bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Parents Satisfaction with Preschool Education Service, As Determinant of Service Improvement
Authors: Zivotic Predrag , Tanasic Jasmina , Bjegovic Mikanovic Vesna
Published: September 2018

The objective of this paper is to analyze the overall users’ satisfaction with preschool institutions, and the correlation between different socio-economic characteristics of the respondents and their satisfaction with the obtained services. A survey was conducted in seven towns and municipalities in the Province of Vojvodina in Serbia, including 7798 parents of children using preschool services. The research instrument was a questionnaire composed based on similar surveys of user satisfaction. Multiple regression analysis served as the tool in analyzing the relationship between the users’ socio-economic background and overall satisfaction with services. Overall parent satisfaction with preschool education services appears lower among respondents with higher education, those who participate in the costs of preschool services and those living in urban areas.
Sustainability of Local Government Sector Debt. Evidence from Monte-Carlo Simulations
Authors: Kluza Krzysztof
Published: September 2018

The financial standing of local governments across the European Union was strongly affected by the economic crisis. The local government sector conducted vast investment policies reaching 10.2% of all investments in the EU countries in 2010. However, at the same time its indebtedness expanded significantly. The current low interest rate environment makes the sector vulnerable to future interest rate increases. The presented research analyses the impact of several scenarios of interest rate changes in Poland on the local governments’ ability to service their current debt burdens. Simulations are conducted with the Monte Carlo method. Some scenarios indicate a high vulnerability of local governments to adverse changes in market interest rates, but only if they are combined with a reduction of sector’s operating surplus. Such an economic setup may give rise to systemic problems for the whole public sector.
Local Governance in a Developing Country
Authors: Öktem Mustafa Kemal
Published: September 2018

How the implementation of local governance can be improved in the developing world is an open research question. This study discusses the difficulty of transitioning toward local governance in Turkey. To analyze the basic difficulties of local governance, a survey was conducted using a random sampling method within the inner city municipalities of Ankara. The findings indicate that improving local governance by enhancing transparency and building mechanisms of e-governance is the first step to motivating the public to participate in and to move toward a system of local governance. In general, each of these strategies would likely increase overall citizen involvement and, in particular, would increase the involvement of those citizens between 26 and 35 years old.
An Explanation of Local Government Debt in Spain Based on Internal Control System
Authors: Gras Ester , Hernandez Joaquin , Palacios Mercedes
Published: September 2018

The literature reflects a growing interest in the research of Public Sector debt. However, this is the first time that a variable of internal control is used to analyse interaction with the level of debt. This paper analyses the influence of the level of internal control in Spanish Local Government on indebtedness. We have obtained a sample of 1,806 Spanish municipalities. The main finding is that the level of internal control system influences the municipal debt per capita, so the higher the level of internal control, the lower the level of debt. Furthermore, we confirm previously reported results.
Untangling the Complexity of the Association between Contracting and Local Fiscal Performance and Income Inequality in Terms of Competing Values
Authors: Oh Youngmin , Park Jongsun , Lim Seunghoo
Published: September 2018

Public contracting is designed to reduce costs and to enhance service quality. However, few prior studies have clarified the multiple performance dimensions of public service delivery influenced by contracting. This study empirically tests how different contracting elements are associated with local fiscal performance and income inequality in terms of competing values. For the test, the different contracting elements (scope, competition, stability, specification and monitoring) are respectively measured through a nationwide public service delivery survey. Multiple performance values of public service delivery (efficiency, effectiveness and equity) are measured through local fiscal data and the Gini index. Overall, competitive market is associated only with efficiency, while stability is related only to equity.
Mediating Role of Professionalism in Explaining the Association between Accountability and Participatory Governance
Authors: Jung Kyujin , Andrew Simon A. , Kwon Myungjung
Published: September 2018

While the current literature has focused on the various forms of accountability, the mediating role of professionalism in explaining the association between accountability and participatory governance has remained largely unexplored. This study aims to identify the critical role of professionalism by examining how public administrators and citizens perceived and dealt with conflicting accountability pressures in participatory governance. Through structural equation models with the Local Community Center Survey, the results show that from the citizen perspective, the perceived professionalism mediates the positive association between the level of procedural, performance, and political accountability and participatory governance.
Constitutional Limits of Legislative Referendum: The Case of Slovenia
Authors: Ribičič Ciril , Kaučič Igor
Published: September 2018

