Centralism şi autonomie locală în legislaţia administrativă a guvernării Lascăr Catargiu (1871-1876)

The political stability of the conservative government led by Lascăr Catargiu (1871-1876) allowed the introduction of several important reforms. The present text focuses on three administrative projects adopted during this period: The Maximum of Local Taxes Act (1871); the revision of the County Councils Act (1872); the revision of the Communal Act (1874). The analysis of these texts and of the speeches of Lascăr Catargiu – also head of the Interior Ministry, at the time – shows that the conservatives did not rigidly adhere to a program of centralization or local autonomy. The government preferred a pragmatic approach, dictated primarily by the principles of administrative efficiency and reduction of public spending.