Slovakia: An anthropological perspective on identity and regional reform

Article is part of a special issue, 'Region, State and Identity in Central and Eastern Europe'.

Journal abstract:

This essay deals with the public administration reform in post-communist Slovakia from an anthropological perspective. It starts from the regional differentiation in Slovakia, which has resulted from its historical, political, social and cultural development in Central Europe, on the border between West and East. Regional differences have had a strong influence on local, regional and national identities. Regionalism still plays an important integrating role in people's lives and has an impact on the current transformation processes. Administration reforms have helped to fix regional differences. The author mentions all major administration reforms since the tenth century, with the main focus on public administration reforms that happened after 1993 when the Slovak Republic was established after the 'velvet divorce' from the Czechs. The first reform of this period and new territorial division, introduced by Vladimir Meciar's government in 1996, was not followed by decentralization and a transfer of competences, and it served only the leading political parties. The main task of the new government of Mikulas Dzurinda (1998) was to introduce decentralization and modernization of public administration. The study deals with various political obstacles and procedures of the process leading finally to the ratification of the law in the parliament in July 2001.