A relatively broad accessibility of the referendum as well as its inadequate normative regulation enabled is use (and abuse) for pursuing narrow political, including party interests, and the interests of well-organized civic groups. The Constitutional Court has had to decide whether to prevent a referendum due to the unconstitutionality of the referendum question or because its results would lead to unconstitutional consequences. Four decisions of the Constitutional Court in particular have left an important mark: by referring to the principle of constitutional democracy, whereby the Constitutional Court provides protection of fundamental rights and liberties, even against majoritarian beliefs, the Court prevented referendums on the deprivation of the citizenship; on the redress of injustice inflicted upon the "Erased persons"; on the construction of a mosque and on raising judges' salaries. The new constitutional regulation contains three fundamental sets of changes, namely changes in the field of the referendum initiative; the limits of the possible referendum subject-matter; and changes pertaining to the legitimacy of the referendum decision.
Introduction of a Local Real Estate Tax in Croatia: A Survey of Expert and Public Opinion
Authors: Blažić Helena , Šimović Hrvoje , Štambuk Ana
Published: September 2018

This paper presents the results of surveys of both expert and public opinion regarding the introduction of a local real estate tax in Croatia. The methodology encompasses descriptive statistics and two models (the PLS-SEM and the binomial probit regression model). Support for the introduction of the real estate tax is stronger among the experts than the general public. However, the experts differ on professional lines, with faculty specialized in economics from departments of finance and accounting generally being against the tax. Both models reveal positive relationships between support for the tax and support for more equitable taxation. Meanwhile, the broader expert model is, besides profession and equity, also negatively influenced by attitudes in favour of lower taxation costs and positively influenced by attitudes in favour of property being an adequate indicator of ability to pay and of the need to tax capital income. The public opinion model is positively influenced by equity and negatively influenced by negative expectations about the abolition of existing real estate user charges and taxes. Work status is also relevant.
Exploration of the Effectiveness of Public Procurement for Innovation: Panel Analysis of EU Countries’ data
Authors: Detelj Kristina , Jagric Timotej , Markovic-Hribernik Tanja
Published: September 2018

This research focuses on the impact of public procurement for innovation (PPI) on a country's level of innovativeness. The available literature primarily consists of case studies that identify PPI’s impact on the innovativeness of particular firms. Therefore, this paper developed an econometric model to investigate the impact of PPI on the innovativeness of EU countries. The model tested the impact of four different innovation policy measures (PPI, R&D subsidies, regulations and cooperation). The results showed that in different model settings, PPI was positively and significantly related to countries’ innovativeness, whereas the other three measures showed low significance. These research findings may be important to policy makers when selecting appropriate measures for promoting innovation and thereby also enhancing their country’s competitiveness.
Processes of Regional Convergence in Poland in the Context of the Use of European Union Funds
Authors: Czudec Adam , Kata Ryszard
Published: September 2018

The study evaluates the processes of regional income convergence in Poland. This problem is considered from the angle of the key development gaps separating the regions of Eastern Poland from other more economically developed regions of the country. The EU Structural Funds allocated significant resources in 2004-2014 to re-duce these gaps, including under the Operational Programme Development of Eastern Poland (OP DEP 2007-2013), specially designed for this purpose. It was shown that there has been significant progress in reducing de-velopment gaps during the period in question, including in relation to: expenditure on R&D in relation to GDP, economic activity of the population and the development of road infrastructure. Progress in this area would not be possible without the support of EU funds. Even though the scope and scale of positive changes prevented regional convergence, they contributed to inhibiting the processes of further income polarization between regions.
The Growth of Covert Advertising in the Context of Local Self-Government
Authors: Tomazic Tina
Published: September 2018

Advertising has become an indispensable component of the modern information society. The advertisers try to attract attention, often with aggressive and unethical advertising; one aspect being covert advertising. Covert advertising means all the texts are paid for in the forms of journalistic texts but they want just the commercial benefit. Our goal was to investigate covert advertising within the Slovenian press, with a mutually comparative analysis of three daily newspapers comparing the years 2008 and 2012, and to study the existing theoretical contributions on covert advertising in the context of local self-government as a key element of democracy, its causes, and the legal order. We determined that the number of such articles is growing each year, and the laws and regulations are absolutely disrespected.
Tackling Bureaucracy Growth in Time of Crisis: The Case of Czech Statutory Cities
Authors: Lysek Jakub
Published: September 2018

