The article examines constitutional and legal issues pertaining to the organization and functioning of municipal power in the context of its relationship with the phenomenon of democracy. The article highlights the evolution of the system comprising local self-government ideas in national and foreign legal thought in terms of theoretical and methodological understanding of the municipal power doctrine. Such a formulation of this issue ensues from the fact that the place and role of municipal power in the democracysystem, its legal nature, the relationship and interaction of phenomena such as democracy and community governance are among the most controversial issues in modern constitutional theory.

The aim of the article is to deepen the conceptual and constitutional foundations of municipal power as a common law category, the category of modern constitutional law and democracy, and also as a type of public power.

The most productive results may be obtained and the most optimal conclusions may be drawn as regards the problems of municipal power within the framework of the general theory of democracy only if the comprehensive conceptual-constitutional approach is used, while considering, for example, the establishment and development of local selfgovernment and municipal power within the evolutionary process of nature and society development as a whole organism. With this methodological approach, municipal power should be considered as a political-legal and socio-cultural phenomenon which emerges as a result of the evolution of mankind. From this point of view, municipal power is no longer the result of the State’s octroying act or a derivative of subjective will of the majority, but the manifestation of objective (regular) phenomena of social and political development, which should be taken into account.

It is concluded that public power is not exclusively the prerogative of the State; there are several types of it. Differentiation of public power stems from its peculiar features, specific and formal, subject-object and functional characteristics. Noting the multidimensionality and multi-aspect nature of the phenomenon of power, the author stands on the conceptual position, according to which the source of power is organization of the society, for which it is an important function providing for the normalizing and regulating impact on all major areas of public life.

The author argues that the modern public power doctrine should be based on the idea of the forms, types and levels of public power, particularly, the presence of three forms of public power (direct democracy, people's representation, non-representative forms of public power functioning, or the so-called professional exercise of power), of three types of public power (public power of the Ukrainian people, the State power and municipal power) and of three levels of its implementation (national, regional and local).

 As demonstrated by the analysis of conceptual problems pertaining to organization and functioning of public power in modern Ukraine, which are conditioned by the forming of a democratic, social welfare and rule-of-law State and civil society institutions, these processes are underlain by the recognition and guarantee of local self-governance as an independent level for exercise by the Ukrainian people of their inherent power and as the type of territorial community’s public power which is organizationally and functionally separated from the State, which (power) should be regarded as municipal power. In thiscontext, the article clarifies the constitutional and legal nature of municipal power as a type of public power in Ukraine.

Bibliography

Authored books

1. Baimuratov M ta Hryhor’iev V, Munitsypalna vlada: aktualni problemy stanovlennia y rozvytku v Ukraini [Municipal Power: Topical Issues of Establishment and Development in Ukraine] (AO BAKhVA 2003) (in Ukrainian).

2. Bajmuratov M ta Burjak T, Ob’ektnyj sostav publichnoj samoupravlencheskoj (municipal’noj) vlasti: teleologicheskie ustanovki, identifikacija, konstitucionno-pravovaja reglamentacija [Object Structure of Public Self-Governing (Municipal) Power: Teleological Provisions, Identification, Constitutional and Legal Regulation] (Unіversitets’ka kniga 2007) (in Russian).

3. Batanov O, Munitsypalna vlada v Ukraini: problemy teorii ta praktyky [Municipal Power in Ukraine: Issues of Theory and Practice] (Iurydychna dumka 2010) (in Ukrainian).

4. Bratanovskij S, Municipal’noe pravo: kratkij kurs lekcij [Municipal Law: A Brief Course of Lectures] (Jekzamen 2006) (in Russian).

5. Chapala H, Mistseve samovriaduvannia v systemi publichnoi vlady: teoretyko-pravovyi analiz [Local Self-Government in the System of Public Power: Theoretical and Legal Analysis] (Pravo 2006) (in Ukrainian).

