Local Government Development in Croatia – Problems and Values

Values

The public sphere is characterized by certain fundamental values: democratic, political, legal and economic

The public administration system must adapt to the basic values of the whole society, all citizens and other social factors

Democratic political values

Legitimacy - public authorities can only decide on matters for which they have legal jurisdiction

Accountability - The administrative body is answerable for its actions to another administrative, legislative or judicial authorities

Responsiveness to the citizens’ needs and interests Openness to public scrutiny - administration is

available for outside scrutiny Transparency - When examined closely, it can be

‘seen through’ for the purpose of supervision

Legal values

The rule of law Protection of human rights Fair and correct administrative procedures Legal responsibility of public administration Judicial control over public administration Impartiality and equality

Social values

Social justice Social sensibility Solidarity Social welfare Charity Assistance to the citizens

Economic values

Efficiency and effectiveness - a managerial value consisting in essence of maintaining a good ratio between resources employed and results attained

Entrepreneurship Competitiveness Those values have been reasserted within

the doctrine of new public management

New public management

Characterised by orientation towards economy, efficiency and effectiveness and an effort to impose the values and techniques of private sector management into the public

Influential since the 1980s

Values of local government

Local government should primarily ensure the realisation of democratic political values (participation, availability of offices, political influence of local population, responsibility for the situation in the local community...)

Social problems

Social stratification as a result of the process of transition

- Impoverishment of the significant part of the population due to economic crisis

- Cutting down the costs of the state welfare system

Economic problems

Irrational management of the local units Centralisation v. decentralisation Lack of funds

The rule of law

If we are not committed to the principle of the rule of law, there is no protection of civil rights, rights to local self-government and minority rights

Vocabulary practice

Read the text and find English terms for the following: Odgovornost izabranim predstavnicima građana Javni uvid Nepristranost Poduzetništvo Konkurentnost Osiromašenje značajnog broja građana

Accountability to the elected representatives of the citizens

Public scrutiny Impartiality Entrepreneurship Competitiveness Impoverishment of the significant part of the

population

Translate the following paragraph:

The main legal values are the rule of law, legality, protection of human rights, fair and correct administrative procedures, legal responsibility of public administration (material, criminal and disciplinary), judicial control over public administration, legal safety, impartiality, equality and others.

Answer the following questions:

How can political administrative system gain legitimacy in a society?

Which doctrine reasserted the importance of economic values?

What should local government primarily ensure?

How can capacity of the local institutions to solve local public issues increase?

Translate into English:

Za učinkovito funkcioniranje lokalne samouprave, potrebno je osigurati sudjelovanje građana u provođenju vlasti, povećati utjecaj lokalnog stanovništva i raditi na podizanju svijesti o zajedničkoj odgovornosti za situaciju u lokalnoj zajednici.

Thank you for your attention!