In times of economic crisis, municipalities have faced serious fiscal stress and have had to implement responsive measures such as lowering operational costs, a hiring freeze or layoffs. Yet some cities even boost their bureaucratic apparatus. Based on empirical results of Czech statutory cities, it is argued, that the main cause of bureaucratic growth is party fragmentation, government alternations and weak mayors because post-communist administrations are affected by widespread patronage and clientelism. Decline or cutbacks strategies are linked to fiscal stress though in times of elections are determined by political context rather than the economic environment.
Leading the Locality: Icelandic Local Government Leadership Dilemma
Authors: Hlynsdóttir Eva Marín
Published: September 2018

In Iceland there is a growing scepticism towards mayors with executive powers (Kristinsson 2014). At the same time there is also a substantial demand of a responsive, community orientated local leader with strong direct access into central government level. In Iceland, mayors are recruited largely through two processes: through hiring following nationwide job postings (manager-mayors) and through political appointment from within the municipal council (political mayors). This paper explores the dilemma these different role expectations create for local leaders and local leadership on the whole and how democratic renewal may both contributes to the creation as well as solving of this dilemma. Firstly, the paper discusses the foundation for growing criticism towards executive mayors and the counteractions that have been undertaken. Secondly it delves into the foundation of local leadership and looks into what local leaders believe is expected or even demanded of them by citizens, central government or local agencies in the context of democratic renewal. The findings suggest that professional management plays a vital role in democratic renewal at the local level. However, manager-mayors are expected by citizens, central government and to some part the media to behave in similar ways as political mayors. This creates a dilemma as they are expected to be neutral professionals and community oriented “political” leaders at the same time. Finally, the strong emphasis on community role and direct access of local politicians into central government makes the Icelandic mayoral system more compatible to more southern typologies than the northern typology it is usually assigned to?
Pride and Prejudice: The Local Leaders’ Attitude Towards Place-Based Collaboration in the Warsaw Metropolitan Area
Authors: Szmigiel-Rawska Katarzyna , Dąbrowska Anna
Published: September 2018

The goal of the paper is to identify and discuss the factors shaping the local leaders’ attitude towards metropolitan collaboration. The focus is on the relations within the political space and it is set in institutional collective actions dilemmas context. This article is based on 103 in-depth interviews with politicians and officials as well as on analysis of statistical and financial data. The results generally confirm the most often discussed set of factors that influence the collaboration in metropolitan areas but also induce to pay attention to the details. It is very difficult to define what it is positive incentive to collaboration in general – it has to be shaped to the chosen place.
Fiscal Consolidation in German and Greek Municipalities: The Interplay of Leadership and Legitimacy
Authors: Stolzenberg Philipp , Getimis Panagiotis
Published: September 2018

This article assesses the interplay between different leadership styles and three dimensions of legitimacy (input-, throughput- and output-legitimacy). In four German and six Greek cities, we investigate the role of mayors and treasurers in fiscal consolidation policy. We can explain different outcomes of fiscal policy with different institutional structures between the two countries, but we found also remarkable differences within the countries, especially in Greek municipalities, which are related to different leadership styles. However, we also show that different leadership styles can result in sufficient output-legitimacy of fiscal policies.
Philanthropic Foundations and Local Policy Making in the Austerity Era: Does Urban Governance Matter?
Authors: Ravazzi Stefania
Published: September 2018

Over the last decades, European cities have been facing serious constraints. In particular, decreasing transfers from central governments, the introduction of domestic ‘Stability pacts’ and the economic crisis have significantly challenged the capacity of local governments to address societal issues. Within this context, local governments have tried to find new ways by establishing collaborations with a wide range of private actors, including non-profit organizations and the civil society as a whole. Among these private actors, big philanthropic organizations are gaining prominence, acting as public policy supporters and policy makers. In particular, those philanthropic organizations, which focus the operating activity on single communities, are emerging as potential key actors in local governance, thanks to their capacity to concentrate resourses and efforts in specific and limited territories. For this new emerging role, a recent debate on their impact on local policy making has raised in the last years. This paper aims at presenting the findings of a comparative analysis on the impact that some of the world’s biggest philanthropic organizations have produced in two Italian urban contexts. In particular, the comparative analysis of these two cases had the aim of testing a major thesis: the impact of philanthropic foundations on local policy making varies in relation to the consolidated mode of governance within which they operate.
Legal Characteristics of a Servitude in the Public Interest
Authors: Vrenčur Renato , Knaus Michael , Tratnik Matjaž
Published: September 2018

