Conference on the ranges and possibilities of local democracy in Serbia

The conference "Ranges and possibilities of local democracy in Serbia" was held on April 6-7, 2023, in Belgrade, organized by the Institute for Political Studies (IPS) from Belgrade and Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities (SCTM). The conference was opened by Nikola Tarbuk, Secretary General of SCTM and Dr. Miša Stojadinović, Deputy Director of IPS.

The conference was attended by 22 researchers from reputable academic institutions such as IPS, the Faculty of Political Sciences of the University in Belgrade, the Union University Faculty of Law and the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory of the University in Belgrade and organizations such as SCTM, the Center for Free Elections and Democracy (CeSID) and The National Alliance for Local Economic Development (NALED), as well as independent researchers.

During the conference, the factors of local democracy were discussed, primarily political parties, citizen groups and local movements, and the importance of individual leadership at the local level was also discussed. Topics also included direct democracy, the infrastructure and institutions of local democracy, including its financial aspects, as well as the relationship between central and local governments.