Public Administration Organizations Research Articles

Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Korea: History and Modernity

The article is devoted to the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Korea (hereinafter RoK, Republic). The authors examine the history of the creation in the Korean government of the department responsible for the implementation of laws, law enforcement personnel, and judicial processes. The Ministry of Justice functioned until the Japanese occupation in 1910. The new history of the Ministry began after the liberation of Korea. In 1948, the Korean Constitution came into force. Currently, the system of executive authorities of the Republic is determined by the Law on the Organization of Public Administration. In accordance with this law, the Ministry of Justice is an independent structure. The Presidential Decree on the Ministry of Justice and its subsidiaries regulates the structure and competence of the department. Certain powers of the Ministry of Justice are regulated by the laws on the prosecutor’s office, on probation, on immigration, on lawyers, on notaries, on civil servants and other regulations. A wide range of issues fall within the scope of the Ministry. The Ministry of Justice is responsible for the execution of laws, the prosecutor’s office, migration, correctional institutions, prosecutorial and legal personnel, legal assistance in civil and criminal cases. The article analyzes in details the provisions of Korean legislation on the structure and competence of the Ministry of Justice. The authors examine closely the status of Ministry employees and holding them accountable. Contemporary issues related to the activities of the Ministry of Justice are revealed. The role of the Ministry of Justice in the supervision of the prosecutor’s office, the legal profession, correctional institutions and probation is highlighted. The powers of the Ministry of Justice in the field of execution of punishment, rehabilitation of off enders and immigration are analyzed. The authors show how the Ministry is involved in international cooperation. Particular attention is paid to the importance of the Ministry of Defense in the process of improving Korean legislation.

Electronic governance in EU member states and candidate countries (using the exampleS of Poland and Ukraine): comparative legal analysis

The article addresses the issue of further improvement and development of Electronic Governance in Ukraine through the analysis of experience gained by various countries. It has been established that Electronic Governance currently plays a pivotal role in the development of society, which necessitates the need for superior and effective improvement of this sphere to ensure the maximum level of its development and support for society. Comprehensive utilization of information technology is the main mechanism in achieving this goal, as it can meet the needs of society at the highest level. However, the further development and improvement of Electronic Governance in Ukraine is currently hindered by the conditions in which the country has found itself due to the war. These conditions necessitate the search for fundamentally new solutions and approaches related to the most effective use of information resources, and the provision of effective, efficient and high-quality support and assistance for society. Efforts are currently focused on finding the optimal solution for the operation, improvement and future effective development of Electronic Governance. For Ukraine, this is the path it must travel from the idea of transformational changes in the field of information technology and resources to the gradual alignment of Electronic Governance with European standards. This path involves declaring this direction as a top priority at the highest level. The introduction of Electronic Governance as a form of organization of public administration began in Ukraine a few years ago, and has been gaining increasing public support.Analysis of the main foreign initiatives and practices in this regard provides evidence of an above-average level of development of Electronic Governance in the countries of the European Union and other states, which enables the rapid and efficient fulfilment of public needs. At the same time, it has been established that the most effective (in the context of improving electronic governance) has been Poland, which has already fully established its Electronic Government, operating efficiently and providing various electronic services to society. This system is transparent, flexible and convenient. It allows users to save time and avoid unnecessary bureaucratic procedures, and society now has easier access to the necessary information. It has been established that improving Electronic Governance in Ukraine by drawing on Poland’s experience in this regard has the potential to modernize public administration and, on a practical level, provide more opportunities for direct access to information. This will allow for the implementation of new initiatives, including the digitalization of the country, democratization of society, and achieving goals of sustainable development.

