TRZYDZIEŚCI LAT FUNKCJONOWANIA SAMORZĄDU TERYTORIALNEGO – NAUKA PRAWA ADMINISTRACYJNEGO WOBEC REFORM USTROJOWYCH. ZAGADNIENIA WPROWADZAJĄCE
THIRTY YEARS OF LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT FUNCTIONING – THE STUDY OF ADMINISTRATIVE LAW IN THE FACE OF SYSTEMIC REFORMS. INTRODUCTORY ISSUES

Summary/Abstract: The reforms carried out in 1990, which included the reactivation of local self-government, constituted one of the most important elements of the systemic transformation in our country. They were also an important element of the reform measures undertaken to implement the three main goals of the political transformation after 1989: democracy, the free market and decentralization. The postulate of restoring local self-government was included in the Solidarity programme in 1981, and it was the subject of renewed focus during the Round Table talks in 1989. Among the supporters and propagators of this idea in the anti-communist opposition were representatives of the study of administrative law, who envisioned the creation of a completely new institution that would not be indebted to the communist regime. It was therefore assumed that the old system of local authorities had been rejected. The self-government reform carried out in 1990 was at the same time a powerful shock to the study of systemic administrative law, which lost its subject of research, namely the issues of national councils, which from then on were treated only in the context of ‘negative experiences’. The reactivation of the local self-government in 1990 was accompanied by discussions and disputes on the concept of its essence, basic political assumptions and detailed rules of functioning. However, the reform did not come to an end in 1990, as local government law is characterized by a significant dynamic of changes concerning specific solutions, which is reflected in numerous amendments to local government laws. Subsequent reforms were accompanied by the activities of experts in the field of administrative law. At the same time, one should note significant development in the study of administrative law with regard to the consideration of local self-government issues.

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