The aim of this study is to analyze the impact of public sector employment on theeconomic performance of the Visegrad Four (V4) countries—the Czech Republic, Hungary,Poland, and Slovakia—over the period from 2010 to 2023. The research specifically focuseson employment in key public service sectors, including public administration, defense,education, healthcare, and social services. These sectors are examined in relation to threefundamental macroeconomic indicators: Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Gross ValueAdded (GVA), and collective government consumption. A quantitative research approachwas adopted, utilizing comprehensive data from Eurostat. The methodology includes timeseries analysis, descriptive statistics, regression and correlation analysis, as well as ANOVAtests to assess the statistical significance of the observed relationships. The findings reveal aconsistently strong and positive correlation between the number of public sector employeesand the selected macroeconomic indicators across all four countries. This suggests that publicsector employment plays a significant role in supporting and potentially enhancing economicperformance. The study addresses a notable research gap, as most existing literature tends tofocus on national-level analyses and often overlooks the broader, comparative perspective.Furthermore, the role of the public sector as a direct contributor to economic value creationis frequently underrepresented in economic discourse. By offering a cross-countrycomparison, this research contributes a novel viewpoint on how public employmentinfluences economic outcomes. In addition, the study lays the groundwork for futureresearch, particularly in exploring how ongoing trends such as digitalization and theintegration of artificial intelligence may reshape employment structures and productivitywithin the public sector. These developments could have profound implications for bothemployment policy and economic strategy in the V4 region.

This study aims to assess the impact of organizational factors (organizationalculture, incentives, leadership, loyalty) and individual factors (trust, perceived consequencesof knowledge sharing, individual attitude towards knowledge sharing, individual motivationto learn) on knowledge sharing behaviour in public sector institutions. To achieve this, a fieldstudy was conducted at the Civil Protection Directorate in the province of Ouargla (Algeria).A questionnaire was used as the primary tool for collecting study data from a sample of 45workers, and the study results were processed using SPSS 26 software. The study found thattwo organizational factors (leadership and loyalty) influence knowledge sharing behaviour,while the rest of the organizational factors and all the individual factors selected by the studydo not influence knowledge sharing behaviour in the institution under study.

This study analyzes how automation can strengthen transparency and governancein Brazil’s public sector through the development and application of the LARA (AutomaticAdministrative Resource Gatherer) system in the Federal District. Adopting a mixed-methods approach, the research combines document analysis, automated data extraction, andcontent validation across 47 public entities. The findings reveal significant governance gaps:27.7% of agencies lack formal governance structures, and only 57.4% regularly publishminutes from their Internal Governance Committee (IGC) meetings. These deficiencies resultfrom institutional fragmentation, limited standardization, and insufficient digitization. Byintegrating artificial intelligence and web scraping, the LARA system demonstrates howautomation can modernize oversight and improve monitoring of transparency policies. Theresults align with international guidelines from the OECD and Brazil’s Federal Court ofAccounts (TCU), emphasizing the importance of standardization, staff training, and digitizedgovernance processes. The study contributes to digital governance research by proposing areplicable model for automated accountability, applicable to public administrations seekinggreater transparency, efficiency, and institutional maturity.

The European Union’s Digital Decade strategy, structured around the Digital Compass, identifies digital skills as a key dimension to ensure that at least 80% of the population possesses basic digital competencies by 2030. According to the DESI 2024 report, only the Netherlands and Finland have already reached this benchmark, while other member states, including Slovenia, lag behind. In 2023, only 46.7% of Slovenian citizens demonstrated at least basic digital skills, highlighting the urgency of addressing the digital divide. Drawing on resource and appropriation theory and digital capital theory, this study investigates the relationship between personal and positional resources, digital skills, and ICT usage. Using data from 2,585 Slovenian respondents in the EU Survey on the Use of ICT in Households and by Individuals (EUROSTAT), we conducted a latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify patterns across the five competence areas defined in the DigComp framework. The analysis produced five distinct digital skill profiles. Results indicate that older individuals are significantly more likely to belong to low-skilled profiles, while income does not exert a strong influence. Conversely, younger and lower-income respondents showed a higher probability of belonging to semi-skilled groups characterized by weak digital design competences and overconfidence in their abilities. These findings provide empirical evidence to guide policymakers in designing targeted interventions to strengthen digital competences across demographic groups. The research also demonstrates an approach that can be replicated across EU member states to support progress toward the Digital Decade’s 2030 objectives.

This article studies the motivation sources of public sector employees, dependingon their age, gender and work seniority. The empirical study involved 756 people living inJerusalem and the vicinity (Israel), who were on the staff of public institutions and privatefirms and engaged in various spheres of professional activities – education, culture, civilservice, telecommunications, etc. The Motivation Sources Inventory, developed by J.Barbuto and R. Scholl, was used as a tool to measure the orientation of personnel motivationand the level of expressiveness of motivation sources. A statistical analysis of the obtaineddata shows some statistically significant differences in the level of motivation source,depending on the form of employment. The empirical data indicate statistically significantdifferences in the level of motivation sources of public sector employees, depending on age,gender and work experience. Key features of public sector employee motivation are viewedand discussed.

