U siječnju 2020. uredi državne uprave kao prvostupanjska tijela državne uprave ukinuti su, a njihovi poslovi povjereni su na obavljanje županijama u njihov preneseni djelokrug. Na temelju ...polustrukturiranih intervjua s pročelnicima županijskih upravnih tijela za poslove opće uprave ocjenjuju se prvi dosadašnji rezultati ove organizacijske promjene. Preliminarni rezultati na koje upućuju intervjui pokazuju da je ukidanje ureda državne uprave u ispitanim županijama dovelo do boljih materijalnih prava službenika, boljih materijalnih uvjeta rada, nepromijenjenog ili nešto boljeg položaja grad strok signana, ali i slabijeg nadzora središnje države nad povjerenim poslovima i jedinicama lokalne samouprave. Neka pitanja su otvorena: utječe li smanjenje broja službenika na kvalitetu rada i hoće li broj službenika opet rasti; kakav je položaj župana i hoće li doći do jačanja politizacije te kakva je buduća uloga županija.
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.
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CEKLJ, NUK, ODKLJ, PRFLJ, UL, UM
Prema Zakonu o sustavu državne uprave iz 2019. ukidaju se uredi državne uprave kao dosadašnja prvostupanjska tijela državne uprave, a njihovi se poslovi povjeravaju na obavljanje županijama. Cilj ...rada jest provesti prethodnu (ex ante) evaluaciju ove organizacijske promjene kako bi se procijenilo mogu li se njezini formalni ciljevi zaista ostvariti. Kako bi se evaluacija provela, utvrðuju se predviðanja koja relevantni akteri (predstojnici i voditelji službi ureda državne uprave, pročelnici županijskih upravnih tijela, saborski zastupnici, župani i javnost) imaju od promjene. Na temelju prikupljenih empirijskih podataka identificiraju se koncepcijski i praktični problemi u provoðenju ove organizacijske promjene te se utvrðuje da ona ne može ostvariti formalne ciljeve. Rad postavlja i podlogu za naknadnu (ex post) evaluaciju efekata do kojih će ova promjena dovesti.
This paper explores the demand for performance information by members of the Croatian Parliament, and the supply thereof by the Croatian public administration. The research consists of data content ...analysis of parliamentary questions and answers in the first six months of 2015. The results show that the demand for performance information by MPs is lower than its supply by the administration. The MPs' personal characteristics have an influence on the demand for performance information since higher demand is shown by those belonging to opposition parties, while those most experienced politically are the ones requesting least information. The influence of MPs' education on the demand for performance information is not unequivocal. Two issues are further discussed: development of the performance management system and an increase in the power of executives, which can be a result of the Europeanization process. Keywords: performance information, demand, supply, MPs, Croatia.
In January 2020, the county state administration offices, as former first-instance state administration bodies, ceased to operate. By legislative amendments of October 2019, most of their tasks were ...transferred to the counties’ delegated scope of affairs. The paper presents the peculiarities of the legal regime of delegated scope of affairs and it introduces the organizational forms that the counties are using in order to perform the delegated tasks. The first results of the abolition of county administrative offices are evaluated on the basis of semi-structured interviews conducted with the heads of county administration bodies responsible for general administration affairs. The results obtained so far are classified into three categories. The first category consists of the positive results of this organizational change: better material rights of employees, better working conditions and unchanged or slightly improved position of citizens. The second category consists of the negative results: weaker control exercised by the central government and the loss of control over general acts of units of local self-government. The third category consists of open questions: whether there will be a new increase in the number of employees, or whether their current reduction will affect the quality of work; what is the position of the county governor and whether politicization will increase; what is the future role of counties and whether there can be inequality in the performance of delegated state tasks between counties. The paper represents the basis for further evaluation studies on the abolition of county state administration offices and opens the doors for further research.
