Abstract

The initiation, or rather a revival, of territorial self-government after the administrative changes launched in 1989 deserves being considered one of the most successful decissions in the course of administrative reforms in Poland. Due to this it has become a strong juridical entity and, thus, created favourable conditions to activate socially the citizens consciously enjoying their civil freedoms and strenghthen their integration into the self-government community they belong to.
The article entitled „The dynamics of self-government changes in the aspect of juridical consciousness of inviduals and social groups” is an attempt to find an answer to the basic question - whether the reformed territorial self-government has received sufficient independence as a governmental structure and has been given sufficient legislative instruments as well as material basis to establish itself among self-govenment structures. The legislation which regulates the functioning of territorial self-government do not currently reflect the objective needs and aspirations of many social layers, especially the rural ones. The structural changes giving more importance to the idea of self-government seem to be going ahead of the citizens knowledge about them, which is harmful to developing active social position of the society. In conclusion, territorial self-government inevitably favours the development of legislative consciousness of individuals, however, the involvement of local communities into the process is far more complicated.