Rady osiedli: w poszukiwaniu sensu lokalnego działania

ABSTRACT. Matczak Piotr. Rady osiedli: w poszukiwaniu sensu lokalnego działania [District councils: searching for a sense of local activity]. Adam Mickiewicz University Press, Poznań 2008. Seria Socjologia nr 54. Pp. 376, figs 67, tab. 62. ISBN 978–83–232188–5–2. ISSN 0554–8225. Polish text with a summary in English. In the book the question is considered whether district councils are accountable representation of the urban communities and whether their activities satisfy the communities' needs. In the first chapter, concepts, and ideologies of local urban life are presented. Also, overview of local administrative structures functioning is given for the Polish context. In the second chapter, theories and results of studies on districts and local democracy are offered. In the third chapter a model is built, describing how district councils operate as a part of a wider system of a city's life. Finally, the results of the research conducted on the model basis are presented and conclusions are offered. It is argued that district councils in Polish cities hardly work as accountable representation of the urban communities and cannot be treated as units satisfying the communities needs either.