Servitudes (easements) traditionally include the right to use foreign property. Specific types of servitudes are servitudes in the public interest. These are set up either in favour of the state, municipalities or operators of utilities. These servitudes are subject to some specific rules. For example, servitude in the public interest is established to carry out an undertaking for the operation of economic activity, i.e. to pursue public interests. It is needed for the duration of the use of public infrastructure; therefore, Article 227 of SPZ, under which a servitude may only be established for a limited duration of not more than thirty years, is not suitable for these servitudes. Furthermore, these servitudes are not independently transferable; they are transferred together with the right to operate economic public infrastructure. The authors discuss in particular the specific legal nature of a servitude in the public interest.
Political Economy of Fiscal Equalization: The Case of Croatia
Authors: Bajo Anto , Primorac Marko
Published: September 2018

Due to ineffectiveness in mitigating fiscal inequalities, Croatian fiscal equalization system has recently been reformed. Before that, criteria for application of fiscal equalization instruments were based on a status of local government units in areas of special national concern and hill and mountainous areas. The aim of this paper is to examine the relationship between the use of equalization instruments and political structure of local government units in 2010. The research revealed a statistically significant relationship between the political alignment of local and central government and the preferential status at areas of special national concern and the distribution of grants through the income tax return.
Government Subsidies to Non-profit Organisations and its Impact on Private Donations: Regional and Subsector Models
Authors: Hladká Marie , Hyánek Vladimír
Published: September 2018

Government subsidies to the non-profit sector are a significant source of income for non-profit organisations. One significant impact of these subsidies is on the changing scope of private giving. The objective of this paper is to use a regression model to test whether government funding in the Czech Republic encourages private gifts and large amounts of government funding discourages gifts. However, rather than focusing on aggregate data sources, this study examines how these impacts vary among regions and sub-sectors. These models help explain why studies conducted in the past frequently differed and were inconsistent in their findings.
Street Lighting Management and Performance Evaluation: Opportunities and Challenges
Authors: Thiel Gustavo Guilherme , Ensslin Sandra Rolim , Ensslin Leonardo
Published: September 2018

Street lighting aims to contribute to the well-being and safety of citizens, and Performance Evaluation emerges as a tool to aid them in their management process. This study aims to explore what the literature offers on performance evaluation in street lighting management, in order to develop knowledge in the researchers, and clearly presenting research opportunities. In this regard, a Bibliographic Portfolio is composed from the most relevant scientific publications; Bibliometrics and a Systematic Review were performed as well. The process guided by the instrument of intervention, called ProKnow-C, presented research gaps and opportunities on the topic in question.
Security and Tourism in European Cities - The Multiple Case Study
Authors: Mekinc Janez , Mawby Rob , Trnavčevič Anita
Published: September 2018

The purpose is to present current security and tourism issues in selected cities in Europe. The aim of the research is to present several approaches that cities have adopted in order to secure tourists. Research is designed as multiple case studies research design. Seven cities (Alba, Barcelona, Brasov, München, Rome, Saint-Denis and Brussel) are described regarding their security policies and safety, and findings of cross-case analysis are presented. . Four themes emerged from cross-case analysis: Security, tourism policy and citizens; Image, communication and public spaces; Managing the security of large events and Managing nightlife in the city. The findings show that cities use different policies, management, methods and practices to challenge security issues in tourism.
Recent Regional Developments in Red Tape Reduction – A Content Analysis of Web of Science Journals
Authors: Kovač Polonca , Jukić Tina
Published: September 2018

The economic crisis has led to slowdowns in both national and wider regional economies. A comparatively successful approach to mitigate its impacts is red tape or administrative burden reduction through procedural and other simplifications. This paper explores the relevant public policies examined in 70 scientific articles, classified in the Web of Science under “red tape” or “administrative burden” and related terms and published between 2013 and 2015. The study focuses on the understanding of red tape in terms of regional relevance, dominant doctrinal and disciplinary framework and types of cooperation in research, in an attempt to identify inter-boundaries dialogue as a means of cross-regional learning. The research findings show a prevailing field role of economic, managerial and procedural measures since red tape reduction is most often considered within organizational performance and the neo-liberalistic doctrines. Moreover, cooperation between regions is low, the geographic focus is rather limited, and there is little evidence of collaboration between scholars and practitioners as well as a low practical applicability of research. This means that more holistic policies to withstand economic slowdowns and pursue sustainable societal development are less effective than they would be if they were grounded in inter-regional cooperation and good governance interdisciplinarity.
Waiting for Godot: Testing Transparency, Responsiveness and Interactivity of Serbian Local Governments
Authors: Milosavljevic Milos , Milanovic Nemanja , Benkovic Sladjana
Published: September 2018