Sustainability-Oriented Leader, Please! Effects of Industry on Followers’ Preferences

With sustainability becoming the new norm, the discussion about followers’ attitudes towards sustainability-oriented leadership is growing globally. Therefore, this study investigates the extent to which employees’ industry and sector background influence their perception of the ideal leader in relation to preferred sustainability orientation. This study also examines preferred sustainability leadership values and the role of culturally endorsed leadership in this process. Using the Preferred Sustainability Leadership Orientation (PSLO) survey, we gathered and analyzed data from 11 countries and 11 industry backgrounds (n = 5530). Our findings show that there is a statistical significance in followers’ valuing a leader with a high sustainability orientation most. Moreover, our results indicate that respondents working in public administration organizations value a leader with a strong sustainability orientation in addition to environmental and equality goals. While respondents associated with agriculture and real estate do not seem to place so much value on an ideal leader focusing on gender equality, in industries such as finance, manufacturing, and real estate, followers seem to value a leader with a stronger focus on profit and less emphasis on promoting gender equality. This research offers implications for the development of the PSLO (preferred sustainable leadership orientation) as a useful sustainability leadership barometer tool for measuring an organization’s sustainability culture and suggests avenues for future research.

Public administration contributes to happiness: a study on the relationship between public value and happiness in Switzerland

PurposeIn public management research, the focus in the public value debate has been on public administration organizations’ broader societal outcomes. Public value describes how public administrations form a vital part of the social context in which people develop and grow. However, there has not yet been an analysis of how public administration contributes to happiness in society.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, we empirically analyze the relationship between people’s happiness and the public value of public administration. Our approach is based on a unique Swiss survey dataset comprising 870 individuals.FindingsWe find a positive relationship between public administration’s public value and happiness. We also find preliminary evidence with a moderation analysis that the relationship between a value-creating public administration sector and self-reported happiness is stronger for public administration employees.Research limitations/implicationsWhile correlation studies cannot claim causal explanations and common method bias may additionally limit any research in social science, we took a number of measures to mitigate related problem. We tested our model in two samples and took both several procedural techniques and a survey design minimizing common method bias.Practical implicationsThe paper discusses implications for public sector performance measurement for public management and practitioners.Social implicationsThis study calls for a more positive view on the multiple functions public administration performs for society. After an era of critical voices, our study helps reclaim public administration as a positive force for society at large in times of grand challenges, such as climate crisis, demographics and digitization.Originality/valueThis study has highlighted the importance between public administration’s public value and happiness in Swiss public service organizations. The study also showed that an employment in the public administration contributes to the happiness of individuals and beyond to society.

Like a bridge over troubled water: Wellbeing and trust in governance during turbulent times

The COVID-19 pandemic extended interest in the relationships between citizens and governments in turbulent times of crises and emergencies. While the pandemic generated a critical existential threat to the lives of many, it also had a significant effect on the quality of life and on the wellbeing of even larger populations. This paper deals with the relationship between the wellbeing of citizens and three types of trust in governance (i.e. trust in political institutions, trust in public administration, trust in enforcement institutions) during the pandemic. We aim at advancing knowledge on both wellbeing and trust during crises, and more specifically on direct and indirect patterns of these important relationships. To do so, we suggest alternative models and a series of hypotheses aimed at examining them empirically. Two datasets on Israeli citizens are used. They were collected over two points in time during the heat of the pandemic and toward its decline and end (Study 1/t1; N = 1026 and Study 2/t2; N = 3024) and largely represent major sectors and ethnicities in the population. The findings generally support a positive relationship between wellbeing and trust, but more importantly indicate that during crisis, trust in public administration and enforcement institutions mediates the relationship between wellbeing and trust in political institutions. We thus argue that the public service may act as a bridge between citizens’ wellbeing and political trust. In our view, the findings testify to the complexity of the wellbeing–trust relationship, especially in challenging times. Implications and directions for future studies are suggested. Points for practitioners Trust in governance is different for various political institutions and for different public administration organizations, especially in turbulent times Civil servants should be aware of citizens’ wellbeing during crises as it affects trust in governance Citizen trust and wellbeing are significantly related in times of emergency and crises

STRATEGIC PLANNING OF REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT

As of today, it is crucial for Ukraine to implement a comprehensive system of state strategic planning. This will facilitate the country's rapid development and positioning of Ukraine in leading positions in the world. The impact of digital development in all areas has changed the way society and government communicate. The scale of digital change in society is enormous, and digitalization can be seen as a catalyst for new paradigms, concepts, and approaches to strategic planning for the country's development. Successful strategic planning and public administration organizations determine the comfort of citizens' lives and strengthen the competitiveness of the region.

