Suchergebnisse

A very important pillar of democracy is the involvement of citizens in the political decision-making process. The change from "government" to "governance", which has been also noticed in the literature, implies a greater involvement of different stakeholders in the decision-making process and in the process of public policy implementation. Citizens' participation in the process of public services delivery may lead to better public services, which comply with the needs of citizens, better decisions, higher quality and more efficient collaboration in using public money for public services. This research empirically tests attitudes towards greater citizens' involvement in the decision-making process at the local level. We compare attitudes of local councillors in 16 countries divided according to the expanded Hesse-Sharpe (1991) typology. The analysis is based on the result of a survey conducted among local city councillors. We examine different mechanisms of citizen participation in the decision- -making process from the comparative perspective. Our research showed voting to be the most preferable mechanism for public participation in all groups of countries, while citizens' juries are the least preferable mechanism for citizen participation. This research contributes to filling the research gap concerning the role and the importance of citizens' participation in the decision-making process in Europe. ; Uključivanje građana u proces donošenja odluka predstavlja važan stup demokracije. Znanstvena literatura prepoznaje promjenu iz "vladavine" u "upravljanje", što uključuje i veće uključivanje različitih dionika u proces odlučivanja te u proces provedbe javnih politika. Sudjelovanje građana u procesu pružanja javnih usluga može dovesti do boljih javnih usluga, koje su u skladu s potrebama građana, boljih odluka, kvalitetnije i učinkovitije suradnje u korištenju javnog novca za osiguranje javne usluge. U ovom se istraživanju empirijski testiraju stajališta o uključivanju građana u proces donošenja odluka na lokalnoj razini. U istraživanju se ispituju stavovi lokalnih vijećnika iz 16 država podijeljenih prema proširenoj Hesse-Sharpe (1991) klasifikaciji. Analiza se temelji na rezultatima anketnog ispitivanja provedenog među lokalnim vijećnicima u gradovima. U istraživanju se iz komparativne perspektive analiziraju različiti načini sudjelovanja građana u procesu donošenja odluka. Istraživanje je pokazalo da je glasanje preferirani mehanizam javnog sudjelovanja u svim grupama država, dok je sudjelovanje građana u svojstvu povremenih sudaca laika (porotnika) najmanje preferirani mehanizam sudjelovanja građana. Ovaj rad doprinosi popunjavanju nedovoljnog broja istraživanja o ulozi i važnosti sudjelovanja građana u procesu donošenja odluka u Europi.

A very important pillar of democracy is the involvement of citizens in the political decision-making process. The change from "government" to "governance", which has been also noticed in the literature, implies a greater involvement of different stakeholders in the decision-making process and in the process of public policy implementation. Citizens' participation in the process of public services delivery may lead to better public services, which comply with the needs of citizens, better decisions, higher quality and more efficient collaboration in using public money for public services. This research empirically tests attitudes towards greater citizens' involvement in the decision-making process at the local level. We compare attitudes of local councillors in 16 countries divided according to the expanded Hesse-Sharpe (1991) typology. The analysis is based on the result of a survey conducted among local city councillors. We examine different mechanisms of citizen participation in the decision- -making process from the comparative perspective. Our research showed voting to be the most preferable mechanism for public participation in all groups of countries, while citizens' juries are the least preferable mechanism for citizen participation. This research contributes to filling the research gap concerning the role and the importance of citizens' participation in the decision-making process in Europe. ; Uključivanje građana u proces donošenja odluka predstavlja važan stup demokracije. Znanstvena literatura prepoznaje promjenu iz "vladavine" u "upravljanje", što uključuje i veće uključivanje različitih dionika u proces odlučivanja te u proces provedbe javnih politika. Sudjelovanje građana u procesu pružanja javnih usluga može dovesti do boljih javnih usluga, koje su u skladu s potrebama građana, boljih odluka, kvalitetnije i učinkovitije suradnje u korištenju javnog novca za osiguranje javne usluge. U ovom se istraživanju empirijski testiraju stajališta o uključivanju građana u proces donošenja odluka na lokalnoj razini. U istraživanju se ispituju stavovi lokalnih vijećnika iz 16 država podijeljenih prema proširenoj Hesse-Sharpe (1991) klasifikaciji. Analiza se temelji na rezultatima anketnog ispitivanja provedenog među lokalnim vijećnicima u gradovima. U istraživanju se iz komparativne perspektive analiziraju različiti načini sudjelovanja građana u procesu donošenja odluka. Istraživanje je pokazalo da je glasanje preferirani mehanizam javnog sudjelovanja u svim grupama država, dok je sudjelovanje građana u svojstvu povremenih sudaca laika (porotnika) najmanje preferirani mehanizam sudjelovanja građana. Ovaj rad doprinosi popunjavanju nedovoljnog broja istraživanja o ulozi i važnosti sudjelovanja građana u procesu donošenja odluka u Europi.

