ADM in Public Administration in Finland and Hungary: Does the Legal Culture Matter?

En el actual panorama de seguridad latinoamericano adquiere particular relevancia la criminalidad organizada, con un nítido correlato de violencia. Para enfrentar con eficacia esta situación, las naciones de la región han realizado importantes esfuerzos, que hasta hoy no ha arrojado los resultados esperados, de acuerdo a la propia Organización de Estados Americanos.El objetivo del presente trabajo consiste en plantear la utilidad que puede reportar un moderno enfoque de seguridad nacional, amplio y abarcativo, para realizar un abordaje integral al flagelo de la criminalidad en la región. Ese enfoque debe trascender las perspectivas tradicionales de seguridad pública, que enfatizan en la prevención y represión del delito, para incluir además lecturas multicausales más amplias, propias de la seguridad ciudadana. El punto de vista de la seguridad ciudadana permite detectar tres factores de clara incidencia directa en la difusión y profundización de la criminalidad organizada en América Latina: la corrupción, la impunidad y la fragilidad estatal con insuficiente gobernabilidad.Nuestro análisis sostiene que en América Latina es posible adoptar una concepción de seguridad nacional moderna y dinámica, lejos de la controvertida Doctrina de la Seguridad Nacional de la Guerra Fría. Esa concepción debe reconocer la heterogeneidad de amenazas y riesgos contemporáneos, y que combine seguridad pública y seguridad ciudadana en la lucha contra el crimen organizado. Argentina, Guatemala y México son ejemplos de la adopción de modernos enfoques de este tipo, perfectamente compatibles con la vigencia del sistema democrático y el respeto a los derechos humanos.El artículo se estructura en una introducción, un desarrollo dividido en tres partes, y unas breves conclusiones. En el desarrollo, primero se revisarán algunas cuestiones atinentes a la criminalidad latinoamericana, identificando tres elementos que inciden en su crecimiento y expansión, y que son abordables desde una perspectiva de seguridad ciudadana. Luego se describirán los límites y contenidos del moderno concepto seguridad nacional, señalando que sus alcances pueden incluir el combate al crimen organizado. En tercer lugar, identificaremos y describiremos someramente tres casos de aplicación en América Latina de una concepción moderna de seguridad nacional que incluyen, dentro de sus áreas de incumbencia, a la criminalidad organizada.

Citation (2023), "Prelims", Caruana, J., Bisogno, M. and Sicilia, M. (Ed.) Measurement in Public Sector Financial Reporting: Theoretical Basis and Empirical Evidence (Emerald Studies in Public Service Accounting and Accountability), Emerald Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp. i-xxiv. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80117-161-820231012

