous unit size (municipality) to which the competences are transfered. The aim of this study is to review administrative capacity of municipalities to the size of 1000 inhabitants to arrange entrusted competences in Slovak conditions and to analyze recourse to solve the given state by associating/merging municipalities. Study was conducted on a sample of 164 municipalities of Trencin region, thus all municipalities to the size 1000 inhabitants what is 59,4% from 276 total municipalities. There was established 2 hypotheses. 1st hypothesis: Municipalities to the size of 1000 inhabitants do not have sufficient administrative capacity to ensure competences. 2nd hypothesis: The lower the municipality size, the higher tendency to mergering. First hypothesis was confirmed, second hypothesis not.