The knowledge and information-driven modern society calls for changes in the relative roles of the state government and local municipalities, with increasing emphasis on local self-government as a new decentralized model for state management. Municipa...
The knowledge and information-driven modern society calls for changes in the relative roles of the state government and local municipalities, with increasing emphasis on local self-government as a new decentralized model for state management. Municipalities need to be given autonomy to decide upon policies concerning their region and execute the policies with full responsibility. It can be reasonably said that it is the legislative power of local authorities that is one of the most critical and indispensable elements in ensuring their operation with full self-accountability. Legislative powers are essential for sustained operation of municipalities as well as successful implementation of local self-government.
The entrenched dominance of the central government, however, still remains, restraining the legislative power of municipalities, with individual laws stipulating local affairs as national affairs with detailed provisions which effectively limit the room for establishing ordinances. Against this backdrop, this study was triggered by the necessity of closing the gap between constitutional provisions and the Law on Local Self-government and other related legislations in terms of the legislative power of local authorities, and addressing issues concerning the theories of judicial precedents regarding functions delegated to local authorities and ordinances, and ordinances on punitive administrative actions.
This paper discusses the scope and limitations of the legislative power of local governments, along with law and policy considerations for constitutional/legal amendment for strengthening local legislative powers, and for reestablishment of the relationship between laws and ordinances.
First, constitutional amendment could be considered, to allow local authorities greater legislative powers. Deliberation would be necessary on ways to extend local legislative powers, through explicit exclusion of the application of the Article 37-2 (General Provision on the Limit of Restriction of Constitutional Rights) and the Article 40 (Principle of Legislation by the National Assembly) of the constitution to provisions concerning the exercise of local legislative powers. The proviso of the Article 22 of the Law on Local Self-government, which provides for legal reservation on ordinances, could be deleted to rule out, in principle, the general legal reservation concerning ordinances, and to preferably apply only the principle of the superior status of laws.
If the elimination of the proviso is not feasible, as an alternative for strengthening local legislative powers within the limits of the existing laws and institutions, direct delegation from laws to ordinances could be further expanded.
Following suggestions can be made as to legal and policy improvement for a redefined relationship between laws and ordinances, aimed at increasing the legislative power of local authorities.
1. Local municipalities need to be better perceived as autonomous and comprehensive entities holding administrative and legislative power and engaging in the vertical separation of power with the state government. Mechanisms of handling affairs need to be rearranged to resolve related problems. To this end, state affairs delegated to local governments need to be integrated into municipal affairs. The practice of delegating affairs to affiliate institutions of municipalities need to be revoked or the affairs need to be reverted to the central government, as their boundaries are obscure and they limit the involvement of local assembly and hamper the autonomy of local authorities due to the interference of the central government.
2. To stimulate devolution of state powers and functions to local authorities, the legislation of a law on blanket devolution is necessary, along with improvements in the procedures for law-to-ordinance delegations, as well as deregulation within the laws. In addition, administrative penalties on noncompliance to ordinances need to be introduced, in order to ensure the effectiveness of ordinances.
3. Engagement of local authorities in legislative processes need to be ensured, and thoughts should be given to allowing the submission of constitutional appeals to the Constitutional Court when the constitutional autonomy of local governments are infringed by individual laws, as it is the case in Germany. Furthermore, we need to do away with standard ordinances which have been customarily imposed upon municipalities, in order to build local legislative capacity and to strengthen the legislation supporting functions within local assembly. To this end, the legislative capacity of the members of the local assembly and the local government need to be strengthened.