This article examines the comprehensive educational framework for Public Management and Administration at Zhytomyr Ivan Franko State University, spanning bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels. The study focuses on the program's innovative approach to cultivating a new generation of public administrators equipped to address contemporary governance challenges. Particular emphasis is placed on the program's unique integration of academic expertise and practical governance experience through its faculty composition, which includes former senior government officials, parliamentary deputies, and distinguished scholars from the National Academy of Public Administration. The research details the implementation of progressive pedagogical methodologies, including innovative assessment techniques and experiential learning opportunities. A significant aspect of the program involves strategic partnerships with regional governance structures, facilitating student immersion in practical governance through internships and collaborative projects across Zhytomyr Oblast. The article argues that this integrated approach represents a significant advancement in public administration education, effectively bridging theoretical knowledge and practical application while addressing regional development needs. The structural design of these educational-professional and educational-scientific programs demonstrates a clear alignment with contemporary labor market demands and the evolving needs of the public sector. The curriculum is strategically developed to cultivate a new generation of specialists equipped for multifaceted roles within executive bodies, local self-government institutions, and the non-governmental sector. Beyond preparing graduates for traditional administrative functions, the programs place significant emphasis on fostering research and innovation capabilities. This dual focus aims to develop professionals who can not only implement existing administrative procedures but also generate new, evidence-based knowledge and initiate transformative professional practices within public administration. A central objective of the program is to equip graduates with the competencies necessary to ensure the delivery of administrative services that meet socially acceptable standards. This entails instilling a deep commitment to the core principles of modern governance: openness, transparency, accountability, and professionalism. The curriculum is designed to be resilient and forward-looking, preparing students to operate effectively both in the current, challenging conditions and in the complex environment of post-war recovery and reconstruction. The program's content is characterized by its logical coherence and rigorous alignment with the subject area of specialty D4 "Public Management and Administration." It provides a balanced and robust foundation in both theoretical concepts and applied practical skills. This ensures that graduates are not merely executors of tasks, but are critical thinkers and capable managers, prepared to lead and administer public sector organizations effectively. A defining feature of the educational framework is its commitment to flexibility through the implementation of individualized educational trajectories. This approach acknowledges the diverse career goals, prior experiences, and research interests of students. The mechanism for personalization is realized through several key instruments: Students are offered a wide selection of specialized courses and modules, allowing them to tailor their learning to specific areas of interest within public administration, such as healthcare management, regional development, or digital governance. The program facilitates practical experiences in various types of institutions (state authorities, local councils, NGOs), enabling students to align their internships with their professional aspirations. Provisions for individual schedules and the recognition of prior learning outcomes provide additional flexibility, catering to the needs of different student cohorts. Opportunities for participation in national and international exchange programs further enrich the individual learning path, exposing students to diverse administrative practices and academic environments. This learner-centered model empowers students to construct an educational experience that is directly relevant to their personal and professional ambitions, thereby enhancing the efficacy and relevance of their training. This operational framework for individualized learning is underpinned by a systematic approach to choice architecture. Students exercise agency in selecting not only elective courses but also the specific pedagogical formats—such as project-based seminars, policy labs, or traditional lectures—that best align with their learning preferences. The diversity of educational components ranges from foundational theoretical modules to advanced specialized tracks, each calibrated for varying levels of complexity to accommodate both early-career professionals and seasoned practitioners. The program's pedagogical design intentionally cultivates higher-order cognitive capabilities essential for public sector innovation. This includes structured training in heuristic problem-solving for ill-defined administrative challenges, methodologies for policy prototyping, and systematic approaches to organizational change management. A distinctive feature is the integration of research-led teaching, where students actively engage in applied policy analysis and develop evidence-based interventions for real-world public management issues. Furthermore, the curriculum embeds rigorous training in academic research methodologies, positioning graduates to contribute meaningfully to the scholarly discourse on public administration. This research competence extends beyond technical skill acquisition to encompass the development of original conceptual frameworks and empirical studies that address substantive gaps in both theoretical understanding and professional practice. The emphasis on generating knowledge with demonstrable scientific novelty and practical impact ensures graduates can function effectively at the intersection of academic inquiry and administrative innovation.

This study aims at documenting differentials in the cancer mortality profile of European countries during the recent process of intense geo-political transformations. The World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe provided information on cancer mortality and several covariates for each country. In contrast with the European Union and Nordic countries, Central and Eastern Europe presented higher current levels and increasing trend of cancer mortality. Age-standardized rates for overall cancer mortality increased at an annual average of 2.43% in Central and Eastern European countries during the period from 1980 to 2001, while the European Union, Nordic countries and Switzerland underwent an average decrease of 7.27% per year. Trends in cancer death rates were associated with indices of welfare and socio-economic status at the country level: gross national product, health expenditure, unemployment, food intake, smoking habits and air pollution. Concurrent with this observation, we registered an extended gap in standings for these figures between richer and poorer European countries. These observations suggest that part of cancer mortality in Central and Eastern Europe could be prevented with current technology and health promotion. The drop of rates in Nordic and Western European countries indicates a progress in cancer control that, regrettably, does not hold for the whole Continent.

