VIAȚA PUBLICĂ LA NIVEL LOCAL: O SINTEZĂ A CAUZELOR NEIMPLICĂRII POPULAȚIEI

The active participation of citizens in local public life is one of the essential characteristics of contemporary democratic societies. The objective of the research was to elucidate the causes of the non-involvement of the population in the public life of the local authorities in the Republic of Moldova. The main method of data collection was the content analysis of official documents and statistics, normative acts, sociological surveys and scientific literature. As a result of the research, were established the following reasons for the noninvolvement of the population in the process of administration of public affairs at the local level: a) the population does not trust the local authorities, but the local public authorities consider the population, at best, only as an electorate, and at worst, as a contingent that causes problems and discomfort; b) the local authorities does not have sufficient resources and means to provide the residents with quality public services; widespread impoverishment had the effect of drastically diminishing the presence of the active population in the local public life, especially in the rural areas; the local population is not sufficiently informed about the conditions and possibilities for participation in the local decision-making process