Abstract
The article provides a qualitative analysis of the local government development in Sweden. This case study focuses on the Free Commune Experiment (FCE) and describes particular phases of this project within the time period from 1984 till December 1991, stressing the aspects of decentralization and deregulation.
It particularly deals with a right to establish a more flexible structure of the municipal committees and authorities which were granted a permission to be exempted from central government regulations, thus avoiding the excessive burden to the optimal adjustment to local needs. The article also mentions facts that initiated the FCE project, analyzes the FCE structure and gives an overview of its results, covering the parlous issues of the process.