Suchergebnisse

This article gives the overview of the implementation of strategic planning system in Lithuania and identifiesthe problems that were posed while implementing the mentioned system.The reforms were practically implemented in 2000 when the Strategic Planning Manual was adopted by theGovernment of Lithuania. The Manual provides instructions for the preparation of strategic plans. In 2000 for thefirst time ministries' and Government agencies' strategic plans were prepared following the budget formation cyclefor the year 2001. Following the Manual the ministries and Government agencies pointed out expected results theywanted to achieve. In this way the activity transformed from process oriented into result oriented. Monitoring andreporting is a fundamental part of a good planning process and in 2002 for the first time ministries and Governmentagencies have reported on the results achieved against their planning targets.This article also includes analysis of experience as well as suggestions for future improvement. Progress isrequired at two levels: first, the political level (the Prime Minister and Ministers) needs to be more actively involvedin the deliberations on priority setting. Second, the administrative level needs to improve decision–making process.

The initiatives aimed at the development of electronic government are directly related to the attempts ofpublic sector modernisation, which are taking place in many European countries. E-government is a complexissue, comprising technological, political, social, economic aspects. In narrow conception e-government can beunderstood as a provision of information and services of public authorities via electronic channels; in a broaddefinition, e-government comprises different aspects of implementing of information and telecommunicationtechnologies in the public sector, as provision of services is inseparable from broader context: channels of servicesand communication, competence of population and public servants, etc. These different concepts are reflected inthe information society's planning documents of different countries.The article reviews the planning of e-government in Lithuania and Europe. Basic Lithuania's and Europe'sdocuments dedicated for planning of e-government are studied. In this field, the most important document inLithuania is the Conception of Electronic Government that was approved by the Government of the Republic ofLithuania at the end of 2002; this document sets goals and objectives, range and priorities, management, financingand implementation of processes of e-government in Lithuania. Later, adequate documents of two internationalEuropean organisations whose member is Lithuania – European Union and Council of Europe – are analysed. Thearticle analyses and compares main concepts, ideas and aspects as well as suggested priorities and ways of egovernment'sdevelopment that are set in those documents.

With the 2002 global recession Lithuania demonstrated its resistance and flexibility and showed remarkable results(rapid GDP growth, rise in wages, strong Litas; consolidated budget deficit and public debt in line with the Maastrichtcriteria). However, from the structural viewpoint, Lithuania's economy is unbalanced – we still experience highunemployment rate, slow wage, income and consumption increase, extensive development of small and medium business,and uneven regional development. All of the above influence the formation of the state revenues. Budget revenues-to-GDPhave been on the decrease since 1998.The rapidly increasing GDP and decreasing state revenues show that the compilation of the state budget is not relatedto the GDP. The state focuses its attention on macroeconomic indicators failing to take sufficient account of the structuralproblems. Reasons for the falling state revenues lie in the fiscal policy. They are there when compiling the new budget.The reasons for the ever decreasing state revenues lie not only in the shadow economy and tax collection. Therefore themeasures adopted by the Government are inadequate and cannot fully solve the problem.The main reasons for the decrease in the state revenue are as follows:• Lithuania's fiscal policy is based on the priority of distributing expenditure rather than increasing the staterevenues;• inflexible fiscal policy and the freezing of wages, taking no account of the needs of the economy and the situation;• drawbacks of the tax system: 1) too large a tax burden on consumption and labour, whereas the share of capital,land, and real property taxes is very small; 2) the tax system is oriented towards the interests of big capital ratherthan small and medium-sized business; the tax burden on smaller companies is much larger than big ones;• the Ministry of Finance focuses on distributing the expenditure rather than analytical, strategic activities; thereforethe budget planning is based on current objectives rather than strategic decisions;• gender-based ...

This article is aimed at providing information on different possible models of the institutional structure thatcould be applied in municipalities as well as the models that have already been applied in the municipalities ofLithuania since the re-establishment of the independent state on March 11, 1990 and thus to create assumptions forthe selection of the most suitable model of the institutional structure for Lithuanian municipalities at the currentperiod.The main goal is being sought by: 1. Clearly defining and explaining the conceptions of the municipal institutional structure and the principlemodel of institutional structure.2. Indicating the principal-classic models of the municipal institutional structure as well as the reasons whycertain models of principal-derivative municipal institutional structure are applied in separate countries.3. Pointing out the principle grouping (arrangement) versions of the principal (classic and derivative) modelsof the municipal institutional structure according to the criteria chosen.4. Introducing all the models of the municipal institutional structure that have been applied in Lithuania sinceMarch 11, 1990 as well as briefly describing them.5. Submitting the proposals concerning possible models of the municipal institutional structure that could becurrently applied.

