Actions Determining Functionality of Local Communities of Villages and Towns in Lithuania

Abstract

The article focuses on the functionality of a local community as one of the main factors of public sector‘s modernization
in the context of New Public Administration. This issue is also important in the process of development of
civil society. That author gives a definition of a functional local community and its criteria. According to the results
of the survey “Local Community 2007”, which is discussed in this article, it was possible to identify certain actions
promoting functionality of local communities of special local institutions - municipality (neighbourhood), church
(parish), school, culture centres and etc. The survey has demonstrated that specific actions in those local institutions
are absent at all or implemented episodically. This allows concluding that this is one of the main reasons why local
communities of villages and towns of contemporary Lithuania are not functioning yet.