Central Public Administration Research Articles

The multi-dimensionality of citizen satisfaction: A conjoint experimental approach

Current research demonstrated that many factors affect public satisfaction of government services. One central challenge for scholars is that citizen satisfaction is a multi-dimensional concept, yet most empirical tests focus on a small number of factors, and do not account for the simultaneous effects of the many factors. In this study, we present a comprehensive approach that accounts for this multi-dimensionality, and views satisfaction as dependent on two categories of factors: service-specific attributes, and performance comparisons. We assess the multi-dimensional nature of citizen satisfaction with a conjoint experiment, a methodological tool that allows us to test the causal effect of multiple factors operating at the same time. We use the conjoint design to investigate citizen satisfaction from every-day government services. The findings suggest that citizen satisfaction is driven by both groups of variables. Also, we find evidence for a negativity bias in public evaluations when service-specific attributes are involved: individuals' reported satisfaction is more sensitive to negative information like higher costs or unprofessional behavior by service providers compared to positive description of these factors. At the same time, we find that factors in the performance comparisons category create more balanced effects on satisfaction with respect to the information valence. The analysis reveals the drivers of public satisfaction of government services and the importance of key factors. The use of a conjoint design provides a more appropriate tool to tackle the multi-dimensional nature of a central public administration concept of citizen satisfaction.

The Challenges of Projects Implemented with Financing from European Union Funds

Abstract When a Romanian entrepreneur is looking for European funds to finance his business, it is essential for him to understand the terms of the loan and the details about the financier, just like in any other loan agreement. The aim of this article is to present the challenges of projects implemented with funding from European Union funds. The research methodology involved a literature review followed by an analysis that examines different categories of public structures, including deconcentrated or decentralized units of central public administration, local public administration units, autonomous kings, state commercial companies or local authorities, units of state education and research, hospitals, and intercommunity development associations. The findings of the research highlighted the specific types of organizations that received financial support from EU-funded programs. Thus, the funds allocated to Romania by the European Union, considered from the point of view of the investment strategy and their non-refundable nature, constituted a substantial asset for the development of the Romanian economy and society in the short, medium and long term. In addition, these funds represented an element of budgetary sustainability. The results of the projects that were financed from European funds are numerous. Each of these is an illustration of a successful effort that has the potential to give rise to additional initiatives of equal significance in the context of the new opportunities that the European Union will fund.

Digital Transformation of Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) —A Mini-Review on the Case of Romanian Court of Accounts (RCA)

The present endeavor compellingly addresses the issue of the necessity and importance of IT support for the control and audit activities of the Romanian Court of Accounts (RCA), making reference to the institution's operations in the context of the digitization of central public administration and the implications for the conducted control/audit. Subsequently, we highlight the most significant strategic elements recently established regarding the digitization of the RCA' activities, as well as the potential advantages. The final part is dedicated to conclusions, the limitations of our research, and future research directions, focusing on addressing issues that have been inadequately addressed so far. The paper is intended for specialists in the field, audit professionals, the academic community, etc. In addressing the topic, we considered relevant literature, including our previous research, as well as bibliographic material provided by the RCA, indicated in the „References” section.

In memoriam Prof. Dr. Dr.h.c.mult. György Jenei

Professor Dr. Dr.h.c.mult. György Jenei, the doyen of Central and Eastern European Public Administration, passed away peacefully on 4 February 2024; born in 1942, he was 82 years old. He was for many decades the leading figure of the field in our region; he personified it; he had preserved it during darker times; and he had led it again to prominence since 1989, with persistence, integrity, and style. He did so both in form and in contents – the former both at his home, Corvinus University of Budapest, and in his many leadership functions in professional and scholarly associations, including the NISPAcee Presidency during the crucial years of the Global Financial Crisis. And he truly did carry the torch of Public Administration during the times when its inefficiency was not an accident, but a core part of the local system; Professor Jenei’s early work on Max Weber was undertaken at a time when this was a politically highly incorrect thing to do.