In the post-communist period, there has been considerable pressure towards a more convergent pan-European legal culture. Under international pressure, formal laws can be changed, but legal cultures that include public perceptions, attitudes, habits, conventions and even behaviour may be resistant to change imposed on them from outside. Formal laws may be changed, but legal cultures still reflect the legacy of communism. This study conducted in Ukraine, Bulgaria, Poland, England and Norway confirms that public perceptions of law and public attitudes towards law, law observance and law enforcement still vary very sharply between the post-communist countries and others, with Ukraine and Norway being at the extremes. But we should not simply equate people with their countries of origin when studying legal cultures. The post-communist period coincides with a surge in personal mobility across Europe. While there is no guarantee that the large number of recent ‘Euro-migrants’ (defined as born in one European country, but now living in another) will necessarily adapt to the general legal culture of the majority in their new country of residence, their natural tendency is to do so. Over the long term, long-established Muslim minorities in Europe have adapted to the general legal culture in the country. So even though they continue to have their own particular concerns, the legal cultures of Muslim minorities tend to vary from one European country to another in much the same way as the legal cultures of the majorities in these countries do. To that extent, their legal cultures are at least as ‘country specific’ as they are ‘Muslim’. On a much shorter time scale, ‘Euro-migrants’ now moving more easily in both directions between former communist and non-communist countries tend to adapt quite quickly to the local legal culture in their new country of residence. Most importantly, however, is this adaptation both asymmetric and benign: the evidence here shows that Euro-migrants are more willing to adapt their legal culture when they move to a more law-abiding part of Europe, but they are less willing (or perhaps just less able) to adapt their legal culture when they move to a less law-abiding and more ‘informal’ society. Overall therefore, increasing migration across the old communist border is likely to exert a net positive influence on the popular legal culture across Europe taken as a whole.

Purpose. The aim of the article is description of the interdependencies of the development of informatization of society and the improvement of public administration in overcoming the economic threats to the existence of the state of Ukraine. Methodology of research. Achieving this goal is based on the use of the research methodology of the innovative and informational type of economic development and public (state) management. The following specific methods are used: systematic – to disclose the directions of the influence of information transformation on all spheres of the functioning of society; ecumenical (interdisciplinary) – to disclose institutional changes in public administration due to new threats to territorial integrity and economic security; analysis – to characterize the trends in the application of information technology in economics and management; statistical methods – to assess the magnitude of economic threats to the functioning of society and the substantiation of anti-crisis measures by the state. Findings. It is established that the study of the interaction between informatization of society and new public administration for the purpose of localization of economic threats to statehood necessarily implies the use of systematic analysis, ecumenical (interdisciplinary) approach, theories of institutional changes and systemic crisis of civilization. The principles of the mechanism of interaction “informatization of society – new public administration – guarantees of national economic security” are substantiated, based on the following logic: the fundamental instinct of self-preservation of the person leads them to unification in the state as the highest and long-lasting social, legal, political and economic forms of joint activity of people; and the state, first and foremost protecting the interests of the people who shape the public interest as a whole, is obliged to protect them as national in the international arena, including national economic security. It is proved that the rapid development of information transformation and new innovative products in the economy undermines the hierarchy of relationships, contributes to the active expansion of network structures that radically change human values, the format of interaction of citizens (consumers) with business and the state, puts new requirements for the game from the state. It is revealed that the new public administration is characterized by productivity, marketing approach to studying the needs of citizens and threats to their lives; decentralization; reporting on the results that is possible under the conditions of introduction of electronic governance and changes in the legislative field. It is substantiated that strategic goals of implementation of electronic government are overcoming information inequality, restructuring of relations with citizens, improvement of technology of public management and administration in order to ensure transparency, accessibility and convenience of receiving public services by citizens, which opens the possibility of their real participation in making public management decisions in order to localize corruption, shadowing, raiding as factors of economic threats to statehood. Originality. The scientific novelty of the study is to substantiate the author’s approach to the dialectics of the interaction of “informatization of society – the new public administration – national economic security” in the context of continuous information transformation, institutional changes and global challenges. Practical value. The theoretical approaches developed by the authors to the analysis of the influence of informatization of society, new public administration and national economic security can become the fundamental basis for the development of anti-crisis policies in Ukraine with the aim of ensuring territorial integrity, the safety of citizens and their well-being. Key words: informatization of society; new public administration; economic security; state sovereignty; openness; transparency; electronic governance.

