Nonpartisan Entrepreneurs: Comparative Analyses of Slovene and European Mayors, their Functions, Opinions and Activities

The aim of this book is to contribute to the contemporary debate on the mayor's political role in the local community. The book presents the results of the international POLLEADER survey (the survey included mayors of municipalities with more than 10,000 inhabitants in 29 European countries), focusing specifically on the comparison between what a Slovenian mayor is, what is his function in practice and what his European counterparts are like. It addresses, among other things, how they became mayors, what their social environment is and how their political careers have evolved; how mayors interact with other actors in the municipality, as well as with social actors and those at higher levels of government; what is their understanding of democracy; what is their relationship to current administrative and territorial reforms and whether party politics (or party politicization at the local level) has any influence. The monograph presents the answers to these questions, highlighting the specificities of Slovenian mayors. In some respects, these are surprisingly not different from the European average, but they are special in their nonpartisan nominations and a specific view of the administrative-political stance of local politicians.