Local government theory: an appraisal

The Local Government's jurisdiction is limited to a specific area and its functions relate to the provision of civic amenities to the citizens within its jurisdiction. The analysis or examination of definitions of Local Government given above reveals that Local Government is a combination of various elements and no single definition includes all of them. To Mackenzie therefore, it is heinous for Government to regard its purpose as the propagation of democracy at the local level, and there are others who also think on the same pattern. The liberty of the individual so much espoused by Mill, they argue may actually be inimical to community interest; especially if one realizes that the sum total of individual interests are not necessarily equal to community interest. The influence exerted by Local Government on national politics, they argue, is determined by the "convention and traditional political framework" existing within a particular political system rather than by any universal principle of local participatory democracy. There is lot of difference between the participation of people in local decision-making and local representative government as the end of Local Government. To Mackenzie therefore, it is heinous for Government to regard its purpose as the propagation of democracy at the local level, and there are others who also think on the same pattern. Thus, a Local Government has many attributes. Thus, Mill considers Local Government to be "the prime element in democracy.6But other scholars pointed out that Mill's arguments are somewhat misplaced with regard to purpose of Local Government.