The Local Aspect of Social Security – the Case of Warmia and Masuria

Social security is an element of the broadly understood state security system. A centralized approach to managing social needs does not take into account the local and regional differentiation of a population’s preferences, and, as a result, does not allocate resources in an optimal fashion. Decentralisation contributes to improving efficiency by way of more effective adaptation of public services to social needs, which is achieved by gaining a wider and deeper knowledge about the needs of local communities. Greater power of local authority bodies inspires innovative solutions and stimulates activity and competition between territorial units. It contributes to the rational allocation of resources at the disposal of local authorities, which leads to the conclusion that they are dominant with regard to exercising the social function of the state.