In 2020, the deconcentrated model of the performance of state administration tasks in Croatian territorial units was replaced with the model of administrative decentralization. The new State ...Administration System Act abolished the county state administration offices as first-instance state administration bodies and transferred their tasks to the delegated scope of competence of counties as second-level self-government units. The paper explores the effects of administrative decentralization. Based on theoretical assumptions on decentralization effects, comparative experience with administrative decentralization ex-ante evaluation of county state administration offices abolition, five hypotheses about the effects of administrative decentralization in Croatian territorial governance setting are formulated. The hypotheses are tested by analysis of the legal and institutional framework of the performance of delegated tasks, empirical data gathered through the questionnaires, nine interviews, and secondary data. The results show that administrative decentralization strengthened the role of Croatian counties, strengthened their administrative role, strengthened the role of county governors, increased the horizontal and weakened vertical coordination, improved some aspects of service delivery but not uniformity in service provision across the state territory, and improved the transparency but not led to the democratization of county government. Five national-specific factors are analyzed as possible explanations for such results: general societal trends, external pressures, characteristics of Croatian public administration, general features of the Croatian local self-government system, and adopted organizational design.
U radu se komparativno istražuje te se daje pregled sustava upravljanja učinkovitošću u četirima europskim zemljama: Velikoj Britaniji (pritom se zasebno analizira Englesku, Škotsku i Wales), ...Austriji, Italiji i Danskoj. U svakoj zemlji opisuje se način mjerenja učinkovitosti na lokalnoj ili središnjoj razini vlasti, temeljne svrhe za koje se informacije dobivene mjerenjem koriste, period kada je sustav uveden i mijenjan, glavno tijelo koje je zaduženo za sustav te stvarni efekti do kojih je sustav doveo. Uz opis i objašnjenje stanja, kategoriziraju se zemlje s obzirom na razvijenost sustava upravljanja učinkovitošću. Uz to, cilj je rada i primjena komparativnih iskustava kako bi se formulirale preporuke za unaprjeđenje upravljanja učinkovitošću u Hrvatskoj, stoga se prikazuje i postojeći sustav upravljanja učinkovitošću u Hrvatskoj.
In order to conduct a comparative analysis of performance management systems in European countries, four countries were selected in addition to Croatia; Great Britain (in which England, Scotland and Wales are examined separately), Austria, Italy and Denmark. The countries belong to different administrative traditions (East-European, Anglo-Saxon, German, Napoleonic and Scandinavian), offering insights into the functioning of the performance management system in each cluster of states. Five elements were analysed: how performance is measured; whether and for what purposes the performance information is being used; the time period in which the performance management system is instituted and when any major changes have occurred; the body responsible for performance management system coordination and implementation; and some real time effects of the performance management system. In addition to describing their own performance management systems, these countries are also categorized according to the Bouckaert and Halligan (2008) categorization. The analysis shows that Great Britain and Denmark have highly developed performance management systems that are evolving towards performance governance, while Austria, Italy and Croatia, although they have instituted performance management systems, their implementation still shows many flows. The predictions seem to indicate that the performance management system in these countries will have to adapt to an existing legalistic tradition in which the procedure is equally important as the output and outcome. These comparative insights are being used to formulate lessons for the improvement of the Croatian system of performance management being developed since 2009, but still with many problems in its implementation.
Sub-municipal government is an instrument that complements traditional forms of citizen participation and as such contributes to the democratization of the decision-making process on local interests. ...The main task of sub-municipal government in Croatia is to serve as the consultation and communication mechanism within local units, allowing alternative representation of small communities’ interest, parallel with local councils. However, sub-municipal government has a rather weak position in terms of autonomy, financing, low transparency, size and other. Nevertheless, examples of some Croatian cities demonstrate the democratization potential of sub-municipal government. In this paper, a survey has been conducted in the city of Rijeka (third biggest in Croatia) with questionnaire being send to all of its sub-municipal units. The goal of the survey was to assess which roles sub-municipal units have. The results have shown that the role of sub-municipal local units as activators of local activities is the most developed one. The results are then used to provide guidance for further improvement of sub-municipal system in Croatia.
