|
|
|
|
| Talk to the expert |
|
|
(As part of its efforts to strengthen prospects of European integration for the countries of the Western Balkans, the Commission has proposed a set of practical measures to promote trade, investment and economic and social development in the region. Also, in the 6th Call of the IST Programme, a special focus area was dedicated to ‘International cooperation for eGovernment and eParticipation' with the countries of Western Balkans as targets.)
Administrative reform is an issue of a great importance for the economic and social stabilization as well as the institutional and democratic reinforcement, of the Western Balkan countries. The main politico-administrative patterns of these countries were developed in a completely different economic and social environment, that of a centrally planned and controlled economy, and that makes them totally inappropriate for the demanding policy making of a market economy and an open, democratic, society.
Administrative flexibility, adaptability, improved policy formulation and implementation capacities are critical prerequisites for the complex, non-linear, co-creative and far-from-equilibrium environment that emerged within the overall transitional process involving the abovementioned countries.
Classic liberal state public values such as equity, the rule of law and democracy that are always supposed to guide administrative action, must be linked to modern ones: Effectiveness, efficiency, economy, transparency, quality and participation are some of these modern principles that complete the cultural framework of the 21 century State and affect the mission and vision of its executive branch: Public Administration.
The necessity of such a combination of traditional and modern politico-administrative values, and the respective practices, emerges from the nature of the modern State: it has not only to balance conflicting social interests ensuring reproduction and development of a given society, but also to provide multiple services to different social groups. Both the State and Civil Society have to mitigate their traditional statuses and respective roles: the State is not only the guarantor of public interest but also a service provider while the citizen is not only a subject to obligations and rights but in the same time a service user, a client.
Therefore Public Administration, as the executive apparatus of the State, must not only improve its typical working methods but also enrich its distinctive toolset with new techniques and capacities including policy analysis, improved strategic and operational planning, cost-benefit evaluation, quality assurance and, of course, e-governance and e-administration applications. Administrative modernization comes consequently at the top of the politico-administrative agenda.
While all states enter the administrative reforms path, it becomes very important not to duplicate efforts. “Reinvent the government, do not reinvent the wheel”, the slogan must be. Experiences must be shared, resulting knowledge has to be jointly managed and performance to be benchmarked at an international level.
|
|
| |
|
Back to top