Change Management and Implementation of Changes in the Field of Public Administration

"The relevance of the research problem is determined both by the theoretical significance of the study of managerial aspects of organizational changes in public administration organizations, and by the practical tasks of improving the mechanism for their implementation. Based on the evolutionary method, the existing theoretical and practical approaches to change management offered by the management theory are described, and the prospects for their application in the field of public administration are assessed. Agile paradigm is presented as an underlying one for addressing challenges of VUCA-world with regard to public administration."

POLICE FORCE AS AN INTERNAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION ENTITY

Internal security administration is a system of multiple entities responsible for protecting and maintaining internal security in the state. In a broad sense, this system includes public administration, private entities, and social organizations. Certainly, there is a clearer view of the functioning of a narrower group of institutions within the subordination of the minister responsible for internal affairs, which within the department of internal affairs administration deal with the protection of the aforementioned security. The entities that are subordinated and supervised by this supreme body of government administration undertake specialized activities that comprise the entire scope of this department and form a kind of internal security administration system. Noteworthy in this group is the police force aimed at overseeing human security, protecting public safety and order, which is a task assigned to the administrative department. The study analyzes internal security as a specific state, as well as the system of entities responsible for its assurance. Special research attention was paid to the legal position of the police, its organization and the specific dimension of tasks performed. The subject of considerations is the police force as a part of the whole system and tasks it undertakes. The research was conducted on the basis of legal and dogmatic as well as analytical methods. In turn, the fundamental aim of this research was to pay attention to the Police as a component of the internal security administration and its specifics. The research hypothesis stated that the Police is a basic element of the internal security administration system, which is responsible for a significant part of this security, and without its participation and activity it would not be possible to ensure the conditions of safe existence of the general population, after verification was confirmed.

Empirical Investigation into ICT Services Evaluation Within a Public Institution

The aim of the paper is to investigate the quality of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) services provided to employees in a public administration organization. The Region of Central Macedonia (RCM) was chosen as the examined enterprise/organization. The provider of these services is exclusively the Department for Transparency and eGovernment (DTeG). After a presentation of the theory behind service quality measurement in general and in ICTs specifically, a quantitative research was carried out, utilizing a SERVPERF-derived, ICT-adapted, short form 13-item/4-dimension instrument approach. This research indicated that RCM employees value both the quality of the ICT services, as well as the satisfaction from them, as provided by DTeG, highly. The adapted SERVPERF instrument exhibited high internal consistency values, as well as strong correlation between its items and the overall perceived quality and satisfaction. Dimensionality tests indicated that two dimensions of the service quality constructs are measured: a combined “reliability”, “responsiveness” and “assurance” dimension and an “empathy” one. the findings can be used by the targeted organization to improve the quality of ICT services and better meet the needs of their users.

Quantifying economic sectoral iron commodity use and related vulnerability in China's supply chains

With its widespread use in manufacturing and machinery, iron is a crucial metal for modern society. However, knowledge about the economic vulnerability of iron from multiple perspectives remains unexplored, especially for China, a country responsible for more than half of global iron and steel consumption. This study aims to quantify the inter-sectoral flows of iron commodities and the caused economic vulnerabilities, using an input-output model and complex network analysis methods. Results show that the residential building construction sector was the most vulnerable sector from a direct perspective. However, the final uses of certain services (e.g., the public administration and social organizations sector and business services sector) were more vulnerable concerning supply restriction from a consumption-based perspective. Based on the above findings, policy recommendations, such as circular economy and material substitutions are proposed to help improve resource efficiency and reduce the vulnerability of critical sectors from dependence on iron and steel.

ANALYSIS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS IN POLAND

The subjectivity and independence of local self-government expressed in theConstitution of the Republic of Poland and concretized in local government laws has a systemicsignificance for determining its position in the state and in the law. Local self-government isthe key principle of the organization of public administration in Poland. Local governmentunits, i.e., municipalities, counties and provincial governments, are entities endowed with rightsand obligations and entities performing public tasks. They can be described as independentcorporations of local society, created by law, with their own internal organization, endowedwith the attribute of legal personality, subject to state supervision to the extent prescribed bylaw.