Literature suggests that drug abuse is one of the major health and social problems in today's society. Croatia is no exception in this respect, although it belongs among the European countries with medium drug use prevalence. Consequently, the importance of evaluating public drug policy is growing. Public expenditures on combating drug problems are recognised as a very useful indicator of government efforts in this regard. This paper contains the results of the first research on drug-related public expenditures conducted in Croatia for the period between 2009 and 2012. Total drug-related public expenditures, including both labelled and unlabelled expenditures, are estimated and expenditures analysed according to the purpose for which these expenditures are intended. The estimation of drug-related public expenditures is based on data collected by means of a survey conducted among principal stakeholders in the field of combating drug abuse in Croatia. Also, the paper analyses expenditures according to the functional classification so as to gain an insight into more detailed purposes for which these expenditures are intended. The results show that the largest part of total public expenditures relates to the public function of public order and safety, while smaller drug-related expenditures are used for health, social protection and education. ; Literatura navodi da je suzbijanje zlouporabe droga vodeći zdravstveni i društveni problem današnjega društva. Hrvatska u tome nije iznimka, iako pripada zemljama Europske unije sa srednjim stupnjem ovisnosti. Sve je veća važnost vrednovanja javnih politika na području suzbijanja zlouporabe droga. Javni izdaci predstavljaju važan indikator državnih napora u suzbijanju zlouporabe droga. Ovaj članak sadrži rezultate prvog istraživanja javnih rashoda u Hrvatskoj od 2009. do 2012. godine. U radu su procijenjeni ukupni javni rashodi, specificirani i nespecificirani, koji se odnose na suzbijanje zlouporabe droga. Procjena se temelji na podacima koji su prikupljeni anketnim ispitivanjem glavnih dionika na području suzbijanja zlouporabe droga u Hrvatskoj. U članku se analiziraju i javni rashodi prema funkcijskoj klasifikaciji, kako bi se stekao uvid u njihovu krajnju namjenu. Rezultati upućuju na to da se najveći dio ukupnih javnih rashoda odnosi na javnu funkciju javnog reda i sigurnosti, dok se manji dio odnosi na zdravstvo, socijalnu zaštitu i obrazovanje.

Performance measurement is one of the crucial factors that lead to the improvement of implementation of local and regional policies. This paper analyses the possibilities to set up performance measurement at the sub-national government level in Croatia and identifies the key obstacles that have to be solved in order to achieve faster local development. Some important prerequisites for successful performance measurement have been analysed in the paper. One is the credibility of the sub-national budget. This part of the analysis is based on the analysis of several indicators developed in the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability Public Financial Management (PEFA PFM) Performance Measurement Framework. A significant divergence of budgetary outturns from the original approved budget, both on the revenue and expenditure side of the budget, confirms the hypothesis about low credibility of the budget at the sub-national level in Croatia. Second prerequisite for the development of performance indicators and performance measurement at sub-national government level are clear objectives and targets of local and regional policies in strategic documents. Therefore, the paper analyses the goals, priorities and measures set in Regional Operational Plans. The analysis proves that defined goals, priorities and measures in Regional Operational Plans cannot be used for performance measurement at the sub-national government level. The results show that the budget does not incorporate any aspects of strategic planning, which is necessary to achieve local and regional development. ; U radu se analizira mjerenje rezultata na lokalnoj razini u Hrvatskoj kao ključnog čimbenika za unapređenje provedbe lokalne i regionalne politike i mogućnosti za uspostavu pokazatelja uspješnosti s ciljem postizanja bržeg lokalnog razvoja. Analiza se temelji na metodologiji Svjetske banke za mjerenje rezultata u javnom sektoru. U radu se analiziraju osnovni preduvjeti koji trebaju biti zadovoljeni za uspješno mjerenje rezultata na lokalnoj razini. Jedan je kredibilitet proračuna lokalnih jedinica. Ovaj se dio analize temelji na analizi nekoliko pokazatelja. Značajna razlika između planiranih i ostvarenih proračunskih prihoda i rashoda potvrđuje hipotezu o malom kredibilitetu lokalnih proračuna u Hrvatskoj. Drugi preduvjet za razvoj pokazatelja uspješnosti na lokalnoj razini i mjerenje rezultata su jasno prepoznati i postavljeni ciljevi lokalne i regionalne politike u strateškim dokumentima. Stoga se u radu analiziraju ciljevi, prioriteti i mjere postavljeni u regionalnim operativnim programima. Rezultati provedene analize pokazuju da se postavljeni ciljevi, prioriteti i mjere u regionalnim operativnim programima ne mogu koristiti za mjerenje rezultata na lokalnoj razini. Rezultati analize pokazuju da proračun ne odražava nikakve aspekte strateškog planiranja, koje je neophodno za postizanje lokalnog i regionalnog razvoja.