Management techniques in the development of the budget process in the Republic of Moldova

This article describes the most important management techniques in the running of the budget process in the Republic of Moldova. The national public budget constitutes a rather important act in the administration and management of public finances, which is carried out through the managerial leadership of the central and local public administration. The purpose of this study consists in the theoretical argumentation and the managerial role in the performance of the state’s public finances. In order to appreciate the budgetary process in the Republic of Moldova, the author describes the components of the national public budget, which are the main priorities in its formation. The author also presents the analysis of the vertical imbalance on the components of the national public budget in the Republic of Moldova for the years 2018-2022. Following the analysis of the vertical imbalance, the author mentions that managerial leadership must achieve the goal set in the strategic and development policies with the least negative effects acting on society. This article will be useful for teachers, students and researchers from the central and local public administration who deal with the sciences of the given field.

Consultation and central public administration in Hungary

Consultation and central public administration in Hungary

Consultation and central public administration in Hungary

Consultation and central public administration in Hungary

Ensuring the efficient cooperation of deconcentrated public services

The content of this article discusses the issue of specialized central public administration, which carries out its activity respecting the organizational principles, is discussed, one of them being the deconcentration of public ser-vices. Also, the activity of the specialized central public administration is also guided by functional principles, in the foreground being the one aimed at inter-institutional collaboration. The principle of deconcentration implies the recognition of a certain power of decision, in favor of state agents distributed throughout the country (deconcentra-ted public services). The assignment of general coordination of the activity of deconcentrated public services by the territorial Office of the State Chancellery is not limited to monitoring the activity of deconcentrated public services, but also contributes to and achieves collaboration with territorial subdivisions.

Public Administration Leadership and Public Policies

This is a study of Portuguese central public administration addressing leadership typology, using the Full Range Leadership (FRL) model to better understand the leadership effectiveness process (Bass & Avolio, 1994). The study examines of the impact of training, professional experience, and organizational context on managers performance as well as predominant leadership styles. A total of 422 participants in the Portuguese state central public administration responded to this quantitate research.The results indicate that the perception of leadership style differs significantly between leaders and followers, as does the perception of evaluation. Regarding the organization where they work, significant differences were found in the perception of transformational leadership, contingent rewards, laissez-faire, recruitment, training, and evaluation. The association between leadership style and public policies is significant, and this relationship is moderated by whether the participant holds a managerial position. This study tells us what type of leadership is predominant in public administration and its association withpublic policies.

DIVISION OF FUNCTIONS WITHIN ROMANIA’S CENTRE OF GOVERNMENT: A LONG HISTORY OF REFORMS

After the fall of communist regime in Romania, the structure of Romania’s Government Working Apparatus (the Government Office) was subject to several reforms trying to establish an adequate role for each of the entities. Although the composition of the Government Working Apparatus may vary, its central piece is the General Secretariat of the Government (GSG), which, in governments with a strong prime minister, has tried to share power with the Prime Minister’s Chancellery. The aim of this paper is to explore the evolution of the reforms of the Government’s Working Apparatus (Government Office) in Romania after 2001 and how the functions between the General Secretariat of Government and the Prime Minister’s Chancellery are divided after the recent reforms within the Centre of Government in order to assure a better coordination. The methodology of this paper consists in a content analysis of the legal framework, public administration reform strategies, technical reports of some projects conducted by the General Secretariat of Romania’s Government and World Bank’s studies and reports. This paper reports aspects on a longitudinal study between 2001-2021, which set out to examine and evaluate the roles of different organisational structure within Romania’s Government Office. The empirical data of this paper were also collected through a series of discussions with top public policy makers in charge with reform of central public administration. The General Secretariat of the Government (GSG) has always possessed a central role in the structure of the Government Office, its part being to assure the technical and strategic operations regarding Government acts and to solve the organisational, judicial, economic, and technical problems of Government and prime-minister’s activity, also the representation of the Government in the justice. GSG is the element of connection and stability of governance that assures the framework for decision making process. Recently, in February 2020, the Orban Government has approved two government decisions by which both the Prime Minister’s Chancellery and the General Secretariat of the Government have been reorganised. Both measures were part of the priorities of the Government Program, namely improving the efficiency of public administration, aiming at reforming the Centre of Government. Thus, the functions of the two structures were better defined and delimited, in the sense that the General Secretariat of the Government was to provide the technical / administrative secretariat of the Government, while the Chancellery would have the role of strategic coordination. In this sense, within the Chancellery operated the Centre for Analysis and Strategy and the Independent Scientific Council, while subordinated to the General Secretariat of the Government were the institutions which were to provide data and information to the Chancellery for analysis and studies that would underpin public policy programs. The essential role of the Chancellery thus became to coordinate the ministries in the process of elaboration and monitoring of the institutional strategic plans, to approve the governmental strategies, precisely to ensure the correlation of these strategies, as well as to correlate the elaboration, implementation and monitoring of public policies. Unfortunately, this reform was implemented only for a short period of time and nowadays, in January 2021, when a new prime-minister has come, the role of the Chancellery was diminished once again. Its role was focused on communication and relation with media and on the coordination, at the level of the Government Office, of the reform process regarding public administration and relation with civil society and social partners.

