DEFINITION OF LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF LOCAL DEMOCRACY DEVELOPMENT IN UKRAINE

Abstract

INTRODUCTION Democracy is the system that extends to large pluralistic societies with an ever-changing system of internal and external interactions in the first quarter of the XXI century. It requires a radical reorganization of the political system and institutions of power and governance, and therefore – the discovery of new essential characteristics of democracy associated with specific forms and the degree of participation of the population in the exercise of power at all levels. Now the main enemies of democracy aren`t a monarchy or an oligarchy, as it was in last. Today the main theme, which associated with democracy, is not the justification of the idea of democracy through ethical, theological, philosophical or sound arguments, but concern for its fragility and the searching for ways to strengthen it. Obviously, the task of preserving and consolidating democracy can be successfully solved of its nature. Therefore, attention should focus not on the diversity of definitions of this concept, but on its quintessence, the dominant purpose. We can apply the approach to understanding democracy, which is the most widespread in modern political science: «develop some set of rules and principles (the constitution), which will determine the order of decision-making in a particular association». Moreover, this constitution should be in accordance with one elementary principle – all members of the association should be treated as if they were all equally competent to participate in the decision-making process regarding the policy that the association intends to implement.