This study explores the influence of public servants’ emotional intelligence (EI)on the effectiveness of artificial intelligence (AI) implementation in public administration.As governments increasingly adopt AI to streamline administrative processes, the humanfactor—particularly emotional and cognitive adaptability—emerges as a critical determinantof success. A nationwide survey of 150 Ukrainian civil servants was conducted, employingthe Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) to assess EI levels.Additional instruments measured digital competencies, attitudes toward AI, perceived risks,and training needs. A regression model was developed to quantify the impact of emotionaland professional variables on AI implementation outcomes. The findings reveal that high EI,when combined with strong digital skills, significantly enhances adaptability, fosters trust inAI systems, and improves the overall effectiveness of digital transformation. In contrast,technical proficiency alone does not guarantee successful implementation if accompanied byemotional rigidity or resistance to change. Key barriers identified include unequal digitalliteracy, skepticism toward automated decision-making, and insufficient managerial support.The study’s novelty lies in formalizing the EI–AI relationship through a predictive modelthat integrates emotional, cognitive, and behavioral dimensions. It also introduces acomposite index of AI implementation effectiveness, grounded in both subjective perceptionsand observable behaviors. Practical recommendations emphasize the need for integratedtraining programs that simultaneously develop emotional and technical competencies. Thesefindings underscore the importance of a human-centered approach to digital governance,where emotional intelligence is not a peripheral trait but a strategic asset in managingtechnological change and enhancing public sector resilience.

The concatenation of several crises and challenges in Europe (financial crisis, pandemic, war, housing and higher prices, digital challenges like artificial intelligence, ageing population and migrations) is reshaping the European political landscape and discourse. The entire morphology of party systems in each country radically changed with respect to the last days of the past century. New political forces appear at both sides of the political spectrum. On the other hand, digital technologies provide the most prominent political scenarios for interaction and opinion where public concerns meet new political proposals. This article explores the intersection between public concerns, the political messaging of new leaders and parties, and political polarization within the EU. The main goal of the research is to conduct an exploratory analysis of online search trends across the 27 European countries, many of which have experienced increasing political polarization in recent years. In this first attempt, the focus is on the growing influence of right-wing parties that are gaining political momentum across Europe. Regarding public concerns, several key topics are explored, driven by factors such as economic uncertainty, immigration concerns, and dissatisfaction with traditional political elites. In order to deeply analyse these trends, the work goes beyond traditional time series techniques. Using ARFIMA (Autoregressive Fractionally Integrated Moving Average) models, this research captures long-memory patterns in online search trends, providing a perspective on the temporal persistence and predictability of political topics on the Internet.

The digital revolution is reshaping public administration across the EuropeanUnion, demanding new forms of leadership and innovation. The Public Manager 5.0represents this new generation of leaders — professionals who blend technology, ethics, andempathy to create smarter and more inclusive governance. Through initiatives such as e-Estonia, AuroraAI in Finland, or MindLab in Denmark, EU states are proving that digitaltransformation is not only about efficiency but about building trust, transparency, and publicvalue in the digital age. This research aims to explore and compare the evolution of digitalmaturity of public administration and the public manager in the digital age in a few selectedmember states of the European Union (EU). The other objectives were to design thecompetency profile of the public manager 5.0, to present the main changes recommended tothe EU countries for increasing the digital transformation of their public administrations andinnovative governance, and to set up the steps needed for the Romanian public administrationto move on in the digital context. The methodology is based on a comparative documentaryanalysis of digital transformation practices in selected EU countries, as well as the EU'sstrategies in the field of digital governance. The empirical study was conducted based on theinternational databases: OECD Digital Government Index (DGI), United NationsE-Government Development Index (EGDI) 2024 and Eurostat. The results indicatesignificant differences between countries in terms of digital maturity, managerial culture, andpublic competencies adopted by public managers. The conclusion emphasizes the need foran integrated reform of managerial competencies in European public administration, focusingon digital, ethical, innovative, and sustainable public management.

In the public administration sector, digitalisation is manifested in introducingelectronic services for citizens and businesses to simplify interaction with governmentagencies and improve the accessibility of public services. To measure the effectiveness ofdigital public administration services, the E-Participation Index, Online Service Index, andTelecommunication Infrastructure Index were used for 143 countries in 2003-2022.Indicators of the population’s quality of life were chosen based on its material well-being,the population’s health level, the country’s political stability and security, labour safety, thelevel of education and qualifications, involvement in public life, democratic rights andfreedoms. To level the uneven data distribution, the sample countries were clustered by theindicators of civil services using the Kohonen self-organising map method. As a result, threeclusters of countries with high, medium and low levels of digital services were formed. Then,the canonical analysis showed that the effectiveness of digital public administration serviceshas the most significant impact on citizens’ well-being, life expectancy, and digital inclusion.As a result, neural network predictive models were built to forecast the three most relevantcharacteristics of the population’s life quality for each cluster of countries dependent on eachindicator of the effectiveness of digital public administration services. The obtained resultscan be used in developing digital transformation strategies for the public administration ofcountries with different types of economic development.

The public sector is perceived as a cornerstone of societal growth and development,innovation, social inclusion, and economic progress. Ensuring an environment that supportsthese key aspects requires effective governance, transparency, and investments, includinginvestments in education. The role of the public sector should include providing high-qualityand accessible higher education, which significantly influences students’ entrepreneurialmotivation. Offering a solid foundation for developing entrepreneurial skills, competencies,creativity, and self-confidence is an essential component of the quality of higher education.This study focuses on examining the perception of the quality of higher education byuniversity students in selected Central European countries in the context of entrepreneurialintentions. It also highlights the role and importance of the public sector in shaping students’entrepreneurial intentions and attitudes, thereby providing new insights into the impact of theeducational environment on entrepreneurial motivation. The research employed quantitativeand qualitative methods for data collection and analysis. The empirical research wasconducted in May 2024 on a sample of 1,783 university students in Central Europeancountries. The study included 576 respondents from Slovakia (16 universities),612 respondents from the Czech Republic (11 universities), and 595 respondents from Poland(15 universities). Scientific hypotheses were tested using chi-square and Z-score tests.