Information in the hands of public administrations plays a fundamental role in developing democracies and carrying out daily tasks—not only the public administrations’ tasks, but also those of the general public and companies (European Commission, 1998). New information and communications technologies (ICT) are vastly increasing the range of information in the hands of the general public and considerably diversifying both quantitatively and, above all, qualitatively the tools for conveying this, with the Internet being the means chosen by Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) Member States to provide the general public with access to the information held by the administration (OECD, 2003). Nowadays, public administrations create, collect, develop and disseminate large amounts of information: business and economic information, environmental information, agricultural information, social information, legal information, scientific information, political information and social information. Access to information is the first step towards developing e-governments and is something that has grown most in recent years, not only from the viewpoint of supply but also of demand. At present, most people using e-government do so to obtain information from public administrations. Throughout history, information has not always had the same relevance or legal acknowledgement in the West. Bureaucratic public administrations had no need to listen to the general public nor notify citizens of their actions. Hence, one of the bureaucratic administration’s features was withholding the secret that it had legitimized, since this was considered the way to maintain the traditional system of privileges within the bureaucratic institution—by making control and responsibility for information difficult, and also by allowing the public administration to free itself of exogenous obstacles (Arteche, 1984; Gentot, 1994). In most European countries, except the Nordic countries (Sweden, Norway, Finland), secrets were the dominant principle. For instance, it was not until 1978 that France passed a law concerning access to public sector information; in 1990, Italy did likewise. Crises in the bureaucratic model of public administration have brought with them the existence of new models. Receptivity, focusing on the client and quality management, have been some responses to the crisis of this model in the 1980s and 1990s, since the advent of the post-bureaucratic paradigm ( Mendieta, 1996; Behn, 1995). The process of modernizing Public administrations has meant that those governed have come to be considered clients of these administrative services (Brugué, Amorós, & Gomà, 1994). Citizens, considered as clients, now enjoy a revitalized status as seen from public administrations, which provides citizens with a wide range of rights and powers in order to carry out their needs, including obtaining information from the administration (Chevalier, 1988). This process has coincided over the years with the rules regulating access to public-sector information being extended in countries of the West. But the evolution does not stop here. Societies that are pluralist, complex and interdependent require new models of public administration that allow the possibility of responding and solving present challenges and risks (Kooiman, 1993; OECD, 2001b). Internet administration represents a model of public administration based on collaboration between the administration and the general public. It has brought about a model of administration that was once hierarchical to become one based on a network in which many links have been built between the different nodes or main active participants, all of whom represent interests that must be included in the scope of general interest due to the interdependence existing between them (Arena, 1996). The way the administration is governed online requires, first and foremost, information to be transparent, with the aim of guaranteeing and facilitating the participation of all those involved (European Commission, 2001). It is essential that all those involved in the online process are able to participate with as much information as possible available. Information is an indispensable resource for decision-making processes. The strategic participants taking part in these will consider the information as an element upon which they may base their participation online. Information becomes a resource of power that each participant may establish, based on other resources he or she has available, and this will influence their strategies in the Internet. This allows us to see that the networks distributing information may be asymmetrical, which leads to proposing a need to adopt a means to confront this asymmetrical information. In this task, ICT can be of great help with the necessary intervention of law. Public-sector information has an important role in relation with citizens’ rights and business. Public administration also needs information to achieve its goals.

