Romanian public administration reform 2.0: using innovative foresight methodologies to engage stakeholders and the public

foresight ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marian Zulean ◽  
Liviu Andreescu ◽  
Radu Gheorghiu ◽  
Andra Maria Roescu ◽  
Adrian Curaj
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Late Phase ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Strategic Objectives ◽  
The Public ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Public Administration Reform ◽  
Phase Development ◽  
Building Process ◽  
Executive Agencies

Purpose The purpose of this practice-oriented paper is to look at a recent, late-phase development in public administration (PA) reform in Romania, specifically the drafting of the recently adopted national Strategy on Strengthening the Efficiency of Public Administration (2014-2020). In particular, the paper focuses on the opportunities and limits of outsourcing the building of the vision underlying the strategy and the prioritization of strategic objectives. The article’s story is also placed in the broader context of agencification literature and, more specifically, the involvement of executive agencies in policymaking. Design/methodology/approach The paper describes the vision-building exercise, developed according to a script already tested in several sectoral strategy-making processes, and the objectives and procedure of the online participatory consultation by using an adapted real-time Delphi format (similarly tested in the recent past). Findings The paper reports on the ways in which the output of the visioning process and of online consultations may be used to enhance a strategic process already underway. Originality/value PA reform in post-communist countries has been among the most hotly debated, intensely pursued, yet seemingly elusive policy objectives of the transition and post-transition periods. Among pre-accession and then European Union (EU) member states, the need to get in and then to get involved in European policymaking provided some impetus for such reforms and also set substantial constraints, without however always adding much predictability or significantly streamlining the public sector. The paper contributes to this debate by proving an innovative method of devising a reform strategy by outsourcing the strategy-building process to an agency with the necessary know-how and experience.

scholarly journals When a Market Runs a Hierarchy: Retrenchment of Bureaucratic Practices in Lithuanian Uniformed Services

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-24
Author(s):  
Svajūnė Ungurytė-Ragauskienė ◽  
Mantas Bileišis
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Public Management ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Practical Implication ◽  
Large Degree ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
New Governance ◽  
The Public ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Public Administration Reform

Some public administration literature that focuses on public administration reform indulges in constructing grand narrative theories such as New Public Management (NPM), or New Governance (NG). The most recent such theory that has been gaining attention over the past decade is the Neo Weberian State (NWS). The content of the theory with regard to its practical implication when it comes to reform is still unsettled. However, one key assumption behind the NWS is that reforms should be handled with care, as they may undermine the very institutions that have brought Western societies to the levels of their development they are in now. NPM’s drive to increase efficiency, and NG’s – democracy from the point of view of NWS is impossible if reforms deconstruct institutions that ensure the protection of the public interest and rule of law. NWS’s critique of post-communist reform efforts in the new eastern EU member-states is a case in point suggesting that leapfrogging the construction of a professional bureaucracy is ill-advised and does not lead to politically desired outcomes. In this paper we aim to evaluate which path of reform may lead to the best outcomes in a particular area of the public service – two non-military uniformed services of Lithuania – customs and penitentiary. These services have to a large degree avoided sweeping reforms throughout the independence period, in both cases – a soviet institutional legacy is also a factor. Both Customs and the Penitentiary service are suffering from multiple corruption scandals and very low public trust levels. These services are continuously in the crosshairs of reform, but few have been clearly articulated, even less so – implemented. Applying NPM to uniformed services, due to the nature of their functions was complicated, so as reforms in the 1990s and 2000s went along in the other sectors, policy-makers have largely left uniformed to their own devices, and this has led to retrenchment of the bureaucratic principles as would historical institutionalisms theory predict. We suggest that NPM-oriented governance avoids intervention in areas where NPM principles are hard to apply, leaving such areas without proper attention to continue down undesirable development paths. When the deconstruction of a hierarchy appears impossible, higher order governance needs to remain modelled as hierarchy as well. NWS in this case does offer a management modernization agenda, which could keep state institutions in step with social, technological, and economic developments.

Perceptions towards the quality of public services in Romania. Poor outcomes of public administration reforms?