El 2001 Croàcia va posar en marxa la iniciativa destinada a afluixar un alt grau de centralització mitjançant l'ampliació dels mandats de les unitats locals i el canvi de les fonts de finançament de les funcions públiques. No obstant això, els passos inicials en el procés de descentralització no ha estat seguida per altres mesures de descentralització fiscal, i en conseqüència, el seu nivell s'ha mantingut pràcticament sense canvis. El treball es proposa elaborar els principals problemes i obstacles en relació amb l'aplicació efectiva del procés de descentralització i donar tres grups de propostes per a la descentralització: (i) la divisió dels poders obligatoris entre les diferents unitats locals, (ii) el canvi en el finançament i (Iii) modificar la divisió territorial del país. ; In 2001 Croatian Government launched the initiative aimed at loosening a high degree of centralization by extending the mandates of local units and changing the sources of financing public functions. However, initial steps in the process of decentralisation have not been followed by additional measures of fiscal decentralization, and consequently its level has stayed broadly unchanged. We elaborate main problems and obstacles in relation with actual implementation of the decentralization process and give three groups of proposals for decentralisation: (i) division of mandatory authorities among different local units, (ii) change in funding and (iii) modified territorial division of the countr

Awareness of the importance of innovation in the public sector is increasing. It should create added public value to the citizens and the society. Public sector innovation is a challenge, but it is also increasingly recognized as a solution to growing budgetary pressures. The paper explores the implementation of innovation in public services at the local level in Croatia. Most of the research conducted so far explores the role of the private sector in the implementation of innovation in the public sector. The objective of this paper is to analyse results of a survey that has been conducted on a sample of representatives of local and regional government in Croatia (big cities and counties) and representatives of local action groups (LAGs) and local/regional development agencies (LRDAs) to examine the ability of Croatian local and regional public sector to innovate and identify the barriers that may hinder the process of introduction and implementation of this innovation. It, thus, explores the main barriers for the implementation of innovative activities at the local level from the perspective of different local actors. The results show that three factors that hinder the process of introducing innovation into the Croatian public sector are competence-related obstacles, bureaucratic barriers, and funding difficulties.

Korupcija na lokalnoj razini zabrinjavajuća je pojava u zemljama Europske unije. Cilj rada je utvrditi obilježja lokalnih vijećnika na drugoj razini vlasti koja opisuju njihovu veću ili manju izloženost korupcijskim pritiscima. Istraživanje, provedeno na više od pet tisuća vijećnika iz 14 europskih država, propituje može li se njihov subjektivni dojam o doživljenim korupcijskim pritiscima opisati njihovim socio-demografskim obilježjima. Rezultati klaster analize su pokazali da u državama Europske unije postoje dvije grupe lokalnih vijećnika koje različito doživljavaju izloženost korupciji i da korupcijski rizici više pogađaju lokalne vijećnike u posttranzicijskim zemljama. Članovi klastera lokalnih vijećnika koji se osjećaju manje izloženi korupcijskim pritiscima su iz 'starih' zemalja Europske unije, zemalja s općenito nižom prisutnosti korupcije, a to su ujedno klasteri s većim udjelom žena i profesionalnih političara u odnosu na klaster vijećnika koji su pod većim korupcijskim pritiskom. Rezultat koji ponajviše pridonosi postojećoj literaturi je da su opažene statistički značajne razlike u izloženosti korupcijskim pritiscima vijećnika u lokalnim jedinicama veće ili manje fi skalne snage. Svrha rada je bila utvrditi ranjive skupine lokalnih vijećnika u cilju jačanja njihovog integriteta za što su neke preporuke ponuđene u zaključku.