The e-government has been profoundly changing the expectations of citizens towards local governments worldwide. Policyholders in Serbia have been very active proponents of the implementation of novel e-services in local governments. However, the capacities for full implementation of e-governments are still humble. This paper reports on findings from the study on transparency and online visibility, responsiveness to e-mails, and interactivity of local governments, especially with regard to financial inquires. The study used a multi-step methodology to examine the proactive, reactive and interactive transparency of 169 local governments in Serbia. The results indicate that local governments are relatively transparent, but responsiveness and interactivity are far below expectations.
Municipalities and Gambling Taxation in the Czech Republic
Authors: Radvan Michal
Published: September 2018

Hazard is often is considered to be socially undesirable phenomena. Municipalities are the most important regulators of this business. Generally, municipalities have two possibilities how to reduce the negative effects of the gambling business run at their territories: they can prohibit the gambling at all or they can heavily tax the gambling business to minimize all the negative impacts of the hazard. The main goal of this article is to confirm or refute the hypothesis that the new regulation protects the interests of Czech municipalities in the area of hazard. It is obvious that gambling tax is an effective tool (not only) for local self-government and it is a new local tax in the Czech Republic as it fulfills all the conditions I have defined for a local tax.
The Nature of the “Quasi” – Municipal Policing in Hungary with International and Historical Outlook
Authors: Hoffman István , Fazekas János
Published: September 2018

The article reviews the legal status, the organisation and the tasks of Hungarian municipal policing, and the transformation of this system. Firstly, theoretical and international backgrounds of the topic are shown. Secondly, the article presents the changing roles of Hungarian municipal policing. Here, a tendency of nationalisation can be observed, but from the 1980s the framework of the municipal policing has evolved. Thirdly, the mixed nature of the Hungarian municipal policing is analysed which system can be characterise as a “quasi police” system because of the similarities and differences of the municipal and state police authorities.
Considerations on the Effects of Cross-border Cooperation on Fostering Local Public Administration. Study-case: Hungarian – Romanian Border Area
Authors: Badulescu Daniel , Badulescu Alina , Simut Ramona , Bac Dorin
Published: September 2018

Local administration is a major actor, both stakeholder and beneficiary, in the cross-border cooperation actions. However, there are very few references in the literature investigating the opinion of public managers and employees involved in implementing cross-border cooperation programs regarding the effectiveness of CBC projects. In this paper we address this issue, by reviewing the relevant literature and mostly by presenting the results of own survey-based researches conducted on field. This article captures the opinion of managers and staff regarding the transformations generated by involvement in cross-border actions in Bihor – Hajdú-Bihar Euroregion.
The Role of Local Communities in the Construction of the European Territory: Evidence from Romania
Authors: Alexandru Dana Georgeta
Published: September 2018

European integration has notable impact on the territorial organization of Europe, especially after the adoption of the Treaty of Lisbon. Therefore, it became urgent to develop guidance and best practices in the fields of territorial cohesion, urban matters and spatial planning, including with regard to local governments. Despite complicated relations in a multi-level governance setting, or because of this setting, local governments are an integral part of the construction of an European territory. The paper argues that territorial cohesion and spatial planning goals will not be achieved without a complementary focus on local communities as the engines of growth. It aims to clarify issues relating the local communities’ role in shaping and implementing European strategies and concludes with some recommendations on territorial perspectives and new goals and tools that should drive the European Union towards higher democratic integration.
The Impact of Authentic Leadership on Psychological Empowerment of the Employees in the Slovenian Local Self-Government Institutions
Authors: Marič Miha , Miglič Gozdana , Jordan Gašper
Published: September 2018

Main aim of our research was to empirically test how the supervisor’s authentic leadership relates to the four independent constructs representing followers’ psychological empowerment in Slovenian local self-government institutions. We tested four hypotheses in one structural model by using structural equation modelling (SEM). The quantitative data for our analysis was collected through a survey on 169 employees of Slovenian municipalities. Findings show that the supervisor’s authentic leadership is positively related to the dimensions constructing followers’ psychological empowerment; especially when it comes to self-determination and impact, less when it comes to meaning and at least when it comes to competence.
Does Decentralized Governance Lead to Less Scientific Output? A Fuzzy Set Analysis of Fiscal Decentralization and Determinants of National Innovation Capacity
Authors: Zupan Blaž , Pustovrh Aleš , Setnikar Cankar Stanka
Published: September 2018

his paper argues that national innovation infrastructure is closely linked with the scientific output and that some other factors, such as decentralized governance, can in certain combinations with innovation infrastructure lead to a higher scientific output. It demonstrates this by using a set-theoretic fsQCA method to analyze the data on national innovation capacities, fiscal decentralization, and science policy output. Results confirm that while a national innovation infrastructure is a necessary condition for successful scientific output, decentralization in certain, but not all cases leads to successful scientific output and that the paths to a successful scientific output in different countries are diverse.
Government Transparency: Reality or Mirage?
Authors: Vilela Noemia Rute Peres de Bessa , Gomes Jose Caramelo , Morais Paulo
Published: September 2018

