Libérons nos communes !

ESPOL-Lab conferences available in person and online!

Every year, ESPOL-Lab organises political science conferences. Free access to members of the Catholic University of Lille, and on registration for outsiders and to follow online.

Abstract:

At a time when Europe is in crisis, could the communes be the source of stability and prosperity we are looking for? While the borders of European states have constantly fluctuated over the centuries, the communes and major urban centres have remained the same. Based on this observation, this book analyses the way in which power, autonomy and dependence on higher territorial entities (up to and including the nation state) are articulated within these cities. Against the excessive centralisation that characterises our political structures in France, but also within the European Union, the authors defend the delegation of decision-making to the lowest political level, the commune. This principle has a name: bottom-up subsidiarity. It gives more decision-making power to towns and cities, giving them greater sovereignty, making the State more efficient, and giving citizens greater satisfaction. It is thanks to this approach that local authorities will be able to take effective action on issues that have hitherto been dealt with in an overly uniform manner by a central government that is far removed from the real concerns of local residents.

Raul Magni-Berton is Professor of Political Science at ESPOL, Université catholique de Lille.