Konstruiraju se i analiziraju modeli organizacije obavljanja dekoncentriranih poslova državne uprave na državnom teritoriju: model prenesenog djelokruga, funkcionalno fragmentirani model, personalno integrirani model i model organizacijske integracije.1 Kako bi se ispitala analitička vrijednost tih modela, teorijska analiza svakog od modela popraćena je prikazom organizacije obavljanja poslova državne uprave u postsocijalističkim zemljama koje su postale članice Europske unije proširenjima iz 2004. i 2007. čiji je teritorijalni sustav upravljanja dugo vremena karakterizirala intenzivna prisutnost (dekoncentrirane) državne uprave na teritoriju. Kako je uvjet pristupanja EU-u bilo jačanje lokalnih kapaciteta, očekuje se da će trendovi u institucionalnom razvoju organizacije obavljanja poslova državne uprave na teritoriju u tim zemljama uputiti na narav korelacije između jačanja lokalne samouprave i primijenjenog modela teritorijalne državne uprave. Zaključci se interpretiraju i u svjetlu razvoja teritorijalne državne uprave u Republici Hrvatskoj. The author develops models of how state administration tasks are performed within a particular state: the delegated affairs model, the functionally fragmented model, the personally integrated model, and the organisational integration model. In order to examine their analytical validity, a theoretical description of the models is accompanied by an overview of the territorial state administration in post-socialist countries that became EU members in 2004 and 2007, and which had previously been characterised by a dense network of territorial state administration. The models are differentiated by the level of integration of state bodies within the territorial unit. In the delegated affairs model, there are no state administrative bodies in the territory and administration tasks are carried out by local self-government units. This model is adopted in the Czech Republic. In the functionally fragmented model, state administration tasks are carried out by the territorial administrative units of central state bodies that operate separately in the territory. This model is adopted in Latvia and Lithuania. In the personally integrated model, the central state has its own representative in the territory (e.g. prefect, governor, voivode, or king’s commissioner), who has certain powers in relation to the territorial administrative units, and thus the territorial units are more or less integrated in performing state administration tasks within the same territorial unit. This model is adopted in the majority of post-socialist countries (Bulgaria, Estonia, Poland, and Romania). In the organisational integration model, all state administration tasks are performed by a single territorial state body. This model is adopted in Hungary, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Since these countries had to develop local self-government capacities in order to become EU members, it is expected that trends in the institutional development of their territorial state administration might indicate a relationship between the growth of local capacities and the applied organisational model of territorial state administration. The conclusions are interpreted in the light of the development of territorial state administration in Croatia.