The traditional state administrative paradigm and it's connection with educational institutions is the focus of thisarticle. So, bureaucracy as the political institution is formed within the framework of universal educational paradigm. Thebureaucracy is connected with dysfunctions. The sociological research conducted in Republic of Komi has demonstrated,that, as a rule, managing posts takes the people with humanitarian university education. It is quite possible, that themodernisation of a system of a state and municipal service can begin from the development of regional educationaltraining institutions that would help "discovering" local elites that in turn would help in building public sector institutions.

High technology development and innovation transfer process is one of the backgrounds for economic developmentand modernization. The state and regional (local) administrative bodies are concerned in this field, becausethey go by the assumption that science and technology fuel economic growth. But they misconstrue the transformationof an innovative success to a market success process. The state and regional programs support explanations ofthe innovation process that are relatively simple and linear. But the relationship of science to technology and technologyto economic growth is complex, interactive and iterative. To explain them the system approach is needed. Toooften government programs address the initial transfer of technology that leads to new products, but they do notaddress the process improvements that are needed by firms for them to maintain a competitive status. The economicimpact and development are the end purpose of state and regional innovation transfer support initiatives. But statetechnology transfer efforts should be viewed more in terms of a response to concerns over the competitiveness crisis.The primary objective of local (regional) economic development policies, including technology–based policies, is toprovide jobs. It is obviously that entirely initiatives of state or private forces don't suffice to make the technologytransfer process effective. But the participation of the state and local administration bodies in innovation transfer isessential. The discussion whether the state is loosing its role in the regional development and innovation transferprocess area or not has no answers. There are some fields where the state has more competence, and some problemsthat must be solved by regions themselves. The most effect can be getting participatory by state, local or regionaladministration and business organizations or local communities.

Some well-established patterns in the education of American public managers are discussed in the article.Peculiarities of the Master of Public Administration Degree and intensive, short-term Public Management Educationprograms are described. Taking in account "government reinvention" or "high performance government" movements andstating that the content of public manager education is not constant, but must evolve to remain relevant, some recenttrends in the programmatic content of education are analyzed.

The paper presents an e-government project set up in Italy to build the Normeinrete ("Law on the Net")portal. It offers an information service to citizens providing them with unified access to Italian and EuropeanUnion legislation published on different institutional web sites. The system is based on co-operativetechnological architecture, resulting in a federation of legislative data bases developed on different platforms.Co-operation is achieved by means of suitable application gateways which provide "loose" integrationby adopting two standards for identifying the resources and representing the document structure and metadataby XML mark up according to ad hoc DTDs. The adoption of these standards allows automated dynamichyperlinking among laws and semi-automated building of legislation in force. The approach adopted enablesa good level of integration to be reached among different systems while maintaining the autonomy ofthe institutions.

The European Charter of Local Self-Government, the Cork declaration, the European Union Leader+programme, the Lithuanian law of local Self-government aims to encourage and support rural communities intaking active role in local development.Local authorities shall be entitled to define appropriate forms of popular participation and civic engagementin decision-making and in fulfillment at their function of community leadership.Local self-government reflects what is the nucleus of the democratic principle-the right and duty of citizens totake part in and share responsibility for common matters in their society.Article discuss some problems in Lithuania related with representation of rural communities in local selfgovernment by urban citizens.

The article proposes main features of Lithuanian local governments and describes models of strategic decisionmakingused by them, highlights to interest group analysis's importance and approaches identification of key issuesand prospects of usage of these approaches in planning processes in local governments are also detailed in the article.Preparation and implementation of strategic plans is analyzed using method of sociological survey and followingareas of analysis are discussed: functions of analysis and planning units of strategic planning committees in Lithuanianlocal governments, mistakes of strategic management made by local governments, and obstacles to strategicplans preparation and implementation.

Continuously developing socio-economic context poses many challenges to public administrators. Public decisionmakingaffects not only those interest groups that are directly concerned by the decisions but also the general public.Therefore strict professional requirements to civil servants are justified and need to be adapted to the changes in theenvironment as well. This paper focuses on theoretical analysis of civil service professional competence and qualificationsstandards and their presence in Lithuanian civil service legislation.