Information in the hands of public administrations plays a fundamental role in developing democracies and carrying out daily tasks—not only the public administrations’ tasks, but also those of the general public and companies (European Commission, 1998). New information and communications technologies (ICT) are vastly increasing the range of information in the hands of the general public and considerably diversifying both quantitatively and, above all, qualitatively the tools for conveying this, with the Internet being the means chosen by Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) Member States to provide the general public with access to the information held by the administration (OECD, 2003). Nowadays, public administrations create, collect, develop and disseminate large amounts of information: business and economic information, environmental information, agricultural information, social information, legal information, scientific information, political information and social information. Access to information is the first step towards developing e-governments and is something that has grown most in recent years, not only from the viewpoint of supply but also of demand. At present, most people using e-government do so to obtain information from public administrations. Throughout history, information has not always had the same relevance or legal acknowledgement in the West. Bureaucratic public administrations had no need to listen to the general public nor notify citizens of their actions. Hence, one of the bureaucratic administration’s features was withholding the secret that it had legitimized, since this was considered the way to maintain the traditional system of privileges within the bureaucratic institution—by making control and responsibility for information difficult, and also by allowing the public administration to free itself of exogenous obstacles (Arteche, 1984; Gentot, 1994). In most European countries, except the Nordic countries (Sweden, Norway, Finland), secrets were the dominant principle. For instance, it was not until 1978 that France passed a law concerning access to public sector information; in 1990, Italy did likewise. Crises in the bureaucratic model of public administration have brought with them the existence of new models. Receptivity, focusing on the client and quality management, have been some responses to the crisis of this model in the 1980s and 1990s, since the advent of the post-bureaucratic paradigm ( Mendieta, 1996; Behn, 1995). The process of modernizing Public administrations has meant that those governed have come to be considered clients of these administrative services (Brugué, Amorós, & Gomà, 1994). Citizens, considered as clients, now enjoy a revitalized status as seen from public administrations, which provides citizens with a wide range of rights and powers in order to carry out their needs, including obtaining information from the administration (Chevalier, 1988). This process has coincided over the years with the rules regulating access to public-sector information being extended in countries of the West. But the evolution does not stop here. Societies that are pluralist, complex and interdependent require new models of public administration that allow the possibility of responding and solving present challenges and risks (Kooiman, 1993; OECD, 2001b). Internet administration represents a model of public administration based on collaboration between the administration and the general public. It has brought about a model of administration that was once hierarchical to become one based on a network in which many links have been built between the different nodes or main active participants, all of whom represent interests that must be included in the scope of general interest due to the interdependence existing between them (Arena, 1996). The way the administration is governed online requires, first and foremost, information to be transparent, with the aim of guaranteeing and facilitating the participation of all those involved (European Commission, 2001). It is essential that all those involved in the online process are able to participate with as much information as possible available. Information is an indispensable resource for decision-making processes. The strategic participants taking part in these will consider the information as an element upon which they may base their participation online. Information becomes a resource of power that each participant may establish, based on other resources he or she has available, and this will influence their strategies in the Internet. This allows us to see that the networks distributing information may be asymmetrical, which leads to proposing a need to adopt a means to confront this asymmetrical information. In this task, ICT can be of great help with the necessary intervention of law. Public-sector information has an important role in relation with citizens’ rights and business. Public administration also needs information to achieve its goals.