Juridical Approach to Defense Planning from the Perspective of the Relations Between State Executive Authorities

Abstract The existence of the national defense system is supported by the structural elements of the state, which from the perspective of ensuring the public defense service of the state are given distinct properties and attributions, whose configuration is the result of the action of a set of factors, both internal and external nature. In the contemporary paradigm, in which national defense is carried out interdependently with collective defense, the state’s participation in alliance systems and forms of international cooperation determine substantial transformations in the field of defense, including in the field of defense planning. Defense planning, as regulated by Law no. 203/2015 involves carrying out a set of activities and measures aimed at protecting and promoting national interests, as well as achieving the state’s national security objectives, under the direct coordination of representative public authorities that mediate at the central level the exercise of the will of the people in order to achieve democratic control defense civilian. From an executive perspective, the defense planning process does not only involve a simple exercise of the legal powers assigned to the authorities of the central public administration, but is a consequence of how to ensure balance in the interrelationship between these authorities.

The role of the Prime Minister in leading and coordinating Ministries and Central Public Administration

The Government is a central public authority with a fundamental role in the functioning of the rule of law. Together with the President, the Government represents the executive power of the state. Even if the formation of the Government is in the first instance the result of political agreements, it moves away from the political component and focuses on the administrative component, after the investiture, to implement the political government program. This study analyzes the way in which, according to the constitutional and legal provisions, the Government, by means of the Prime Minister leads and coordinates the activity of the ministries and of the central public administration in achieving the double role, namely political and administrative, in order to observe if the current legislative framework needs to be improved.

Social Assistance for the Elderly and Legislative Challenges during Covid 19

The proliferation of clandestine homes for elderly people is encouraged by the underfunding of the establishment of such centres by central or local public administration authorities and the small number of places available at already existing centres or the poor conditions that are provided. The elderly represent a vulnerable category, most of the people who live in such centres have precarious financial or family situations or various chronic diseases that require constant medical care. Through this study, we want to analyse the causes and possible legislative solutions that can lead to the improvement of the lives of these people.

The central administration of the executive power of the Republic of Bulgaria – an unreformed part of the state apparatus system

The present study is dedicated to the essence of the concept of “state apparatus”, to the historical and legal analysis of the formation of the central administrations of the executive power in Bulgaria and its development until the adoption of the current Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria of 1991. It deals with the legal framework concerning the status of the national central public administration and criticizes its shortcomings. The study presents the development of the central public administration over a period of 30 years (1991–2021).

The impact of a soccer team from a Romanian city on local community: a content analysis

The study includes a content analysis of 908 articles from the online version of the local newspaper Ziarul de Iași from the period 2004–2009 when there was only one coach in charge of the local soccer team Poli Iași in Romania. The results indicate a more significant economic impact, without neglecting the social and political dimensions. As a source, the team influences the behaviour, values and feelings of members of the local community, through power, proximity, the number of those who exercise influence over the local community. As a target, the team’s performances can be influenced by the attitude and behaviour of the local community members, by the policies and strategies of the local or central public administration in the territory. Poli Iași can be a vehicle for building the identity of a local community using the same tools as other club teams around the world.