All citizens are entitled to access governmental information as, only if properly informed, that they can participate in politics. The right to information is enshrined in a number of international agreements, including Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The right of citizens to access public authorities’ information is called Freedom of information. This information plays a crucial role in informing the population so that they can make accurate political choices. The mere disposal of information is not enough, as much of public documents suffer from complex language and other technicalities that can prevent an informed use of the information. Thus, sites displaying information must be adapted in order to guarantee usability, functionality and accessibility; there must be different levels of information, as there are diverse groups of individuals with different skills. Such usability, functionality and accessibility require designing effective communications, paying attention to balancing the complexity that citizens can manage and the complexity that those responsible for the requested information are producing.
Perception of Intermunicipal Cooperation as a Managerial Approach: Centralized Decisions or Voluntary Principle – What is More Efficient?
Authors: Grešová Lucia , Fuka Jan
Published: September 2018

This paper examines the influence of managerial approach in terms of Intermunicipal cooperation on the efficiency and effectiveness of the local municipalities. The Intermunicipal cooperation shall not be understood as general panacea for municipalities. While in some countries, there had been identified the benefits of Intermunicipal cooperation, there are countries which decided to perform the cooperation through softer legislative measures. These managerial approaches to govern the cooperation are either left on the decisions of legislator or the voluntary principle is adopted. The results of the research streamline that the managerial approach influences the performance of competences in terms of efficiency.
Social Backgrounds of Local Council Members in Korea: Focusing on Social Diversity
Authors: Kwon Kyung Deuk , Kang Hye-Jung
Published: September 2018

Local council members have become an important research issue in many countries. However, the research on the social backgrounds of local council members has not enough progressed. This study analyzed the social backgrounds of local council members in Korea elected from 1991 to 2014. For the analysis, this study used gender, age, education, occupation, and political party affiliation and also used the index of qualitative variation to understand the social backgrounds of Korean local councilors. The results showed that social backgrounds of Korean local council members are centered on male, 50s, highly educated, people with political experience, and affiliated to two major parties. The gender diversity of local council members is lowest in comparison with other social background factors. To increase the gender diversity of local council members, the election system should be reformed, and social perception towards female politicians should be improved.
Assessing Central-Local Government Relations in Contemporary South Korea: An Application of Page & Goldsmith’s Comparative Framework
Authors: Yoo Jaewon
Published: September 2018

This paper has two main purposes: first, it measures the level and degree of decentralisation in contemporary Korea, and, second, it explains why decentralisation is slow or stagnant. To measure the level of decentralisation in Korea, this paper uses Page & Goldsmith’s triple measures of function, discretion, and access, which were developed to examine the extent of centralisation and decentralisation in any given polity. The results suggest that Korea is both legally and politically centralised. In Korea, a centralised party system has combined with other factors to drive centralisation, overcoming the decentralising forces that focus mainly on local elected and appointed officials. Centralising forces include the bureaucratic elitism of national officials, cultural disdain for local governments, and local people’s feeble affective attachment to local identities and communities.
Local Government Public Debt Rules in the Visegrad Group Countries as Tools for the Optimization of Socio-Economic Development
Authors: Postula Marta , Klepacki Jarosław , Sobolewska Justyna
Published: September 2018

The use of fiscal rules as an instrument of fiscal sustainability is manifested, most of all, by imposing the requirements as regards borrowing and the costs of public debt service, and most research is conducted in this context. In this article, the Authors ask a different question altogether: does the right selection of calibration factors for fiscal rules with respect to debt, as applied at Visegrad Group’s local government entities, have an impact on the fiscal discipline, on the one hand, and on the other, is it a factor contributing to sustainable socio-economic development of regions? A mixed method, one combining the results of qualitative and quantitative research, will be used to empirically verify the hypotheses related to the research problem presented.
The Main Features of the Law Amending the General Administrative Procedure Act
Authors: Ivanc Tjaša
Published: September 2018

The Law Amending the General Administrative Procedure Act refers to a variety of provisions. New solutions should contribute to a more rapid, more efficient and more cost-effective procedure. Primarily due to elimination of the inconsistent use of individual provisions in practice, the amending law regulates more definitely the issues of authorising the persons to manage and make decisions at different decision-making levels in administrative procedures in municipalities. The law also develops electronic operations and it especially amends the electronic service provisions. There is a fairly large number of amendments in the Service Chapter. And an important novelty needs to be emphasized. This is the institute of the waiver of the right to appeal which the General Administrative Procedure Act did not know. However, it is well-known in foreign legal regulations and in the Construction Act adopted in our country.