Information in the hands of public administrations plays a fundamental role in developing democracies and carrying out daily tasks—not only the public administrations’ tasks, but also those of the general public and companies (European Commission, 1998). New information and communications technologies (ICT) are vastly increasing the range of information in the hands of the general public and considerably diversifying both quantitatively and, above all, qualitatively the tools for conveying this, with the Internet being the means chosen by Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) Member States to provide the general public with access to the information held by the administration (OECD, 2003). Nowadays, public administrations create, collect, develop and disseminate large amounts of information: business and economic information, environmental information, agricultural information, social information, legal information, scientific information, political information and social information. Access to information is the first step towards developing e-governments and is something that has grown most in recent years, not only from the viewpoint of supply but also of demand. At present, most people using e-government do so to obtain information from public administrations. Throughout history, information has not always had the same relevance or legal acknowledgement in the West. Bureaucratic public administrations had no need to listen to the general public nor notify citizens of their actions. Hence, one of the bureaucratic administration’s features was withholding the secret that it had legitimized, since this was considered the way to maintain the traditional system of privileges within the bureaucratic institution—by making control and responsibility for information difficult, and also by allowing the public administration to free itself of exogenous obstacles (Arteche, 1984; Gentot, 1994). In most European countries, except the Nordic countries (Sweden, Norway, Finland), secrets were the dominant principle. For instance, it was not until 1978 that France passed a law concerning access to public sector information; in 1990, Italy did likewise. Crises in the bureaucratic model of public administration have brought with them the existence of new models. Receptivity, focusing on the client and quality management, have been some responses to the crisis of this model in the 1980s and 1990s, since the advent of the post-bureaucratic paradigm ( Mendieta, 1996; Behn, 1995). The process of modernizing Public administrations has meant that those governed have come to be considered clients of these administrative services (Brugué, Amorós, & Gomà, 1994). Citizens, considered as clients, now enjoy a revitalized status as seen from public administrations, which provides citizens with a wide range of rights and powers in order to carry out their needs, including obtaining information from the administration (Chevalier, 1988). This process has coincided over the years with the rules regulating access to public-sector information being extended in countries of the West. But the evolution does not stop here. Societies that are pluralist, complex and interdependent require new models of public administration that allow the possibility of responding and solving present challenges and risks (Kooiman, 1993; OECD, 2001b). Internet administration represents a model of public administration based on collaboration between the administration and the general public. It has brought about a model of administration that was once hierarchical to become one based on a network in which many links have been built between the different nodes or main active participants, all of whom represent interests that must be included in the scope of general interest due to the interdependence existing between them (Arena, 1996). The way the administration is governed online requires, first and foremost, information to be transparent, with the aim of guaranteeing and facilitating the participation of all those involved (European Commission, 2001). It is essential that all those involved in the online process are able to participate with as much information as possible available. Information is an indispensable resource for decision-making processes. The strategic participants taking part in these will consider the information as an element upon which they may base their participation online. Information becomes a resource of power that each participant may establish, based on other resources he or she has available, and this will influence their strategies in the Internet. This allows us to see that the networks distributing information may be asymmetrical, which leads to proposing a need to adopt a means to confront this asymmetrical information. In this task, ICT can be of great help with the necessary intervention of law. Public-sector information has an important role in relation with citizens’ rights and business. Public administration also needs information to achieve its goals.