6. Chernogor N, Juridicheskaja otvetstvennost’ organov i dolzhnostnyh lic mestnogo samoupravlenija (teoretiko-pravovye problemy) [Legal Responsibility of Local SelfGovernment Bodies and Officials (Theoretical and Legal Issues)] (Jurisprudencija 2006) (in Russian).

7. Halipov V, Kratologija kak sistema nauk o vlasti [Cratology as a System of Sciences about Power] (Respublika 1999) (in Russian).

8. Kejzerov N, Vlast’ i avtoritet. Kritika burzhuaznyh teorij [Power and Authority. Criticism of Bourgeois Theories] (Jurid lit 1973) (in Russian).

9. Komarova V, Formy neposredstvennoj demokratii v Rossii: uchebnoe posobie [Forms of Direct Democracy in Russia: Study Guide] (1998) (in Russian).

10. Kutafin O i Fadeev V, Municipal’noe pravo Rossijskoj Federacii: uchebnik [Municipal Law of the Russian Federation: Textbook] (Jurist 2002) (in Russian).

11. Ledjaev V, Vlast’: konceptual’nyj analіz [Power: A Conceptual Analysis] (ROSSPJeN 2001) (in Russian).

12. Nudnenko L, Neposredstvennaja demokratija v sisteme mestnogo samoupravlenija Rossii: teoreticheskie osnovy [Direct Democracy in the System of Local Self-Government of Russia: Theoretical Foundations] (Rossijskaja akademija pravosudija 2004) (in Russian).

13. Timofeev N, Mestnoe samoupravlenie v sisteme gosudarstvennyh i obshhestvennyh otnoshenij. Istorija i sovremennost’. Opyt Rossii [Local Self-Government in the System of State and Public Relations. History and Modern Times. Russian Experience] (Izd-vo MGU 2005) (in Russian).

14. Toshhenko Zh, Tri osobennyh lika vlasti: Sociologicheskie zametki [Three Special Faces of Power: Sociological Notes] (Rossijskij gos gumanitarnyj un-t 2002) (in Russian).

Edited books

15. Pohorilko V (red), Konstytutsiino-pravovi formy bezposerednoi demokratii v Ukraini: problemy teorii i praktyky [Constitutional and Legal Forms of Direct Democracy in Ukraine: Problems of Theory and Practice] (In-t derzhavy i prava im V M Koretskoho NAN Ukrainy 2001) (in Ukrainian).

16. Pohorilko V, ‘Publichna vlada’ [‘Public Power’] v Yurydychna entsyklopediia [Encyclopedia of Law], t 5: P-S (Shemshuchenko Yu hol redkol, Vyd-vo “Ukrainska entsyklopediia” im M P Bazhana 2003) (in Ukrainian).

17. Pohorilko V, ‘Konstytutsiino-pravovi osnovy bezposerednoi demokratii v Ukraini’ [Constitutional and Legal Foundations of Direct Democracy in Ukraine’] v Antolohiia ukrainskoi yurydychnoi dumky [Anthology of Ukrainian Legal Thought]t 10: Yurydychna nauka nezalezhnoi Ukrainy [Legal Science of Independent Ukraine] (Shemshuchenko Yu hol redkol, Iurydychna knyha 2005) (in Ukrainian).

18. Politolohiia: pidruchnyk dlia studenyiv vyshchykh navchalnykh zakladiv [Political Science: Textbook for Students of Higher Educational Institutions] (Babkina O ta Horbatenko V red, Akademiia 2001) (in Ukrainian).

19. Shemshuchenko Yu, ‘Vlada’ [‘Power’] v Yurydychna entsyklopediia [Encyclopedia of Law], t 1: A-H (Shemshuchenko Yu (holova redkol), Vyd-vo “Ukrainska entsyklopediia” im M P Bazhana 1998) (in Ukrainian).

 Journal articles

 20. Babichev I, ‘Chto takoe mestnoe samoupravlenie s tochki zrenija prava’ [‘What Local Self-Government is in Terms of Law’] (2001) 6 Mestnoe pravo 5 (in Russian).

