Effectiveness of regional and local authorities: purposes and possibilities of the correct assessment

The paper considers issues concerning the techniques allowing correct assessment of how effective the regional and municipal authorities operate. We present our general considerations whether such assessments could be applicable for more detailed matters of evaluation - such as separate duties or powers - and to what degree they really influence the parameters of local situations under the context of existing resources and all-out dependence on national policies, law, and etc. We criticize both current assessment techniques and practices of distribution and redistribution of regional and local powers. We also show the problems and possibilities of applying the results of pollings to the operation of authorities.