The Relationship Between Public Administration and Third Sector Organizations: Voluntary Failure Theory and Beyond

Abstract Among Lester Salamon’s early theoretical contributions was the introduction of the “Voluntary Failure” concept. In a series of articles published in the second half of the 1980s (Salamon, L. M. 1987a. “Of Market Failure, Voluntary Failure, and Third-Party Government: Toward a Theory of Government-Nonprofit Relations in the Modern Welfare State.” Journal of Voluntary Action Research 16 (1–2): 29–49. Reprinted in Salamon (1995): 33–49, Salamon, L. M. 1987b. “Partners in Public Service: The Scope and Theory of Government-Nonprofit Relations,” In The Nonprofit Sector. A Research Handbook, edited by W. Powell Walter, 99–117. New Haven: Yale University Press, Salamon, L. M. 1989. “The Voluntary Sector and the Future of the Welfare State.” Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly 18 (1): 11–24. Reprinted in Salamon (1995): 203–19) Salamon rejects the existing theories concerning the existence and the growth of nonprofit entities, both demand-side theories such as “government failure” (Weisbrod) and “contract failure” (Hansmann) and supply-side theories (James). He introduces the so-called “third-party government” approach underlining the interdependence between the state and various other (profit and nonprofit) social actors (Salamon Lester M. and Toepler S. 2015. “Government–Nonprofit Cooperation: Anomaly or Necessity?” Voluntas 26: 2155–77). The “voluntary failure theory” is based on the recognition of four limits of nonprofit organizations’ action: (a) philanthropic insufficiency; (b) philanthropic particularism; (c) philanthropic paternalism; (d) philanthropic amateurism. These shortcomings can be overcome by the creation of an institutional framework of collaboration between the public administration and the most organized part of civil society, namely the so-called third-sector organizations. The aim of this paper is to open a discussion around the adequacy of the above-mentioned approach to explain the complex configurations that current relationships between public administration and third sector organizations have assumed in Western democracies, especially in the field of welfare policies. We will do so through the analysis of the recent scientific literature on government-nonprofit relationships, with a particular focus on the so-called “new public governance” (Osborne Stephen, P. 2006. “The New Public Governance?” Public Management Review 8 (3): 377–87, Osborne Stephen, P. ed. 2009. The New Public Governance? Emerging Perspectives on the Theory and Practice of Public Governance. London: Routledge) and the co-creation and co-production paradigm (Torfing, J., E. Sørensen., and A. Røiseland. 2016. “Transforming the Public Sector into an Arena for Co-creation: Barriers, Drivers, Benefits, and Ways Forward.” Administration & Society: 1–31), that emphasize the involvement of citizens (i.e. users or clients) and their associations in the definition of the policies, programs, and services directed to them.

De første 25 års sagsdannelse

The first 25 years of records management – an archive guide on AIDS/HIV in the National Archives’ collections 1981 – 2006. In the Danish National Archives, different kinds of records give insight to the history of AIDS/HIV. Our aim with this article is to present some of the most relevant records about the disease from the public administration and private organizations. The article will reflect the tran- sition in the public administration from storing the information on paper to using digital media for archiving. We will pay attention to how the records about the disease were created as well as how to find them in the archive.

E-government as a tool to improve the efficiency of public administration: The case of Kazakhstan