Korupcija na lokalnoj razini zabrinjavajuća je pojava u zemljama Europske unije. Cilj rada je utvrditi obilježja lokalnih vijećnika na drugoj razini vlasti koja opisuju njihovu veću ili manju izloženost korupcijskim pritiscima. Istraživanje, provedeno na više od pet tisuća vijećnika iz 14 europskih država, propituje može li se njihov subjektivni dojam o doživljenim korupcijskim pritiscima opisati njihovim socio-demografskim obilježjima. Rezultati klaster analize su pokazali da u državama Europske unije postoje dvije grupe lokalnih vijećnika koje različito doživljavaju izloženost korupciji i da korupcijski rizici više pogađaju lokalne vijećnike u posttranzicijskim zemljama. Članovi klastera lokalnih vijećnika koji se osjećaju manje izloženi korupcijskim pritiscima su iz 'starih' zemalja Europske unije, zemalja s općenito nižom prisutnosti korupcije, a to su ujedno klasteri s većim udjelom žena i profesionalnih političara u odnosu na klaster vijećnika koji su pod većim korupcijskim pritiskom. Rezultat koji ponajviše pridonosi postojećoj literaturi je da su opažene statistički značajne razlike u izloženosti korupcijskim pritiscima vijećnika u lokalnim jedinicama veće ili manje fi skalne snage. Svrha rada je bila utvrditi ranjive skupine lokalnih vijećnika u cilju jačanja njihovog integriteta za što su neke preporuke ponuđene u zaključku. ; Corruption at the local level is a worrying phenomenon in the EU. The aim of the paper is to identify characteristics of the councillors at the second tier level that describe opinion about their greater or lesser exposure to corruption pressures. The goal of the analysis of opinion of more than five thousand councillors from 14 European countries is to investigate whether their subjective impression of the underlying corruption pressures can be described by their socio-demographic characteristics. Results of the cluster analysis have shown that there are two groups of local councillors in the EU, that they experience corruption differently, and that the corruption risks affect local councillors in post-transition countries more. Local councillors who consider that they are less exposed to corruption pressures are from the "old" EU countries, from countries with a generally lower level of corruption. This is also a cluster with a greater share of women and professional politicians. There are statistically significant differences observed regarding their exposure to corruption between councillors in local government units with larger or smaller level of fi scal decentralisation, and this is the most interesting finding of this research. The purpose of this paper was to identify vulnerable groups of local councillors in order to strengthen their integrity, for which some of the recommendations are given in the conclusion.

Korupcija na lokalnoj razini zabrinjavajuća je pojava u zemljama Europske unije. Cilj rada je utvrditi obilježja lokalnih vijećnika na drugoj razini vlasti koja opisuju njihovu veću ili manju izloženost korupcijskim pritiscima. Istraživanje, provedeno na više od pet tisuća vijećnika iz 14 europskih država, propituje može li se njihov subjektivni dojam o doživljenim korupcijskim pritiscima opisati njihovim socio-demografskim obilježjima. Rezultati klaster analize su pokazali da u državama Europske unije postoje dvije grupe lokalnih vijećnika koje različito doživljavaju izloženost korupciji i da korupcijski rizici više pogađaju lokalne vijećnike u posttranzicijskim zemljama. Članovi klastera lokalnih vijećnika koji se osjećaju manje izloženi korupcijskim pritiscima su iz 'starih' zemalja Europske unije, zemalja s općenito nižom prisutnosti korupcije, a to su ujedno klasteri s većim udjelom žena i profesionalnih političara u odnosu na klaster vijećnika koji su pod većim korupcijskim pritiskom. Rezultat koji ponajviše pridonosi postojećoj literaturi je da su opažene statistički značajne razlike u izloženosti korupcijskim pritiscima vijećnika u lokalnim jedinicama veće ili manje fi skalne snage. Svrha rada je bila utvrditi ranjive skupine lokalnih vijećnika u cilju jačanja njihovog integriteta za što su neke preporuke ponuđene u zaključku. ; Corruption at the local level is a worrying phenomenon in the EU. The aim of the paper is to identify characteristics of the councillors at the second tier level that describe opinion about their greater or lesser exposure to corruption pressures. The goal of the analysis of opinion of more than five thousand councillors from 14 European countries is to investigate whether their subjective impression of the underlying corruption pressures can be described by their socio-demographic characteristics. Results of the cluster analysis have shown that there are two groups of local councillors in the EU, that they experience corruption differently, and that the corruption risks affect local councillors in post-transition countries more. Local councillors who consider that they are less exposed to corruption pressures are from the "old" EU countries, from countries with a generally lower level of corruption. This is also a cluster with a greater share of women and professional politicians. There are statistically significant differences observed regarding their exposure to corruption between councillors in local government units with larger or smaller level of fi scal decentralisation, and this is the most interesting finding of this research. The purpose of this paper was to identify vulnerable groups of local councillors in order to strengthen their integrity, for which some of the recommendations are given in the conclusion.