Collaboration between social science data archives and scientific journals in the development and implementation of data sharing policies

Major commercial scientific journal publishers have already introduced data sharing and citation policies, while independent journals are implementing such changes more slowly. As more and more funders of scientific research require researchers to make their research data as open as possible, all journals will have to adapt to support new ways of scientific communication. Social science data archives in Europe and around the world were established decades ago and have collectively accumulated vast experience in dealing with data, especially data that are sometimes hard to share because of various ethical and legal concerns. Because of this knowledge, they also have a role to play in supporting journal editors and publishers in developing and implementing editorial policies related to data sharing and citation.In this short talk we will present examples of support activities for journals from the Slovenian and Croatian Social Science Data Archive (ADP and CROSSDA, respectively). Both are service providers (SPs) for CESSDA ERIC, a recognised European research infrastructure (RIs) for social sciences.As a coordinator of the project establishing Research Data Alliance (RDA) Node in Slovenia, ADP prepared guidelines for Slovenian journals on implementing editorial policies related to data sharing and data citation (Štebe, Bezjak, Dolinar, 2020). These guidelines are based on internationally renowned practices and policies, particularly the RDA Research Data Policy Framework (Hrynaszkiewicz, I., at. al., 2020) and were adopted by four journals (from fields of archaeology, history, linguistics and social sciences) in a pilot phase (Štebe, Dolinar, Bezjak, Inkret, 2020).Both ADP and CROSSDA are part of the ongoing CESSDA Journals Outreach project, which started in 2020. As part of the project, editors-in-chief of several social science journals were invited to share their views on data sharing and to discuss how data archives can provide support. At the same time, CESSDA SPs answered to a survey whose aim was to explore the capacities of data archives to support journals. In 2021, two events were organised for researchers, journal publishers, and data archives to discuss transparency in social science research and the challenges of sharing data through publications.By now, ADP has helped three Slovenian journals to implement research data policies: Socialno delo, Central European Public Administration Review, and Economic and Business Review. These policies are not mandatory, and so far, no author decided to share their data before publishing the article. The journal Javnost, in turn, has taken a different approach. The guest editor of one supplement issue asked the authors who had passed peer review to share and cite their data before publishing with the support of ADP. All authors agreed to make additional effort and prepare the data, documentation, and metadata, so that their results could be verified, and data reused.In Croatia, one journal, Croatian Sociological Review, introduced its first open science policy, which is partly based on the TOP Guidelines (Nosek at al., 2021) and includes several elements of research transparency, not just data transparency (Vučković Juroš, 2021). Data sharing will not be mandatory, and transparency will be implemented taking into consideration various epistemological assumptions in the humanities and social sciences. The next step is to set up instructions for authors and reviewers to make this policy official, which will be done in cooperation with CROSSDA.

A QUALITATIVE RESEARCH ON CIVIL SERVANTS’ MOTIVATION FROM ROMANIAN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Since the beginning of 1975, researchers have grown their interest in public service motivation and, despite the increased number of publications until our days, no research has been developed on PSM in the Romanian’ public administration system. The present study analyses the motivation system in the Romanian public administration and the prime goal was to find out the main problems and aspects that must be improved in order to increase both the extrinsic and intrinsic motivation among Romanian’ civil servants. The research is based on a qualitative approach, being an exploratory study conducted using two research methods: the analysis of the official documents and the opinion survey based on an interview, in order to design a series of proposals for improving civil servants’ current level of motivation. The results show a difference in the respondents’ answers regarding the system of motivation for civil servants. The participants in the interview were respondents from the central and local public administration.