Digitalization contributed to the modernization of public administration, particularly e-government development. The purpose of this study is to determine the role of e-government in improving the efficiency of public administration in Kazakhstan. The research methods are comparative, economic-statistical, and qualitative content analysis. The sources of statistical data were the Bureau of National Statistics, the Committee of public services, the e-government portal, and reports of international organizations and national development institutions. The study determined that e-government is a modern paradigm of public administration that contributes to the efficiency of public administration; its development and efficiency are significantly influenced by financial, economic, technological, and legal factors. Kazakhstan has a high level of e-government development. The e-government development portal in Kazakhstan has contributed to improving public administration, especially during the pandemic. However, e-government requires further development, as its functioning has various issues (low degree of information relevance, insufficient portal filling, and low share of automated functions). At the same time, the readiness of public administration organizations for digital transformation is medium. The study proposes recommendations for Kazakhstan’s e-government development to improve public administration, mainly developing technological infrastructure and digital human capital. The results can contribute to the further e-government development in Kazakhstan and enrich the theoretical base in increasing the efficiency of public administration in the context of digital transformation. AcknowledgmentsThis study is supported by the Science Committee of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Grant “Priorities and mechanisms of inclusive regional development of Kazakhstan in the context of overcoming the economic recession,” IRN AP09259004).

Human Capital and Performance Management in the Albanian Public Organizations

Developing an effective, competent and forward-looking public service as well as strong but lean state institutions is one of the greatest challenges nations around the world face today. Researchers as well as governors have highlighted the central role of the human capital in the public services offer. Organization scientists have long considered human capital as a strategic asset that contributes to organizational effectiveness. Whereas the strategic importance of human capital has been widely studied in the case of for-profit organizations, measurement difficulties and the role of human capital in the public sector have received little attention. In a democratic, civil, postmodern society, one of the main tasks is the development of systems for managing the efficiency of human capital in the context of public administration, as a means of obtaining higher levels of labor productivity. Actually, it should be acknowledged that orienting the performance management system to support the attraction of new human potential in public administration at all levels can better achieve this efficiency in the utilization of human resources. In this context, a new approach to the human capital management process is being actualized, which includes employee engagement and key factors of employee engagement at every stage. Albania public administration organizations suffer a lack of flexibility in using the human capital management instruments in favor of a better individual and organizational performance because of the rigid legal framework under which it functions. On the other hand, the special character of the public administration organizations and the public services note the added value of the role of the public administrator. This study tends to bridge this gap on the literature on the importance of the human capital and its impact on the performance of the public organizations as well as to practically evaluate the influence of the human capital on the perceived performance of the Albanian public organizations.
 
 Received: 05 May 2022 / Accepted: 17 May 2023 / Published: 20 May 2023

The role of LMX and organizational climate in improving performance and effectiveness of local public administration: evidence from the Metropolis GZM

Since the 1990s, along with the transformation of public administration and the emergence of new concepts of public management, the improvement of organisational effectiveness and performance (OEP) of local public administration has become an important goal of regional policies in many countries. The OEP of local public administration has started to be considered as an essential factor affecting the process of regional socio-economic development. However, to improve the performance of local public administration, factors influencing the OEP of public administration organizations need to be determined. Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to identify how such factors as the quality of relations between leaders and subordinates as well as learning climate influence the OEP of public administration organizations.
 Method/approach: The paper presents the results of a survey research conducted among 153 employees of municipal offices in the Górnośląsko-Zagłębiowska Metropolis (i.e. Metropolis GZM). A model of relationships between LMX, organizational learning climate, and the OEP was examined with the use of Structural Equation Modeling and path analysis.
 Findings: It was found that the LMX affected the OEP only indirectly through its impact on organizational learning climate which in turn influences the OEP. Therefore, the study also revealed that organizational learning climate mediated the relationship between the LMX and the OEP.
 Originality: The presented results of the study have provided empirical evidence regarding the influence of LMX and organizational climate on the OEP of public organizations which was hitherto absent in the literature on the subject. A novel conclusion from this study is that the high quality of relationships between leaders and subordinates and organizational learning climate improve the OEP of local public administration organizations. Highly effective local public administration can become a driver of the regional development promoting new ideas, innovation and local incentives.