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 263-285
Author(s):  
Claudia Petrescu ◽  
Flavis Mihalache
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Public Management ◽  
Public Services ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Local Level ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Administration Reform

Public services represent an important dimension of quality of society, as they create the contextual conditions for people to further their quality of life. Romanian public administration reform has brought about a constant institutional transformation, which has influenced both the specific features and the quality of the services. This article aims to analyse trends regarding the perceived quality of public services in Romania, in European comparative perspective, using the data of the European Quality of Life Survey (2003–2016). The article aims to understand the low satisfaction with public services in Romania against the background of the public service reform measures taken by government in this period. The article describes the context of Romanian public administration and public service reform, the most important public policy measures adopted and the most important challenges. The lack of vision in the public service reform, the partial introduction of reform elements, the permanent and, sometimes, conflicting changes are issues that may have influenced the way in which the population perceives the quality of public services. The decentralisation process of public services and the insufficient allocation of public funds for delivering such services at local level might have an impact on their quality and quantity perceived by the population. Keywords: public services; public administration reform; citizens’ satisfaction; New Public Management; New Weberianism.

scholarly journals Accounting and the post-new public management

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 255-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ileana Steccolini
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Public Management ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Accounting Research ◽  
Societal Relevance ◽  
New Public ◽  
Public Sector Accounting

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reflect various pathways for public sector accounting and accountability research in a post-new public management (NPM) context. Design/methodology/approach The paper first discusses the relationship between NPM and public sector accounting research. It then explores the possible stimuli that inter-disciplinary accounting scholars may derive from recent public administration studies, public policy and societal trends, highlighting possible ways to extend public sector accounting research and strengthen dialogue with other disciplines. Findings NPM may have represented a golden age, but also a “golden cage,” for the development of public sector accounting research. The paper reflects possible ways out of this golden cage, discussing future avenues for public sector accounting research. In doing so, it highlights the opportunities offered by re-considering the “public” side of accounting research and shifting the attention from the public sector, seen as a context for public sector accounting research, to publicness, as a concept central to such research. Originality/value The paper calls for stronger engagement with contemporary developments in public administration and policy. This could be achieved by looking at how public sector accounting accounts for, but also impacts on, issues of wider societal relevance, such as co-production and hybridization of public services, austerity, crises and wicked problems, the creation and maintenance of public value and democratic participation.

scholarly journals VALUE FOR MONEY IN PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP PROJECTS IN THE FIELD OF STREET LIGHTING IN THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dejan Milenković ◽  
Vladimir Đurić
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Public Private Partnership ◽  
Value For Money ◽  
Street Lighting ◽  
Private Partnership ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Administration Reform ◽  
The Republic

Public administration reform, better known as the New Public Management - NPM, which began in the mid-1970s, had a key impact on the development of modern public administration. The NPM emphasizes the economic values of public administration, to the detriment of its other values. Public Private Partnership- PPP is one of the basic elements of NPM doctrine. PPP is a partnership between the public and private sector that aims to provide a service traditionally provided by the public sector. An integral part of every PPP is the Value for Money methodology. The “Value for money”- VfM method emerged in this process of public administration reform, first in the UK. The document of the British Government Private Finance Initiative (PFI) from the year 1992, presented the basis for the creation of a new so-called “Venture”, which at that time was called a joint venture, and which is today known as PPP. PPP is a relatively new institute that has existed in the Republic of Serbia since 2011. In this paper, we will deal with the application of the VfM methodology in PPP projects related to street lighting in the Republic of Serbia, and try to give answer about social and economic justification of PPP and potential economic savings that can be achieved in the public sector through the implementation of PPP. At the present time, when there is more and more talk about the need for environmental protection, sustainable development and energy efficiency, PPP projects can have an increasing importance in this area. For this reason, we have limited the application of VfM methods in PPP projects in the Republic of Serbia only to street lighting projects which provide the mentioned goals.

