<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>The research on territorial reforms on the local level has so far focused on municipal amalgamations. However, less is known about municipal splits – a phenomenon that is less frequent, but that occurred in several European countries in recent decades. This paper deals with municipal splits in Slovakia after 1989, and it examines a set of factors that supported municipalities in their effort to obtain independence. The findings show that the massive wave of splits that began shortly after 1989 was primarily motivated by the aim of reversing the consequences of the amalgamation that had been conducted by the Communist regime. Hence, the question of identity was the main trigger leading to municipal splits. On the other hand, the analysis found that economic factors had only a limited role in the establishing of new municipalities in Slovakia.</p>
</abstract>

The research on territorial reforms on the local level has so far focused on municipal amalgamations. However, less is known about municipal splits – a phenomenon that is less frequent, but that occurred in several European countries in recent decades. This paper deals with municipal splits in Slovakia after 1989, and it examines a set of factors that supported municipalities in their effort to obtain independence. The findings show that the massive wave of splits that began shortly after 1989 was primarily motivated by the aim of reversing the consequences of the amalgamation that had been conducted by the Communist regime. Hence, the question of identity was the main trigger leading to municipal splits. On the other hand, the analysis found that economic factors had only a limited role in the establishing of new municipalities in Slovakia.

<bold>Reversing the Past.</bold> Municipal Splits in Slovakia After 1989

Miscellanea Geographica

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

{"article-title":{"bold":"Reversing the Past.","content":"Municipal Splits in Slovakia After 1989"}}

The research on territorial reforms on the local level has so far focused on municipal amalgamations. However, less is known about municipal splits – a...

Year	Municipalities	Difference
1950	3,334
1970	3,091	−243
1989	2,669	−422
1991	2,834	+165
2002	2,891	+57
2020	2,891	0

	Grants for Individual Needs of Municipalities		Environmental Fund
	B	Std. E	B	Std. E
Mayor from governing party	1.48	0.05	0.87	0.05
Independent mayor	0.39	0.05	0.38	0.05
Population (log)	0.08	0.02	0.07	0.02
Unemployment	−0.00	0.00	−0.01	0.00
Share of Hungarians	−0.01	0.00	0.01	0.00
New municipality	−0.03	0.06	−0.17	0.08
Abandoned municipality	−0.21	0.08	−0.08	0.08
(Intercept)	−1.39	0.13	−0.57	0.16
N	20,567		14,532
AIC	21,725		17,058

	New municipalities with less than 3,000 inhabitants	New municipalities with at least 3,000 inhabitants
Abandoned municipalities with less than 3,000 inhabitants	134 (57.5)	0 (0.0)
Abandoned municipalities with at least 3,000 inhabitants	95 (40.8)	4 (1.7)

Population	Number of municipalities	Percentage share
Below 500	140	51.1
500 – 999	81	29.6
1,000 – 1,999	42	15.3
2,000 – 4,999	10	3.6
5,000 and above	1	0.4

Ratio new / abandoned	Number of municipalities	Percentage share
Up to 0.49	53	23.7
0.50 – 0.75	46	20.5
0.76 – 1.00	43	19.2
1.01 – 1.24	26	11.6
1.25 – 1.49	29	12.9
1.50 – 1.99	15	6.7
2.00 and more	12	5.3

Reversing the Past. Municipal Splits in Slovakia After 1989

Published Online: Jan 29, 2021

Page range: 28 - 36

Received: Apr 17, 2020

Accepted: Aug 27, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/mgrsd-2020-0045

Keywords
Municipalities, splits, Slovakia, public administration, local politics

© 2021 Peter Spáč, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Growth in number of municipalities since 1950

Access to grants for individual needs of municipalities and the environmental fund

Municipal splits after 1990 versus legal provisions in 2002

Population size of new municipalities

Per capita expenditure of new and abandoned municipalities

Reversing the Past. Municipal Splits in Slovakia After 1989

Published Online: Jan 29, 2021

Page range: 28 - 36

Received: Apr 17, 2020

Accepted: Aug 27, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/mgrsd-2020-0045

KeywordsMunicipalities, splits, Slovakia, public administration, local politics

© 2021 Peter Spáč, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Growth in number of municipalities since 1950

Access to grants for individual needs of municipalities and the environmental fund

Municipal splits after 1990 versus legal provisions in 2002

Population size of new municipalities

Per capita expenditure of new and abandoned municipalities

Keywords
Municipalities, splits, Slovakia, public administration, local politics