The Psychosocial Impact of the Romanian Government Measures on the Population During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic generated a global crisis involving most countries in the world. State governments worldwide were forced to take appropriate measures impacting different fields. The Romanian government and other local public authorities developed special measures to curb the spread of the SARS-COV-2 virus in Romania in general and in Bucharest, the country’s capital. The purpose of our research was to identify the social and psychological impact of the governmental measures on the citizens of Bucharest. The research was conducted between 28 November and 25 December 2020, but refers to the measures taken by the government and local authorities from the onset of the Covid-19 pandemicto date. The sample, representative for Bucharest, included 421 citizens living in Bucharest, aged between 19 and 40 years. The data were collected using an online questionnaire. Other methods used to analyse the results and verify the hypothesis included the multiple regression model and some applications in Excel. The results confirmed that governmental measures had a strong social and psychological impact on citizens, changing their social behaviour and causing psychological disorders, such as depression and anxiety. Our research results can help the Romanian authorities avoid problems among the population and adapt their measures to better meet the population’s psychosocial needs in time of the Covid-19 pandemic crisis, which is far from over.

Centralization and Reduced Financial Resources: A Worrying Picture for Hungarian Municipalities

The article provides an overview of governmental regulations affecting the operation and economic situation of local self-governments in Hungary during the pandemic crisis. The research covers the period from the declaration of the state of emergency in March 2020 until the end of the year. The study aims to explore the implementation of the European Charter of Local Self-Government’s special provisions related to local democracy concerns in times of crisis. The article analyses the relationship between the pandemic and governmental measures that affected the economic position of local self-governments. It does not provide an objective assessment, but rather presents and analyses the relevant resources. The article is primarily based on the review of the legal framework and the relevant Constitutional Court’s decisions. The analysis demonstrates that the Constitutional Court did not or only partially defended the legal interests of local self-governments. The governmental measures ‘stood the test of constitutionality’. The study confirms the initial assumption that the excessive centralization process was significantly reinforced, while the position of local self-governments in the state organs system weakened. However, some measures cause concern as they highlight deeper problems in the Hungarian legal system, irrespective of the pandemic.

Gender Differences in Implementing Organizational Change in Romania’s Central Public Administration

The present study analyses the gender differences in implementing organizational change in Romania’s central public administration, from a subordinates’ perspective, in order to establish whether female leaders are more likely to adopt change in comparison to their male counterparts. The research methodology consists of an opinion survey conducted in the central public administration of Romania based on a questionnaire. The study reveals that female leaders are perceived in a positive, yet not in a better manner than men. They are considered transformational leaders capable of involvement in the process of organizational change of public institutions. There are no significant differences between the perceptions of men and women as leaders, although almost all the differences are in favour of men. The study shows a strong correlation between transformational leadership and leaders’ capacity of implementing the management of change, the relationship being stronger in the case of female leaders who should continue to strengthen transformational behaviours.

Public Administration’s Adaptation to COVID-19 Pandemic – Czech, Hungarian, Polish and Slovak Experience

The pandemic of the infectious disease Covid-19 affected everyday life including public administration. In order to proceed with its duties, public administration had to adapt to these new and unprecedented conditions. The main goal of the article is to assess how public administration bodies adapted to the Covid-19 pandemic, especially in terms of the principle of the speed of procedure in the sense of the right to a fair trial within a reasonable time. In order to achieve this goal, the article focuses on public administration’s adaptation to the pandemic from the perspective of the Visegrad Group countries (V4). It analyses the digitalisation of public administration in relation to delivery, speed of procedure, usage of new technologies, as well as several other areas of public life affected by the pandemic. Specific examples from all V4 countries are analysed and compared in order to identify which approaches were taken by public administration, how they changed the way public administration carried out administrative procedures, and which values were decisive for these changes. Based on these examples, the article concludes that the approach taken by respective legislatures and public administrations in the V4 region complies with the law, but also presents several exceptions.

Predictions of State and County Top Civil Servants Regarding the Abolition of County State Administration Offices: Two Sides of the Same Coin?

In January 2020, county state administration offices, as first-line state administration offices in Croatia, were abolished and their competences transferred to county second-level units of local self-government. This organizational change represents administrative decentralization. The purpose of this article is to examine whether there are any differences in the predictions regarding the effects of this organizational change between two groups of civil servants: state civil servants (heads of county state administration offices and heads of their internal organizational units) and county civil servants (heads of county organizational units), and which are the factors that shape their predictions. A questionnaire was sent to the respondents in June 2019. The statistical analysis of the data (response rate 52%) shows a statistically significant difference between the predictions of the two groups in relation to all four categories of effects of this organizational change (inputs, processes, outputs, and outcomes). There is only one point where there is no difference: both groups agree that the county governor’s role will grow. The difference in predictions is explained by two factors of cognitive biases: the organization’s interest to survive and expand its power, and uncertainty (strategic, structural, and job-related). The paper offers an academic contribution to the field of administrative decentralization by giving insights into the predictions of different actors on the effects of such change before its implementation and by introducing factors of cognitive biases as explanations for discrepancies in the predictions.