FORMATION OF THE BASIC KNOWLEDGE SYSTEM IN THE PUBLIC MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION SPHERE

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 209-216
Author(s):  
Valerii Bakumenko ◽  
Oleksiy Krasnorutskyy ◽  
Anatolii Hatsko
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Public Management ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Knowledge System ◽  
Basic Knowledge ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Administration Reform

The modernization of the management system and the knowledge management model is needed in the context of the public administration reform, taking into account the concept of decentralization and Good Governance. That is why the article focuses on the author’s approach to substantiating the formation of a modern knowledge system in public management and administration in Ukraine. It is proved that the approach to the knowledge system formation should be based on the identification of the needs of public administration objects. The need to comply with the necessary diversity law for a management subject of public entity regarding its knowledge of the entity has been identified. The content of the principle «from general to specific» for the objects of public administration is considered. The formation structure of the basic knowledge system in the public sphere is presented, which unites a number of blocks. The first block deals with the system of basic knowledge of public management and administration. The second block deals with the idea of a public authorities system at different levels. The third block concerns the formation of basic knowledge about public service. The fourth block concerns the formation of a basic knowledge system about current trends in the development of domestic public administration. The fifth block deals with the knowledge about the development and implementation of public policy and implementation of public administration. The sixth block deals with the consideration of public administration as a deliberate activity to establish internal procedures and processes in public administration to ensure their smooth functioning. The seventh block concerns the knowledge system for ensuring social stability. The eighth block is a glossary of basic terms and the ninth is a bibliography. The proposed approach is the scientific substantiation of the development of educational and professional programs of the basic textbook and standards for the specialty 281 – «Public Management and Administration». Keywords: knowledge, public administration, the necessary diversity law, public policy, public service, public authorities, public stability.

“Representative bureaucracy as a leadership issue: the Canadian case”

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 393-410
Author(s):  
Tim A. Mau
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Representative Bureaucracy ◽  
Gender Representation ◽  
Administrative Leadership ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Sector Leadership ◽  
Federal Public Service

PurposeThe public administration literature on representative bureaucracy identifies several advantages from having a diverse public service workforce, but it has not explicitly focused on leadership. For its part, the public sector leadership literature has largely ignored the issue of gender. The purpose of this paper is to rectify these limitations by advancing the argument that having a representative bureaucracy is fundamentally a leadership issue. Moreover, it assesses the extent to which representativeness has been achieved in the Canadian federal public service.Design/methodology/approachThe paper begins with a discussion of the importance of a representative bureaucracy for democratic governance. In the next section, the case is made that representativeness is fundamentally intertwined with the concept of administrative leadership. Then, the article provides an interpretive case study analysis of the federal public service in Canada, which is the global leader in terms of women's representation in public service leadership positions.FindingsThe initial breakthrough for gender representation in the Canadian federal public service was 1995. From that point onward, the proportion of women in the core public administration exceeded workforce availability. However, women continued to be modestly under-represented among the senior leadership cadre throughout the early 2000s. The watershed moment for gender representation in the federal public service was 2011 when the number of women in the executive group exceeded workforce availability for the first time. Significant progress toward greater representativeness in the other target groups has also been made but ongoing vigilance is required.Research limitations/implicationsThe study only determines the passive representation of women in the Public Service of Canada and is not able to comment on the extent to which women are substantively represented in federal policy outcomes.Originality/valueThe paper traces the Canadian federal government's progress toward achieving gender representation over time, while commenting on the extent to which the public service reflects broader diversity. In doing so, it explicitly links representation to leadership, which the existing literature fails to do, by arguing that effective administrative leadership is contingent upon having a diverse public service. Moreover, it highlights the importance of gender for public sector leadership, which hitherto has been neglected.

The experience of social reporting in Italian judicial offices. The laboratory of the public prosecutor’s office in Naples

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (6/7) ◽  
pp. 713-729 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Ricci ◽  
Pietro Pavone
Keyword(s):  
Justice System ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Social Reporting ◽  
Final Report ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Critical Elements ◽  
Building Process ◽  
The Social

PurposeThe paper aims to reach a better understanding of accountability and social reporting in the Italian justice system, by examining the state of the art of both literature and practice. The case study highlights the critical elements in drawing up the social report of one of the most important Prosecutor Offices in Italy.Design/methodology/approachThe case study analyzes the activities of the actors involved in the report building process by detailing all the steps involved in a research diary, in order to examine such process from the inside, thus reversing its perspective.FindingsThe study shows that both the lack of guidelines for judicial administrations and a consolidated trend of transforming administrative facts into documents useful to stakeholders slow down the evolution of practices, which are stuck in a perpetual trial stage.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations are mainly related to the adoption of a single case study, which does not include any comparison with other reporting experiences in the justice sector.Originality/valueThis paper adds evidence to the theoretical debate on social reporting in the justice sector which has so far received the attention of a limited number of scholars. Furthermore, unlike other studies focusing exclusively on the final report while overlooking the process that turns input into output, this research deals with the core of the social reporting process and practices in their development, capturing their most intimate and controversial aspects from the inside.

