An Inquiry into the Nature of Municipal Government: Its Corruption, History, and Future Restoration

Abstract

Municipal government is often overlooked in contemporary political discourse, but it has been the fundamental mode of governance for most of human history. In this paper, I look at the normative foundations of municipal government from the lens of the natural law tradition and attempt to articulate a proper role for it within politics at large. I look to the history of the municipality as well as its normative demands to evaluate the state of the modern municipality. I compare the modern municipality with the medieval commune to contrast different ideas of municipal government. Finally, I try to sketch an idea of what municipal government could look like in the future from the natural law perspective.