Stakeholder participation in local governance as a key to local strategic development

In the past decade, the issue of stakeholder participation has been researched in the context of sustainable development. Indeed, new approaches to sustainable development point out the role of relationship-building with stakeholders and search for suitable tools how to involve stakeholders in the local strategic development. This paper deals with stakeholder participation at the local self-government level and its development. As such, it presents results obtained by a research conducted in the conditions of the Slovak Republic. The first primary research was carried out in 2009-2011 on a sample of 100 local self-governments, the second primary research was repeatedly carried out in 2011 - 2013 with a sample of 286 municipalities. This data was complemented by secondary data sources and primary data collection by the Delphi method among experts in the fields of public administration, public policy, economics and regional development. The analysis reveals potential opportunities for the development of local governance instruments with an emphasis on the involvement of stakeholders in local policy and strategic planning of territorial development in a typical post-socialist country of the Central and Eastern European region.