Paper/Speech Details of Conference Program for the 19th NISPAcee Annual Conference Program Overview Local Government Author(s) Monika Sidor Maria Curie-Sklodowska University Lublin Poland Title The local referendum in Poland after 20 years of transformation File Paper files are available only for conference participants, please login first. Presenter Abstract After real – socialism had left, the new system had need new reforms. One of the first was reform of local self-government which was resulted in the adoption of the Local Government Act on 8 March 1990 (and followed by first democratic election to municipal governments in May 1990). The next step to change the local system was adoption of the Law of Local Referendum (11th October 1991). This article will present how local referendum could influence the development of civil society in Poland. The essential subject will be to attempt to show the changes in the local authority system, especially those in local referendum. These exchanges influenced to wider span of local society’s rights. Moreover, the aim of this article is to show, how to change political culture. Not only new law changes the local system but first of all the awareness and responsibility of citizens and politicians when they use that law. Between 1991 and 2011 most of that thing have been changing.