Improving the efficiency of public administrations through business process reengineering and simulation

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 419-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Rinaldi ◽  
Roberto Montanari ◽  
Eleonora Bottani
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Business Process ◽  
Business Process Reengineering ◽  
Service Level ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Process Reengineering ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Research Activities

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a business process reengineering (BPR) approach to a public administration of Italy, to first assess the efficiency of the administration, then to redesign its internal processes, to improve the current performance. Design/methodology/approach – A detailed mapping of the AS IS processes of the public administration was initially carried out, together with the collection of the relevant data. Then, a simulation model was designed to support the BPR approach. In particular, the model was exploited to assess the performance of the AS IS scenario of the organization, then to investigate numerous TO BE process configurations and evaluate the achievable performance improvements. Findings – From the study, it emerged that the current efficiency level of the public administration examined has potentials to be significantly improved. For instance, by maintaining its current workforce, the public administration could consider the opportunity of providing additional services to the citizens or to serve citizens from the neighbouring municipalities. Otherwise, the organization could consider a reorganization and reduction of its current workforce, at the same time keeping the service level to its citizens almost unchanged. Research limitations/implications – Results of this study cannot be fully generalized, since the whole analysis is grounded on specific public administration. Moreover, although the simulation outcomes of the TO BE processes show interesting improvements compared to the AS IS scenario, the TO BE configurations were not (yet) implemented in practice. Therefore, the results provided should be confirmed in future research activities. Practical implications – The case study allowed deriving some useful guidelines to improve the efficiency of the public administration examined, as well as to identify some TO BE configurations that could be implemented in practice. Originality/value – Scientific literature includes a limited number of studies that evaluate the efficiency of public organizations in real contexts. Moreover, no studies target public administrations in Italy. Therefore, this case study represents an interesting addition to the literature.

scholarly journals Innovative approach to the concept of innovation in public administration

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 6-18
Author(s):  
Viera Papcunová ◽  
Eva Balážová ◽  
Radomíra Hornyák Gregáňová
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Jel Classification ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Digital Information ◽  
Member States ◽  
The Public ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Innovative Methods ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Innovative Approaches

Purpose – Public administration, its functionality and efficiency become an important element of prosperity not only for individual economies but also for transnational entities. We are looking for new directions and new practices for public administration that are inspired by the business sector, which to orientation for results, satisfaction of customers, and reflections on the mix of services that will be provided to the citizen. The basic principle of all reforms in public administration is the understanding of administration as a service to citizens. The aim of the paper is to explain the essence of some selected innovative theoretical approaches in public administration and also to analyze citizens' access for e - government from the point of view of communication with representatives of the public administration at the level of individual EU member states. Design/methodology/approach – Characteristics of selected innovative approaches in public administration. Based on selected indicators within EU member countries, to analyze citizens' access for e – government. Findings – Innovative methods introduced in public administration are implied by the private sector. The availability of digital information of the public administration for citizens, about its representatives as well as about the financing of public administration has greatly improved over the period 2008-2017. Research limitations/implications – The availability of citizens' information in the context of communication with the public administration was monitored on the basis of selected indicators within the EU member states over the period 2008-2017. Practical implications – In addition to summarizing individual innovative approaches of management of public administration, the practical benefits are also experience with individual types of these approaches of management of public administration public administration in selected countries. Originality/Value – Theoretical aspects are complemented by indicators that assess the use of e-government by citizens of EU Member States. Keywords: public administration, management of public administration, innovative approaches, e- government, EU member’s countries Research type literature review JEL classification: H40, H0, B40.

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