Aims

Students will acquire a general understanding of the principles underlying the organisation and functioning of local authorities in Belgium from the standpoint of administrative management, and they will understand the elements of reflection on the meaning and conditions of local autonomy in a federal state.
Students will also be able to comment on, and contextualise, documents that explain the legal relations between regions and public authorities in a specified field.

Main themes

The organisation of local authorities: Skills, territorial delimitation, political bodies, and the rules governing political functioning (e.g. transparency, and consulting the people).
The management of local authorities: Overview, financing, staff management, heritage management, and local autonomous groups and bodies.
Relationships between local authorities and the state and the regions: Analysis of a particular policy (e.g. housing, water policy, town planning or safety).

Content and teaching methods

The first part is devoted as a lecture course to the principles that underlie the organisation of local authorities. As far as possible, talks on legal aspects will be complemented by an overview of the practical problems posed by application of the rules.
The second part will, in the same spirit, address the conditions in which these local authorities are managed.
Lastly, the third part will rely on documents, principally relating to case law, and will make an in-depth study of the roles of local authorities and the region in housing policy in the Walloon Region.

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Pre-requirements: None in particular. Foreign students will need to have a general knowledge of Belgian institutions.
A written examination.
A syllabus and compilation of documents.

Other credits in programs