Information in the hands of public administrations plays a fundamental role in developing democracies and carrying out daily tasks—not only the public administrations’ tasks, but also those of the general public and companies (European Commission, 1998). New information and communications technologies (ICT) are vastly increasing the range of information in the hands of the general public and considerably diversifying both quantitatively and, above all, qualitatively the tools for conveying this, with the Internet being the means chosen by Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) Member States to provide the general public with access to the information held by the administration (OECD, 2003). Nowadays, public administrations create, collect, develop and disseminate large amounts of information: business and economic information, environmental information, agricultural information, social information, legal information, scientific information, political information and social information. Access to information is the first step towards developing e-governments and is something that has grown most in recent years, not only from the viewpoint of supply but also of demand. At present, most people using e-government do so to obtain information from public administrations. Throughout history, information has not always had the same relevance or legal acknowledgement in the West. Bureaucratic public administrations had no need to listen to the general public nor notify citizens of their actions. Hence, one of the bureaucratic administration’s features was withholding the secret that it had legitimized, since this was considered the way to maintain the traditional system of privileges within the bureaucratic institution—by making control and responsibility for information difficult, and also by allowing the public administration to free itself of exogenous obstacles (Arteche, 1984; Gentot, 1994). In most European countries, except the Nordic countries (Sweden, Norway, Finland), secrets were the dominant principle. For instance, it was not until 1978 that France passed a law concerning access to public sector information; in 1990, Italy did likewise. Crises in the bureaucratic model of public administration have brought with them the existence of new models. Receptivity, focusing on the client and quality management, have been some responses to the crisis of this model in the 1980s and 1990s, since the advent of the post-bureaucratic paradigm ( Mendieta, 1996; Behn, 1995). The process of modernizing Public administrations has meant that those governed have come to be considered clients of these administrative services (Brugué, Amorós, & Gomà, 1994). Citizens, considered as clients, now enjoy a revitalized status as seen from public administrations, which provides citizens with a wide range of rights and powers in order to carry out their needs, including obtaining information from the administration (Chevalier, 1988). This process has coincided over the years with the rules regulating access to public-sector information being extended in countries of the West. But the evolution does not stop here. Societies that are pluralist, complex and interdependent require new models of public administration that allow the possibility of responding and solving present challenges and risks (Kooiman, 1993; OECD, 2001b). Internet administration represents a model of public administration based on collaboration between the administration and the general public. It has brought about a model of administration that was once hierarchical to become one based on a network in which many links have been built between the different nodes or main active participants, all of whom represent interests that must be included in the scope of general interest due to the interdependence existing between them (Arena, 1996). The way the administration is governed online requires, first and foremost, information to be transparent, with the aim of guaranteeing and facilitating the participation of all those involved (European Commission, 2001). It is essential that all those involved in the online process are able to participate with as much information as possible available. Information is an indispensable resource for decision-making processes. The strategic participants taking part in these will consider the information as an element upon which they may base their participation online. Information becomes a resource of power that each participant may establish, based on other resources he or she has available, and this will influence their strategies in the Internet. This allows us to see that the networks distributing information may be asymmetrical, which leads to proposing a need to adopt a means to confront this asymmetrical information. In this task, ICT can be of great help with the necessary intervention of law. Public-sector information has an important role in relation with citizens’ rights and business. Public administration also needs information to achieve its goals.

Legal culture is an integral part of the general culture of society and plays an important role in shaping legal consciousness and legal norms. It encompasses a set of legal knowledge, values, attitudes and behavioral patterns that shape the perception of law as a social institution. It is important to note that legal culture is not limited to the field of jurisprudence alone. It influences various areas of knowledge and activity, including education, science and professional practice. Master’s degree holders in public administration play a crucial role in shaping and developing the legal culture of society. A comparative study of the legal culture of master's students in the USA and Ukraine allows for the identification of both common and distinct features, which are determined by historical development, national traditions and the specifics of the education systems in these countries. The issue of legal training for future specialists has been explored in the scholarly works of many researchers. Numerous studies by domestic and foreign authors have been dedicated to the examination of legal culture. The theoretical foundations of legal culture are discussed in the works of I. Holovchenko, O. Danylyan, O. Petryshyn, V. Salnykov, and others. The formation of legal culture in higher education is addressed in the studies of N. Krestovska, O. Skakun, V. Fedorenko, and others. Certain aspects of the legal culture of master's students in the USA and Ukraine are examined in the works of J. Gardiner, R. Letovych, V. Andrushchenko, V. Bakhin, V. Komarov, and others. There is still a lack of comprehensive comparative studies on the legal culture of public administration master's students in the USA and Ukraine, which underscores the relevance of this research. The research aims to explore the pedagogical conditions that shaped the legal culture of masters of public administration in the USA and Ukraine, while identifying their similarities and differences. Аn in-depth study of the legal culture of masters of public administration in the USA and Ukraine has revealed significant differences in the level of legal culture and its components between the two countries. In the USA the legal culture of masters of public administration is characterized by a high level of legal knowledge, respect for the rule of law, and an awareness of the importance of adhering to legal norms in professional activities. Future specialists in the USA demonstrate a deep understanding of the principles of a legal state, separation of powers, and the protection of citizens rights and freedoms. They consider strict compliance with legislation and ethical standards to be an integral part of their professional responsibilities. Ukraine unfortunately still lags in the level of legal culture among masters of public administration. There are gaps in knowledge of the legal framework, low motivation to comply with legal norms, and a formal, superficial attitude toward the principles of the rule of law. This situation can negatively affect the efficiency of public administration, the quality of administrative services, and citizens trust in government institutions. A dismissive attitude toward the law and disregard for its norms may contribute to the spread of corruption and abuse of power. This research has demonstrated that implementing these recommendations would significantly raise the level of legal culture among masters of public administration. This, in turn, would positively impact the efficiency of public administration, the enforcement of the rule of law, the quality of administrative services, and the protection of citizens' rights and freedoms. A high legal culture among civil servants is essential for building a truly democratic and law-governed state.

