Management reforms in the Polish and Hungarian local government

Lucyna Rajca

doi:10.14746/ssp.2020.2.8

Abstract

The study aims to compare management reforms in the Hungarian and Polish local government structures which were introduced at the beginning of the transformation of the socio-political system and during the first two decades of the 21st century. The analyses show that local governments in both countries have implemented solutions derived from different management paradigms, which are in many respects contradictory. In the process of implementing management reforms in the local governments of the two countries there have been both convergent and divergent trends. The public administration reforms in Hungary after 2010 reflect a coherent vision of a strong and centralized state and are intended to ensure effective resolution of social problems. The market and civil society have been given a subordinate role. As far as the Polish local government model is concerned, currently it is difficult to indicate one organizational model constituting a coherent whole.

Highlights

This study aims to compare management reforms in the Hungarian and Polish local government systems and to indicate convergence and divergence in this respect in both countries
It attempts to indicate the public administration model that has emerged in Poland and Hungary as a result of public management reforms
The neo-Weberian model of public management combines elements of the Weberian model and several elements taken from New Public Management (NPM) and governance

Summary

Introduction

This study aims to compare management reforms in the Hungarian and Polish local government systems and to indicate convergence and divergence in this respect in both countries. It attempts to indicate the public administration model that has emerged in Poland and Hungary as a result of public management reforms.. The work uses a comparative approach to show convergence and divergence within management reforms in the Hungarian and Polish local government systems and an institutional and legal approach for analyzing legal acts and documents. Polish scholarly literature lacks a comparative study on management reforms in the Polish and Hungarian local government

The main paradigms of management reforms

Privatization and remunicipalization in Hungary and Poland

Participatory governance in Hungary and Poland

Summary

Findings

Reformy zarządzania w polskim i węgierskim samorządzie terytorialnym