The Activity of Local Authorities and Communities in Polish, Italian, and Slovenian Municipalities in the Opinion of Local Government Officials — An Example of Ecology

The purpose of the paper is to analyse the type, scope, and periods of activity of stakeholders from Polish, Italian, and Slovenian municipalities in terms of environmental protection, climate change, and ecology. It is an attempt to determine: How much influence do the authorities and the social actors have on the local decision-making process? In what situations does the local community become active? What examples of pro-ecological solutions at the municipal level are considered important by local government officials? The article uses the institutional-legal comparative method and behavioural approach (research using the online survey technique). The study shows that the lower the sense of local agency, the greater the stagnation of municipal stakeholders. Their actions result from activities forced by legal requirements or the negative effects of local decisions. The greatest sense of agency occurs among local government officials who belong to the group forming the ruling majority (the mayor and some councillors). In such a situation, the opposition minority is marginalised, which they feel during the decision-making process. Municipal authorities tend to take illusory actions in matters of the natural environment, i.e., those forced by law, which do not bring the expected results (e.g., air quality improvement) and are sometimes influenced by investors. Members of the local community most often become active when a problem, often of an ecological nature, directly affects them (protest participation), aiming at their own well-being and not environmental protection.