The local or grass-roots level of a democratic set-up is called the local self-government.
Advantages of local self-government:
1. Participation of the people in the management of their own affairs is more direct, clear and significant.
2. Supervision of people of the representative is direct and constant.
3. The local self-government solves the problems of rural people at the grass-root level. This strengthens democracy.
The disadvantage of local self-government:
1. Sometimes local self-government is criticized on the ground that it incites regionalism. The local leaders get so much entangled in the solution of their own problem that hardly they are able to see things beyond their nose and join the national mainstream.
2. Leaders at the local level fail to appreciate the state or national problems.