Thesis

 21. Chapala H, ‘Mistseve samovriaduvannia v systemi publichnoi vlady’ [‘Local SelfGovernment in the System of Public Power’] (avtoref dys kand yuryd nauk, 2004) (in Ukrainian).

22. Gavrishev A, ‘Municipal’noe pravotvorchestvo v Rossijskoj Federacii’ [‘Municipal Lawmaking in the Russian Federation’] (avtoref dis kand jurid nauk, 2004) (in Russian).

23. Gridasov E, ‘Social’nyj kontrol’ v sisteme municipal’noj vlasti’ [‘Social Control in the System of Municipal Power’] (avtoref dis kand soc nauk, 2009) (in Russian).

24. Hisamutdinov H, ‘Modeli realizacii municipal’noj vlasti v Rossijskoj Federacii’ [‘Models of Municipal Power Implementation in the Russian Federation’] (avtoref dis kand jurid nauk, 2007) (in Russian).

 25. Hryhor’iev V, ‘Stanovlennia publichnoi samovriadnoi (munitsypalnoi) vlady v Ukraini’ [‘Establishment of Public Self-Governing (Municipal) Power in Ukraine’] (avtoref dys kand yuryd nauk, 2002) (in Ukrainian).

26. Korsunov D, ‘Funkcionirovanie municipal’noj vlasti v uslovijah reformy mestnogo samoupravlenija (na materialah Rostovskoj oblasti): politologicheskij analiz’ [‘Functioning of Municipal Power under Conditions of Local Self-Government Reform (Based on the Materials of Rostov Region): Politological Analysis’] (avtoref dis kand polit nauk, 2008) (in Russian).

27. Krasnokutskyi O, ‘Sotsialno-filosofskyi analiz fenomena vlady’ [‘Socio-Philosophical Analysis of the Power Phenomenon’] (avtoref dys kand filosof nauk, 2004) (in Ukrainian).

28. Makogon T, ‘Mestnye (municipal’nye) soobshhestva v social’no-filosofskom diskurse o sisteme mestnogo samoupravlenija v sovremennoj Rossii’ [‘Local (Municipal) Communities in Social and Philosophical Discourse about the System of Local SelfGovernment in Modern Russia’] (avtoref dis kand filos nauk, 2009) (in Russian).

29. Minakov P, ‘Publichnaja vlast’: politologicheskij aspekt’ [‘Public Power: Politological Aspect’] (avtoref dis kand polit nauk, 2007) (in Russian).

30. Sviridenko A, ‘Social’no-vlastnye otnoshenija v uslovijah sovremennoj Rossii: filosofskaja konceptualizacija’ [‘Social and Power Relations in Modern Russia: Philosophical Conceptualization’] (avtoref dis d-ra filos nauk, 2009) (in Russian).

Dissertations

31. Bulatov R, ‘Municipal’naja vlast’ i problemy ee realizacii v Rossijskoj Federacii: konstitucionno-pravovoj analiz’ [‘Municipal Power and Its Implementation Challenges in the Russian Federation: Constitutional and Legal Analysis’] (dis d-ra jurid nauk, 2006) (in Russian).

32. Mokryj V, ‘Mestnoe samoupravlenie v Rossijskoj Federacii kak institut publichnoj vlasti i grazhdanskogo obshhestva’ [‘Local Self-Government in the Russian Federation as an Institution of Public Power and Civil Society’] (dis d-ra jurid nauk, 2003) (in Russian).

33. Murashin A, ‘Neposredstvennaja demokratija v socialisticheskom obshhestve: funkcii i mehanizm dejstvija’ [‘Direct Democracy in Socialist Society: Functions and Mechanism of Action’] (dis kand jurid nauk, 1985) (in Russian).

34. Nedokusheva L, ‘Municipal’naja vlast’: pravovye problemy teorii i praktiki’ [‘Municipal Power: Legal Issues of Theory and Practice’] (dis kand jurid nauk, 1999) (in Russian).