Rad empirijski propituje ulogu i perspektive malih i srednjih poduzeća (MSP) u uspješnom konkuriranju na tržištima javnih nabava. Tržišta javnih nabava u posttranzicijskim zemljama čine značajan udio u nacionalnom gospodarstvu, a njihov značaj raste u uvjetima ekonomske krize. Literatura koja se bavi javnim nabavama i uključenošću MSP-a navodi ozbiljne prepreke s kojima se poduzeća suočavaju kad pristupaju tržištima javnih nabava. Na razini Europske unije (EU), uspostavljen je skup politika kojima se promovira uključenost MSP-a u javne nabave. U radu se istražuju konkurentnost i ulazne barijere s kojima su MSP suočena u pristupu tržištima javnih nabava u dvije posttranzicijske zemlje, Hrvatskoj i Bosni i Hercegovini (BiH). U radu se uspoređuju mišljenja menadžera i poslovnih ljudi iz MSP-a o konkurentnosti te o rasponu i intenzitetu prepreka s kojima se suočavaju u natječajima javnih nabava. Prepreke sudjelovanju u javnim nabavama mogu se ticati raspoloživih resursa, korupcijskog rizika, transparentnosti i ispravnosti procedura, jasnoće natječajne dokumentacije, postignutih načela i standarda, cijene, rokova i drugih dimenzija javnih nabava. U radu se preispituje proizlaze li uočene razlike iz različitog statusa dviju zemalja u članstvu u EU-u te postoje li razlike između podskupina mikro, malih i srednjih poduzeća. Kako bi se ponudili uvjerljivi odgovori na navedena pitanja, u istraživanju se koriste empirijski podaci prikupljeni anketiranjem poduzeća u BiH u 2014. godini i usporedivi podaci prikupljeni od hrvatskih poduzeća tijekom 2013. godine. Nalazi su stavljeni u kontekst javnih nabava kao prilike da se potakne rast i ekonomski razvoj u posttranzicijskom razdoblju. ; This study empirically evaluates the role and perspectives for SMEs to successfully compete at public procurement markets. The government procurement markets in post-transition countries make a significant share of national economy and seemingly their importance rises in the times of economic crisis. The literature on public procurement and involvement of SMEs noted severe obstacles for companies to access public procurement markets, and the set of policies were established in the EU to promote SMEs' involvement in public procurement. This case study encompasses business sector in two post-transition countries, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in order to explore competitiveness and entry barriers specifically for SMEs to participate at the public procurement market. We compare the views of managers and business people representing companies of the small and medium size on the level of competition and on the range and intensity of obstacles to participate at public procurement tenders, in terms of availability of resources, corruption risks, transparency and fairness of procedure, clarity of documentation, principles and standards achieved, price, deadlines and other dimensions of public procurement. If there are differences between the two countries, do they stem from the different EU membership status? Are there differences between subgroups of micro, small, and medium companies? In order to provide plausible answers to these questions, we use the empirical evidence collected through the survey of companies in BiH in 2014, and comparable data on Croatian companies surveyed in 2013. The findings are put in the context of public procurement as an opportunity to enhance growth and economic development in post-transition era.

This chapter analyses the gender gap in the attitudes of local elected elites in the countries covered by the survey on municipal councillors within the international project Municipal Assemblies in European Local Governments (MAELG). Some studies indicate that, although broadly the same issues are significant for both women and men, women's perspectives on issues still differ. As women need to be at least a large minority in municipal councils to have an impact on different policies, we use and compare the available statistics on women's participation in local councils in the countries included in the MAELG project to see whether the identified differences (if any) could result in different policy choices.

The paper explores the existence of differences in local economic outcomes between local government units with and without entrepreneurial zone in Croatia. The analysis is based on the data related to the business results of entrepreneurs, local government budgets and local development during 2004–2016 period. Bivariate statistic methods have been used to analyse whether the differences in business results of entrepreneurs, fiscal performance and level of development at the local level have been determinate by the existence of entrepreneurial zone in the local government unit. The results of this research reveal that entrepreneurial zones are important for the local economic outcomes. The results of empirical analysis confirm that local self-government units with entrepreneurial zones are more successful than units that do not have an entrepreneurial zone. The differences are particularly pronounced when looking at fiscal performance of local government units and business results of entrepreneurs. Investment in establishment of entrepreneurial infrastructure is also positively correlated with the level of local development and level of unemployment.