Financial management of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus in Romania

In this article, we highlight comprehensive and up-to-date information on the analysis of the central public administration that addresses how the authorities, institutions and central public entities with responsibilities in preventing and combating the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in Romania have used public funds allocated in this purpose.
 Romania has accepted the decrease of budget revenues, through a series of fiscal measures and by diminishing the income-generating economic activities. The budgets of some main authorizing officers with special attributions during the state of emergency were supplemented, namely: the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection; Ministry of Health; Ministry of Public Finance; Ministry of Public Works, Development and Administration; Ministry of Interior; Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure and Communications; Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; Public ministry; National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority; Special Telecommunications Service; Romanian Information Service; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Romanian Academy. In order to implement measures to prevent and combat the pandemic, as well as to manage the state of emergency, a series of resources were mobilized, in addition to donations and sponsorships, received by public institutions from the central public administration during the state of emergency. At the same time, for the local government component, the data are structured in such a way as to reflect the tasks and tasks of local authorities in preventing and combating the pandemic, but also the findings on resource management used for this purpose, segmented into the following areas: medical assistance (medical equipment, medicines, sanitary materials, salary rights, etc.); expenses incurred in establishing the quarantine; disinfection costs imposed by measures to prevent and combat the epidemic; Other expenditure due to the need to take measures to prevent and combat the epidemic. The Government of Romania has adopted an emergency ordinance for the organization and conduct of public information campaigns in the context of the epidemiological situation caused by the spread of COVID-19, in order to raise awareness of the risks of disease and increase voluntary compliance with health and social regulations imposed by competent authorities, in order to limit the spread of the virus after the end of the state of emergency. Audiovisual and printed materials that will be broadcast in public information campaigns, such as audio and video spots, online banners, print mock-ups, mock-ups for billboards, will be created and produced centrally by a creative structure in which specific professional associations can delegate members. from several volunteer and / or paid agencies.

Organizational and legal issues in streamlining the horizontal structural connection between central and local public bodies

The article reveals the reasons for the lack of coordination functions and horizontal links in the apparatus of public authorities in the Republic of Moldova. The object of the research is a complex of legal and non-legal relations, multiparty, which arise in the initial stages of the formation of unstable organizational structures, linear-functional, of the central public administration bodies. The aim of this paper is to develop methods for streamlining the relationships and structures of the functional matrix at all levels of governance and self-government. Ways to weaken the multiparty factor are proposed by developing self-regulatory organizations of entrepreneurs and delegating them to state functions. The relevance of the topic is due to the fact that the lack of flexible links and coordination structures between the governing bodies, in the conditions of constant conflicts between party leaders, can lead to problems that call into question the very existence of the state. The author also argues that concrete measures need to be taken in order to combat imperfect legal rules in the form of tightening control over departmental regulation and establishing a permanent review of legislation. Based on the author’s experience in using the various questionnaires and surveys in his monographs, it is proposed, in drafting each new bill, to conduct a content analysis of current regulatory acts in the relevant field or industry and, from a scientific point of view, reach a final decision on whether such a regulatory act can be adopted. It is proposed to formulate at the state level and include in the legislation the various strategic objectives of promoting cooperation in the field of scientific and technological progress and small business.

A survey of Circular Economy initiatives in Portuguese central public sector organisations: National outlook for implementation

The Circular Economy (CE) is generally understood as an opportunity to transform the current unsustainable linear economic system by redesigning the way organisations provide goods and services rethinking how society consumes and uses those resources. In this context, the public sector is mainly recognised as an actor enabling the implementation of a sustainable CE through governmental interventions and policy initiatives. However, there is a lack of studies considering the public sector at an organisational level. CE in organisations includes a wide range of different practices that are important to examine in order to analyse the CE implementation process. Consequently, this study aims to characterise the current state of implementing circular practices and supporting strategies in central public sector organisations. To fulfil this aim, a questionnaire survey was sent to the organisations pertaining to the Portuguese Central Public Administration, as surveys are valuable tools to systematically collect information on various topics. The results demonstrate a relatively low level of implementation. Circular practices such as purchasing remanufactured or used items, using sharing platforms, increasing the efficiency of buildings, adopting green human resources and collaborative initiatives for circularity, and assessing and communicating about CE activities have presented low levels of adoption. At the same time, waste collection for recycling and dematerialisation practices showed good implementation levels. There is, thus, immense potential for further implementation of circularity in central public sector organisations in Portugal. This research contributes to deepening the understanding of the extent to which circular practices are embedded in public sector organisations and identifying the main implementation strengths and weaknesses. This research has the potential to help practitioners and researchers in the transition towards circularity in identifying circular opportunities in their organisations and in building a vision to further implement circularity in public sector organisations.