During the third decade of XX century in the administrative machine of Lithuanian government the old officialdom,which has graduated studies in czarist Russia was dominant. The main attribute of that generation ofofficials was experience of life together with the maladies inherited from Russia, namely: sycophancy, patronage,reserve and reserved view to innovations. However already in the fourth decade [the second decade of independentLithuania] the new young administrations, graduates of the Western and Lithuanian schools started work at theinstitutions of public administration. The functional style of public administration, that was dominant at that time inWestern countries was more acceptable for them.The interwar Lithuania was a young nation which faced a lot difficulties, typical for the nations with the lack ofmanagement experience: malpractice of the officials, lack the education, instability of legal system etc.During the last decade of interwar Lithuania the government was putting its efforts to rationalize managementtaking into account the influence of global economical crisis and public opinion.

Modern societies are characterised by different and constantly changing interests, views, attitudes and expectations,and this is directly connected to the shifting idea of governance and the role of public administrations. Inorder to increase the efficiency of governance, to get it closer to the people, to harmonize governmental decisionswith different interests, values and views, ideas of participatory democracy are gaining in popularity in differentcountries. Draft European Constitution includes principles of both representative and participatory democracy;issues and initiatives related to participatory democracy are set in the working documents of different Europeaninstitutions and various European countries.In the context of participatory democracy, information technologies play an important role. They give thepossibility to get and transfer information in convenient and instant way, and as such, they can be successfullyemployed in order to give possibility for citizens to learn about decisions that are taken by the authorities, as wellas to take part in the drafting of those decisions.The concept of electronic democracy is related to e-government. Electronic government traditionally isunderstood as providing of information and services of authorities via electronic channels; but as more comprehensiveterm, it comprises different aspects of implementing of information and telecommunication technologiesin the public sector, as provision of services is inseparable from broader context: channels of services and communication,competence of population and public servants, etc.The article reviews initiatives carried on by European Union and Lithuanian public administration institutions,such as development of electronic public services, channels and ways to provide the information and services,implementation of mechanisms for communication between citizens and public institutions, training of state andmunicipal servants. It examines the attempts to use the information technologies in promoting openness ...

The issues of the modern biotechnologies seem highly important in the light of the numerous studies onpossible threats to human health and environment posed by GMO's. It might be considered, though, that theindustry of biotechnologies represents "the industry of the future" that provides wide opportunities to improve thewell-being of people. However, one could admit that the latest technologies, having been influenced so much byeconomy, national and global policies, various legislation and public pressure, might come into conflict with therapidly developing natural sciences. The governmental policies or lack of regulation, on the other hand, mighteither prompt or staunch the investment in the industry and science. Eventually, the public opinion may play acrucial role for the technology and industry innovations as well as for the market.One can regard GMO's as a fairly new subject in Lithuania. It has not been a long time since the specialists firstbecame aware of GMO's. So that to ensure that the nurture, production, shipping, transfer and use of all modifiedorganisms are conducted with no or minimum detriment to biological diversity, and also having in mind thepossible danger of GMO's to human health, it is necessary to establish the biosafety system in Lithuania.The fluctuations in social, economic, political and legal areas do influence the regulation of GMO's. So far theLithuanian legislation necessary to ensure proper use of GMO's has not been fully drafted and implemented. Theprocess of European integration and globalisation also has considerable influence on the spread of GMO's inLithuania. The EU policies in the field of GMO's make it necessary for Lithuania to establish legal and administrativeframework for the regulation of GMO's. The use of the GMO's in the business environment will behindered to a great extent by the complexity of GMO's regulatory activities, the expensiveness of GMO's andGMP's legalization, the establishment of public awareness system, negative consumer outlook on GMO's andpromotion ...

The changing of content and forms of civil service training and education in the public sector is analysed in the article.In the modern society, the role of the public institution staff in the planning and implementation of the strategic activitiesof the institutions has increased dramatically. The personnel management content of "putting out the fires" no longer meetsthe needs of the modern organization. The development of the capacities of civil servants is one of the directions in stateadministrative reform as well as one of the main conditions for effective public sector activities.It is possible to say that the existing training of civil servants in Lithuania is more extensive, based on personalmotivation. However the latter does not always coincide with institutional interests. The largest obstacle in effective civilservants training is insufficient capacity of the institutional personnel system of public administration. Although personnelunits carry out the analysis of the needs of qualification training the functions of training process and career planning areimplemented insufficiently. The staff of personnel management boards in state and municipal institutions is not adequate,and unable to carry mentioned functions while existing public administration institutions cannot administrate the processesof qualification assurance properly.