The Ancient Origins of Modern Public Administration (Based on the Materials of the Hebrew Bible)

Currently, there is a certain discrepancy between the theory of public administration and declarations in this area to the real state of affairs in the modern state. The purpose of the study is to search for the origins of public administration in the texts of the Hebrew Bible, as well as to compare modern principles of public administration with biblical ones in order to demonstrate the relevance of politically oriented texts of an ancient religious monument. Comparative analysis, retrospective analysis, as well as the system method were used as scientific methods in this study. The work used the texts of the Holy Scriptures, as well as the approaches of domestic and foreign scientists to understanding these texts in the context of studying the basics of public administration. A comparative study of modern principles of public administration and those foundations of statehood, which were described in the Hebrew Bible, allows us to demonstrate their continuity. The authors come to the conclusion that, if we do not take into account the divine version of the cessation of the existence of the statehood of the ancient Jews for a long time, it can be stated that it was the violation of the principles of state organization that destroyed the ancient state. But the politically well-developed mentality of the people and political culture allowed this statehood to resume after millennia. Thus, the organization of public administration, according to the Hebrew Bible, with proper adaptation to modern realities, can at least partially solve problems in this area.

The Role of Citizens in the Municipalities' Risk Management Process: An Overview in Italy

Risk Management (RM) themes have a central role in private and public admin-istration, improving its performance and resilience, as affirmed by many authors in recent years. The involvement of citizens in public processes derives from the New Public Governance influences, and the evolved consideration from citizen, to partner and customer. However, few authors have investigated whether and how citizen participation is involved in the RM process. This paper aims to cover the gap on the citizens' role in the RM process of public administration organizations, with a focus on corruption risk. In particular, the analysis focused on Italian mu-nicipalities and was conducted on a sample of 110 provincial capitals. Though the analysis of the Italian legislation, we discuss whether access requests (ARs) are a useful tool for citizens through which to exercise their control activity, thus partici-pating in the RM process of the municipality.

Characteristics of pneumoconiosis in Zhejiang Province, China from 2006 to 2020: a descriptive study

BackgroundPneumoconiosis is the most prevalent occupational disease and displays different patterns in each province of China. Clarifying specific incidence patterns and temporal trends in Zhejiang Province can help provide valuable information on the prevention of pneumoconiosis.MethodsAnnual reports of pneumoconiosis for Zhejiang Province from 2006 to 2020 were extracted from the National Occupational Disease and Occupational Health Information Monitoring System. The information of cases included regions, diagnosis ages, genders, exposure durations, pneumoconiosis categories and stages, the first year of exposure, enterprise industries, scales and ownerships.ResultsTotally 6037 new cases of pneumoconiosis were reported between 2006 and 2020, which increased at first and then gradually declined since 2013. Among all pneumoconiosis cases, silicosis accounted for the majority (72.17%). Most of the cases occurred in small-scale and domestic-funded enterprises, which accounted for 71.75% and 96.97%, respectively. When analyzing the industry distribution, the cases were mainly concentrated in mining (37.12%), manufacturing (31.11%) and ‘public administration and social organization’ (23.94%) industry. The average diagnosis age among the pneumoconiosis cases was 55.44 years, and the median exposure duration was 11.00 years. Significantly older diagnosis age and longer exposure duration were found in females, coal workers’ pneumoconiosis cases, cases with higher stages, cases with the first year of dust exposure earlier and cases from large-scale companies. In regional distribution, the top three cities reporting the most pneumoconiosis cases in Zhejiang Province were Taizhou, Quzhou and Hangzhou.ConclusionThe current situation of pneumoconiosis in Zhejiang Province was still serious, and government should further strengthen the surveillance of occupational diseases and supervision of enterprises. Moreover, publicity and education regarding pneumoconiosis should be carried out to raise awareness of dust exposure risk and associated health consequences.

THE ROLE OF THE PRINCIPLES OF DECENTRALIZATION IN THE CONCEPT OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

This article analyzes the role of decentralization in the modernization of public administration, the essence of the concept of decentralization of public administration, the principles of decentralization of public administration, methods of influencing public administration, the method of govarnance, the form of organization of public administration, as well as the transfer of a certain amount of authority, the principle of decentralization of public administration. In addition, the ultimate goal of the redistribution of public administration functions is important as the principle of decentralized public administration, which serves to create the opportunity to make optimal governance decisions based on the common interests of the population, the balance of interests at the state , regional (regional) and local levels. The article considers the possibility of self-government at the level of local administrative-territorial units, as well as the formation of the institution of decentralization.