Working in Public Administration During Nonwork Time During the COVID-19 Pandemic

With the outbreak of Covid-19, a pandemic was declared in March 2020 and countries introduced various measures to overcome it. As a result, employees worked more intensively from home with the use of information and communication technologies (ICT), which significantly affected the way of work, the length of the working day, and the time reserved for rest. The purpose of this article is to examine whether, during the pandemic, public employees in the Slovenian public administration worked during nonwork time. This is the first research of this kind in the Slovenian public administration. The research applied the quantitative method and an online questionnaire conducted in February 2021, whereby data from 1676 public administration employees were obtained. The results of the research show that at the time of the Covid-19 pandemic, 80% of the respondents performed work during nonwork time. In fact, public employees quite often worked late in the afternoon after working hours and on weekends. Interestingly, about 10% of public employees even worked during annual leave and sick leave. The results of the research contribute to theoretical and practical knowledge about work related activities during nonwork time.

Urban Immunity Against the Pandemic within the Framework of Public Administration, City and Citizens

The circumstances arising in connection with the Covid-19 pandemic indicate that outbreaks are inevitable and that new pandemics are quite likely. Cities, just like people, need to protect themselves from pandemics. Therefore, the existing urban and spatial practices should be reconsidered. The aim of the study is to explore, by observation and literature review, the cities’ readiness for possible pandemics or emergencies within the framework of the concept of urban immunity. Based on the elements necessary for the provision of immunity in humans, the requirements for urban immunity, the health of the infrastructure and superstructure of the soil, the resources and sustainability of a city, its resilience and growth control are discussed within the framework of urban management. In addition, the study identifies three indispensable actors for urban immunity: i) central governments, ii) local governments, and iii) citizens. Immunized cities can be defined as cities with healthy infrastructure and superstructure factors of urban soil aiming at economic and ecological sustainability that have achieved a planned and controlled growth momentum, governed by public policies created with the understanding of local welfare and democracy in cooperation with local governments, citizens, and the central government. The study is purely theoretical and focuses on universal urban immunity rather than on any country example, which constitutes the strength of the study.

Collaborative Governance Challenges of the COVID-19 Pandemics: Czech Republic and Slovakia

The goal of this article is to evaluate what the Czech and Slovak governments have done to protect their countries and try to assess why they have achieved different results for the first and second waves of the Covid- 19 pandemic. The basis for such evaluation is the concept of collaborative governance, while qualitative research methods are used to achieve this goal. Based on comprehensive case studies and following analysis, the article suggests that in countries with limited quality of collaborative governance and no experience in similar pandemics, short-term “ultramobilisation” and positive results are indeed possible, but failures are non-avoidable in the long run. During the second wave of the pandemic, the weaknesses in governance resulted in massive governance failures. As a result, the governments’ responses delivered very limited results in terms of prevalence of Covid-19.

Remarks on the Reasoning: The Morals of a Hungarian Expulsion Decision in Times of Pandemic

Several Iranian university students were expelled from Hungary to Iran due to their (allegedly) unlawful behaviour during their quarantine period at the outburst of the Covid-19 pandemic on grounds of being a threat to public policy and public security. The case reveals a worrisome practice in the reasoning of expulsion decisions, irrespective of the pandemic. By analysing a judgment on the review of an administrative decision on expulsion, the article explores the normative circumstances of the legal institutions appearing in the case. By comparing international, European Union, and Hungarian constitutional practice, the study reveals a controversial legal practice. It not only evaluates the case, but draws attention to the role, quality, and legal significance of reasoning of administrative acts which lately, with a quickly changing legislation, seems to be forgotten.

Legal Certainty – Protected Values and Partial Objectives: The Case of the Czech Republic

Legal certainty is an essential prerequisite for individuals’ autonomy, as lack of certainty prevents the planning of future activities and making rational decisions. As other key legal principles, it comprises an axiological quality which influences the interpretation of legal rules and the application of statutory laws. Thus, it should be adhered to by all branches of state power. Its objective is to promote several values that are all important for the protection of human rights: the rule of law, protection of legitimate expectations, general trust in law, prevention of arbitrary decision-making, inadmissibility of retroactivity. However, in some legal systems, the concept of legal certainty is slightly different. These differences also influence the extent and limits of legal certainty as it may not mean total rigidity and prevent necessary changes in statutory laws and decision-making. The reasonable balance is influenced by its axiological content. The article analyses the interpretation practice of the Czech Constitutional Court with the aim to determine the partial values inherent to the principle and categorise them according to their importance. Several partial objectives were determined by qualitative analysis. The quantitative analysis indicates that the key partial objectives include protection of the values comprising a general trust in the law, individuals’ legitimate expectations, and a certain degree of predictability of laws, administrative practice and courts’ decisions (uniformity, transparency, internal consistency and stability). Having identified these values, further research may be conducted as to how and to what extent expectations should be upheld.