in Esperanto
Chapter 4: SKETCH OF COMMUNIST SOCIETY -- ADMINISTRATION
2. Local autonomy gains its highest.
2.1. Commune autonomy as a cornerstone
Communism essentially includes local autonomy, as the word communism is etymologically related to commune, which means a local municipality. Here, as another significance of the sublation of the state, this old and new problem of local autonomy comes to the fore.
From a political point of view, communism is politics centered on the commune in each zone. A commune is the fundamental minimum unit of communist local autonomy.
In fact, even in the capitalist bourgeois state, municipal autonomy is a pillar of local autonomy, but centralization is rampant in modern bourgeois states. This bourgeois centralized state system threatens municipal autonomy not only in centralized states, but also in federal states where the states that make up the federation hold significant power.
2.2. Three or four layers of local autonomy
There is no absolute formula for how the local autonomy system should be in communism, but for the time being, it is possible to assume three or four layers of local autonomy.
I have already mentioned that the commune will be the cornerstone. The commune in communism is suitable for their central position, and have jurisdiction over a wide range of administrative matters related to daily life, such as housing, as well as administrative matters related to social status, such as resident registration and identification.
In addition, in principle, there is no hierarchical classification according to the size of the population in the communes of a communist society, and they are all of the same rank regardless of the name such as city / town / village. It is also possible to set up an extended commune consisting of several communes, but as a commune it is on a par with other communes.
However, since it would be an excessive burden for the commune to be responsible for highly universal administration such as regional medical care and compulsory education, a regional area (i.e., county) is established as an intermediate local authority that is one size larger than commune and can handle those fields.
On the other hand, it is possible to set up the section as an arbitrary minimum autonomous unit within a commune as a front line of daily life matters (for example, the problem of illegally parked bicycles) that is too narrow for the commune to handle. Through these sections, it will be possible to promote the formation of new local communities.
With respect to the provincial area (province), which is the broadest autonomous authority in each zone, its duties are limited to maintaining order, firefighting, disaster relief, maintenance administration such as road and river management, and advanced medical care that cannot be covered by the regional area, in order to avoid centralization of the provincial area.
It is also allowed to set up the federal zone (its antonym is the unitary zone) composed of quasi-zones that retain a higher degree of autonomy than the provincial area, or the composite zone giving quasi-zone status to a part of the zone. ＊You may call a quasi-zone a "zonelet" (meaning "small zone") for brevity.
As will be described in detail in the final chapter, the provincial area or quasi-zone will also be blocks that are used as election districts for representatives of the Commons' Convention of the grand zone, which is a trans-regional division of the World Commonwealth.
As described above, each of the three levels of local authorities, the commune, regional area, provincial area, or quasi-zone, is in an equal horizontal relationship (however, the section is subordinate to the commune) and functions organically, while developing communist autonomy.
Of these, on the three levels, excluding the section, the Commons' Convention is set up as a catch-all power base just like in the zone. As a result, even at the local level, a kind of "governmental" institutions such as government offices and prefectural offices will be abolished, and they will be transformed into pure resident service institutions and local policy research institutions that report directly to the Commons' Convention of each level.
For the section, it would be sufficient to establish a simple representative organization such as a section council consisting of resident representatives who are simply selected by lottery regardless of the delegate licensing system.
2.3. Framework statute and common statute
The relationship between the central and local governments in a bourgeois state is essentially governed by a hierarchical relationship, even in a highly pure federal state like the United States. However, if that were the case, calling for local autonomy would end up being an empty phrase.
In contrast, the relationship between the central and local administration in a communist society is a perfect equal relationship. This is because there is a clear division of roles and duties between the central and local authorities. Therefore, the term "central" should not be used in principle, and should be strictly referred to as "general."
Specifically, the communes, reginal areas, provincial areas or quasi-zones in each zone can enact their own constitutional charter within the scope of the zone constitutional charter and enact their own statutes for affairs belonging to each , just as the zones can.
However, issues affecting the whole population are regulated by the statutes of the zone. However, even in such a case, the zone statutes do not naturally prevail. Rather, "framework statutes" set a required standard for a common system throughout the zone while respecting local autonomy, and "common statutes" regulate the fields where a unified system throughout the zone should be enforced.
Of these, the framework stipulated by the framework statutes is the standard of the system that every local authorities within the zone should have as standard. Therefore, while each local authority must comply with the standards, it can introduce its own measures according to local conditions within or beyond the standards.
On the other hand, the common statute must be complied with by all local authorities within the zone, and is a compulsory law that does not allow local authorities to make their own amendments.
Which fields should be regluated by framework statute or common statute is a problem that must be individually and concretely considered.
Typical examples include childcare and nursing care handled by communes, and regional medical care handled by regional areas, which should be covered by the framework statute. This is because, in the field of welfare, standard services that should be provided equally by all local authorities must be determined, but local authorities' own services should also be allowed according to the actual situation.
On the other hand, fields such as global environmental issues must be subject to common statutes that are authorized based on statutes enacted by the World Commonwealth (world laws). In addition, basic codes related to social order, such as civil law and criminal law, should also be common statutes, but this is not the case in the above-mentioned federal zone where each quasi-zone can enact its own civil and criminal laws.