In order to conduct a comparative analysis of performance management systems in European countries, four countries were selected in addition to Croatia; Great Britain (in which England, Scotland and ...Wales are examined separately), Austria, Italy and Denmark. The countries belong to different administrative traditions (East-European, Anglo-Saxon, German, Napoleonic and Scandinavian), offering insights into the functioning of the performance management system in each cluster of states. Five elements were analysed: how performance is measured; whether and for what purposes the performance information is being used; the time period in which the performance management system is instituted and when any major changes have occurred; the body responsible for performance management system coordination and implementation; and some real time effects of the performance management system. In addition to describing their own performance management systems, these countries are also categorized according to the Bouckaert and Halligan (2008) categorization. The analysis shows that Great Britain and Denmark have highly developed performance management systems that are evolving towards performance governance, while Austria, Italy and Croatia, although they have instituted performance management systems, their implementation still shows many flows. The predictions seem to indicate that the performance management system in these countries will have to adapt to an existing legalistic tradition in which the procedure is equally important as the output and outcome. These comparative insights are being used to formulate lessons for the improvement of the Croatian system of performance management being developed since 2009, but still with many problems in its implementation.
(Never)mind the Evidence Lalić Novak, Goranka; Giljević, Teo; Manojlović Toman, Romea
Hrvatska i Komparativna Javna Uprava = Croatia and Comparative Public Administration,
01/2021, Volume:
21, Issue:
2
Journal Article, Paper
Open access
The aim of the paper is to analyse the extent to which the recent Croatian regulation on migration (legislation and policy documents) is grounded on evidence and builds on empirical data drawn from ...the processes and draft legislation, public consultations, impact assessment, parliamentary discussions, parliamentary questions of members of Parliament, and evaluation reports. In this way, the paper also provides a deeper insight into the development of migration regulation, from agenda-setting to the adoption of regulation. Research has enabled the authors to discuss the possibilities to improve migration law-making by means of evidence-based law-making techniques and other better regulation instruments. Several conclusions have been made: that evidence-based law-making is useful in complex issues such as migration; that evidence should be primarily used in the legislative process at the EU level in the areas that fall under the EU competences; that evidence is most beneficial in the early, preparatory phases of law-making; that it is necessary to connect the assessment of the relevance and adequacy of empirical data used and their linkage to the effectiveness of migration legislation. The use of better regulation instruments in developing migration regulation might contribute to more transparency and accountability, as well as to the reduction of arbitrary use of power by public authorities, and thus foster the standards and principles of the rule of law.
Cilj je ovog rada analizirati u kojoj je mjeri hrvatska regulativa (zakoni i policy dokumenti) zasnovana na dokazima. Istraživanje uzima u obzir empirijske podatke prikupljene iz tijeka zakonodavnih postupaka, nacrta prijedloga propisa, javnih savjetovanja, procjene učinaka, saborskih rasprava, zastupničkih pitanja i evaluacijskih izvještaja, čime se osigurava dublji uvid u način razvoja migracijske regulative, od stavljanja na dnevni red do prihvaćanja. Autori formuliraju prijedloge za unapređenje migracijske regulative upotrebom zakonodavne tehnike zasnovane na dokazima i drugih instrumenata usavršavanja regulacije. Rad završava s nekoliko ključnih zaključaka: zakonodavstvo zasnovano na dokazima iznimno je korisno u kompleksnim pitanjima poput migracija, u područjima u kojima Europska unija ima isključive kompetencije; u pripremi zakonodavstva EU-a trebale bi se koristiti utvrđene činjenice; upotreba činjenica najsvrhovitija je u pripremim fazama donošenja propisa te je potrebno povezati kvalitetu empirijskih dokaza sa svrhom i efektivnošću migracijskih propisa. Korištenje instrumentima usavršavanja regulacije u procesu donošenja migracijskih propisa može doprinijeti transparentnosti i otvorenosti te smanjenju diskrecijskih ovlasti javne vlasti, a time i jačanju vladavine prava.