KEY WORDS: • administrative procedure • electronic operations • right to appeal
Decentralization in theory and practice
Authors: Brezovnik Boštjan
Published: September 2018

The forms of the state order depend on legal independence / dependence of the organisational parts that make up a state, and on the legal relationships established among them. These relationships are either centralised or decentralised. It is characteristic of the state that it has central authority extending over the entire national territory. The decisions made by this authority are obligatory and binding for all population. It is particularly characteristic of the state that through its branched organisation, also non-centralised authorities are established. They extend over organisationally restricted area and their decisions are not obligatory and binding for all their residents, but only for the inhabitants of a narrower community. Of course, here is the issue of the content and scope of the non-centralised units, which is the research subject in this paper.

KEY WORDS: • decentralisation • political decentralisation • territorial decentralisation • administrative decentralisation • fiscal decentralisation • Slovenia • European Union
Baron vom Stein, the Prussian Law on Municipal Government of 1808 and the Creation of the German Tradition of Participative Self-Government
Authors: Will Martin
Published: September 2018

Most European States have their own particular form and tradition of local self-government. The German concept of local self-government goes back to the Prussian reformer Baron vom Stein who introduced local self-government 200 years ago in Prussia by means of the Prussian Law on Municipal Government. In essence, the then promoted concept of self-government meant that citizens with voting powers had the right to elect a representative assembly which in turn formed a central legislative as well as an administrative organ duly representing the whole citizenship of the town. The fundamental principle of self-government was later transferred to other areas such as the self-government of trade and industry, the self-government of liberal professions or the self-government of universities. As self-government was applied to ever more fields, various scholars contributed to a general concept of self-government or self administration which can now be seen as one of the basic structural principles of the constitutional system of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Key words: • Prussian Law • municipial government • local self-government •constitutional system
An Analysis of Winning Campaigns in Urban Municipalities in 2006 Local Elections
Authors: Kustec Lipicer Simona , Kropivnik Samo , Maksuti Alem
Published: September 2018

The study of electoral campaigns is nowadays one of the very topical and popular themes in the field of the scientific-research work. Electoral campaigns can be defined in several ways and from several points of view. In this paper, a campaign is understood as a set of diverse activities performed to influence the electoral result. These activities can be studied according to the political-system, time-space, organisational and instrumental dimensions of their performance. The key purpose of the paper is to analyse and typologise the features of electoral campaigns of today's urban municipality mayors in Slovenia during their standing as candidates in local elections in 2006. By using various methodological and statistical approaches and tools, it was found out in the analysed cases that electoral campaigns were an important part of the electoral process and that, according to planning features and implementing plans, they were very specific in all the studied municipalities. Because of this, the campaigns in the studied elections were characterised as particular and highly localised. Despite these particularities, four different types of campaigns were highlighted according to the groups of similar features: a) traditional campaigns; b) charismatic candidate campaigns; c) modern local campaigns and d) an intense campaign mosaic. Regardless of the particularities of the campaign activities and processes, it turned out that they played an important role at the local level of political activity.

Key words: • electoral campaign • local elections • urban municipality • mayor • type • Slovenia
Novelties Regarding Public Procurement Procedures
Authors: Kovač Matjaž
Published: September 2018

The public procurement volume amounts to 10.5% of GDP which represents a considerable part of the Slovene economy. Thus, public procurement remains an important generator of economic growth and one of the key agents for the public financial expenditure policy. The public procurement analysis shows that the public procurement structure and share did not essentially change in Slovenia from 2001 to 2006. The data analysis of the public procurement contracts awarded in 2006 showed that the public procurement contracts were non-uniformly distributed according to their values and the number of procedures. On the one hand, great fragmentation and dispersion of public procurement contracts manifest themselves in the small-value public contract segment and its 25.1% value share in all of the public procurement contracts, but on the other hand, there is concentration of the high-value public procurement contracts in merely few large-volume orders.