Public administration and political science: From monogamous marriage to professional partnership

This paper explores the sources of labour’s bargaining power in a weak institutional environment, by focusing on the answers that public sector employees gave to crisis-induced austerity and the atrophy of collective bargaining in East Central Europe. As a result of ever tighter budgetary constraints, governments introduced wage and employment cuts in the public sector unilaterally, sidestepping bargaining institutions all over Europe. In East Central Europe, the degradation of public sector collective bargaining is the latest step in labour’s institutional decline since the start of the transition to a market economy. Nevertheless, the paper argues that even under extremely unfavourable institutional conditions, public sector employees could mobilize resources to fend off some of the austerity pressures. These non-institutional sources of labour power include the structural position of different employee groups and their coalition building capacities. To assess how these factors affect bargaining power and eventually bargaining outcomes, the paper features a cross-industry comparison between public healthcare and education in the East Central European region. The paper argues that the level of analysis has to be shifted from the encompassing public sector to specific industries within the public sector: healthcare and education. Despite similar bargaining institutions in the two industries - central or local governments as the main bargaining partner and relatively high levels of bargaining coverage rates - healthcare employees managed to weather austerity pressures relatively well compared to teachers. Using Beverly Silver’s theoretical framework, the paper claims that healthcare workers enjoy higher levels of structural power than teachers because of the labour shortage characteristic of the healthcare industry. This power has been manifested through the recent bargaining successes that doctors and nurses achieved all over the region by capitalizing on the issue of mass emigration. This happened even in Hungary, which features a comparatively very weak system of interest representation. On the other hand, we see mostly examples of failures in the education sector, but the exceptional success of the 2012 Estonian teachers strike proves that the structural weakness of the education workforce can be counterbalanced by apt coalitional strategies. Estonian teachers gained wide-spread support from the general public, from unions in other industries and from Scandinavian trade union partners, while they managed to avoid direct alliances with political parties. Although the paper focuses on East Central Europe, its findings are relevant from a broader European perspective, as bargaining institutions are on the decline in most “old” EU-member states’ as well, bringing non-institutional sources of labour’s power to the fore.

Symposium: Entrepreneurship in the Public and Nonprofit Sectors

The article examines the concept of «national security» within the categorical framework of public administration, highlighting the absence of a universally accepted definition of «national security» and its role in public administration. It is emphasized that studying the concept of «national security» in the context of public administration is crucial for understanding and interpreting the «state policy of national security» strategy. This is also essential for ensuring that public security agencies meet security requirements and effectively address both current and potential threats to the formation and functioning of Ukrainian society. It is noted that, in the 21st century, global challenges and changes in the world order have led to increased attention on the concept of «national security». This concept is now viewed as a domain of public relations focused on preventing both real and potential threats to the state's national interests, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. It is noted that the conceptualization of the phenomenon known as «national security» within the public administration system can be characterized as a domain of public relations aimed at ensuring the foundational conditions for the functioning of individuals and society, while also protecting national values and interests from various threats. It is determined that the concept of «national security» has the following semantic dimensions: first, as a state of society that reflects the protection of the state's vital interests; second, as a political, legal, and organizational mechanism of public administration; third, as the state and level of protection afforded to individuals; and fourth, as the protection of fundamental national interests, which include: state sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence, democratic constitutional order, and sustainable economic development. For future research, it is proposed to focus on the relationship between national security and globalization processes, particularly exploring how globalization impacts the national interests of states.