Key words: • public procurement • public funds • public procurement procedure • economic policy • Slovenia
Local Public Servants and Employees in the Republic of Croatia: Legal Position and Obligations
Authors: Lozina Duško , Klarić Mirko
Published: September 2018

The topic of this paper is an analysis of the legal position of local public servants and employees in the Republic of Croatia as well as of their rights and obligations in the light of the enactment of the Public Servants and Employees in local and regional self-government Act. In this sense, the concept and characteristics of the status of the administrative public servant from the aspect of administrative theory and practice are analysed, a short comparative overview of different official systems in Europe is given, and the position of local public servants and employees in Croatia in the light of positive legal regulations is analysed. In the conclusion, an assessment of the existing officials system which is related to local public servants and employees in Croatia is given in the context of the stated modern systems of public administration. Also assessed is whether the enacted legal regulations will have a positive effect on the implementation of personnel policy, greater motivation and the work of local public servants and employees thereby finally resulting in a better and more quality functioning of local self-government.

Key words: • Republic of Croatia • public administration • local self-government • local public servants and employees
Dual-Mandate of Persons Who Serve as MPs and Mayors at the Same Time
Authors: Zagorc Saša
Published: September 2018

The incompatibility of the function at the state and local levels is defined to prevent exercising a dual mandate and other forms of conflict of interest to secure self-government in local communities. The discussed positions of dual- or even triple-mandate officials are neither unconstitutional nor unlawful in themselves, yet they relate to the incompatibility of interest roles these dual-mandate or triple-mandate officials simultaneously play. The inability of the National Assembly to regulate the issue of the incompatibility of the function in accordance with the basic principles in the state (balance of powers, local self-government autonomy, representative democracy) leads us to the conviction that, for the time being, the parliamentary lobby power is too great, whereas the political culture of the public is too weak to prevent the further steps of the legislator. An important aspect of the incompatibility of the function lies in the fact that individuals should be aware that performing the multiple functions, obtained in elections, is not a privilege, but it is a commitment and duty to perform the functions well and with dedication. The paradox is that an individual who is aware of this does not need any rules on the incompatibility of the function at all.

KEY WORDS: • incompatibility of the function • mandate • National Assembly Members • mayor • deputy mayor • local self-government • separation of powers • Slovenia
The Local Geodetic Service
Authors: Trobiš Janko
Published: September 2018

The local geodetic service systematically provides information that is relevant to the implementation of the strategic policies of the sustainable development and rational management of space, municipality environment and wider local communities. It is also important as a public service for supplying data to the professional and interested public in their further work, as well as for providing information at the state level and within the framework of the European integrations.

The paper explains why the institute of the local geodetic service differs in individual local communities. The central part of the paper deals with some additional possibilities of using the services from the area of the local geodetic service. These services can essentially contribute to better political decisions of local communities in making strategically relevant decisions.

Key words: • Slovenia • local self-government • local geodetic service • public infrastructure • spatial planning
Community Foundations – A Model for Slovenia?
Authors: Klenovšek Tomaž
Published: September 2018

Community foundations represent a relatively new form of foundations. The primary goal of community foundations is to improve the quality of life for those living in a closed area, usually in a city or region. The concept has its roots in the USA where community foundations have a long and successful history. After all, due to the amounts of funds spent on public purposes, they are also very important factors in shaping the public life. Then the paper presents the basic characteristics of community foundations. After describing the first community foundation, established in Gütersloh, Germany, a thought has been given to advantages of community foundations and to their potentials for the circumstances in Slovenia.

KEYWORDS: • foundations • community foundations • civil society • Slovenia
Ethnological Research Applicability in Designing Urban Contents in Green Areas of Maribor
Authors: Grafenauer Bratož Boža
Published: September 2018

Parks, avenues, squares, open spaces and other green areas are established spatial categories and something that can always be seen in all urban centres, also in Maribor. Different ways of life are reflected in green areas because it is about the public spaces for socializing, recreation and relaxation. These are the spaces offered by the city to its residents for the very activities mentioned before. And since ethnology primarily deals with a way of life by which the contemporary and past forms and contents of the social and cultural life are characterized, the ethnological aspect of dealing with the green areas is specific and of key importance to an overall understanding of them. Both differences and similarities between the City Park and the Slomšek Square (i.e., between the two different types of green areas in the City of Maribor) are telling their part of the story of the city in the same relevant way.

KEYWORDS: • ethnology • urban culture • green areas • heritage • municipality • Slovenia