Transition Countries And New Public Management: The Case Of Slovenia

Globalisation impacts on a country and its administration with a series of economical, technological, cultural and ecological processes. The modern state is seen as a »modest« state. The state must provide the necessary direction without hindering other activities in society. The shift from public administration to new public management involves a shift in the basic design co-ordinates of public sector organisation.  Changes in the operating of public administration require new management policies. Abolishing administrative obstacles confronted by enterprises will reduce their operating costs. An efficient and well-organised public sector is in the interest of the economy. Reorganisation of state administration operations involves setting two important goals in the strategy of reform: greater productivity and better quality of service.  Operating indicators are necessary for internal and external reasons for assessing the past and planning the future.  New rules on public sector operations require a preliminary definition of operational standards, which determine the extent, quality and accessibility of services, measure results and establish mechanisms impacting on both the users and payers of services

Introducing New Methods Of Leadership And Fund Management In Public Sector: The Case Of Slovenia

A key factor in efficient operations of public sector units, is not only the establishment of autonomous organisations, but also the promotion of autonomy, professional and financial responsibility as well as supervision in all organisational units in the public sector. It would be normal to expect the direct role of the state to become less important and greater initiative be left to organisational units. With methodical monitoring of public needs, constant evaluation of services, expert management and increasing equal access of citizens to services, the public sector operations could be made more efficient

Decentralisation, Privatisation and Changes in the Financing of Education in Slovenia: Greater Opportunities for Citizens?

This paper has been conducted to explore the major issues and problems in higher education regarding the decentralisation, privatization, accreditation and public financing processes in Slovenia. There is significant political pressure supporting the idea that if Slovenia has regions they should be as busy as possible. The real danger is that the introduction of small regions and 7-10 universities will only strengthen centralisation. Slovenian public expenditure on education has generally been relatively high. However, in recent years the proportion of annual GDP spent on higher education has decreased. There is a need for student protection and regulation. For many public and private universities, however, accreditation is mainly seen as an opportunity to strengthen their image by demonstrating their quality

Where to Start? Asset-based approaches for practitioners in higher education.

Deficit thinking centers an individual\u27s background or identities as the reason a student struggles or faces challenges in college. Higher education practitioners have a drive to shift policy, programs, and perspectives away from the harmful influence of deficit thinking. Asset-based approaches, such as psychologically attuned communication and growth mindset messaging, instead focus on student experiences and backgrounds as an opportunity rather than a burden. The question before practitioners is: where to start? We present options to consider

The Reduction Of Administrative Burdens And Its Impact On The Competitiveness Of Business

This paper focuses on the reduction of administrative burdens in Slovenia and how these actions can influence the competitiveness of business. The aim of the paper is to study and analyse the current situation in the field of Slovenian regulations and the disadvantages of the regulations for businesses, to study the possibilities for reducing administrative burdens in Slovenia and to analyse the influence of cross-border cooperation on the reduction of administrative burdens. The paper first describes the regulations and their impact on the competitiveness of business using the data from different international studies that include business environment and competitiveness and by using the results of the research carried out in Slovenia on defining the most burdensome areas of legislation. The paper continues by discussing the reduction of administrative burdens, where the Programme for the Elimination of Administrative Barriers and the Reduction of Administrative Burdens by 25% by 2012 is introduced. The third part of the paper describes the possible connection between the reduction of administrative burdens and cross-border cooperation by introducing the results of a cross-national empirical survey of the current situation and future potentials of cross-border cooperation in the Alps-Adriatic region. At the end, the paper gives some conclusions on the reduction of administrative burdens and the resulting impact on business competitiveness in Slovenia

EFSA NDA Panel (EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies), 2013 . Scientific opinion on Dietary Reference Values for fluoride

Following a request from the European Commission, the Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) derived Dietary Reference Values (DRVs) for fluoride, which are provided as Adequate Intake (AI) from all sources, including non-dietary sources. Fluoride is not an essential nutrient. Therefore, no Average Requirement for the performance of essential physiological functions can be defined. Nevertheless, the Panel considered that the setting of an AI is appropriate because of the beneficial effects of dietary fluoride on prevention of dental caries. The AI is based on epidemiological studies (performed before the 1970s) showing an inverse relationship between the fluoride concentration of water and caries prevalence. As the basis for defining the AI, estimates of mean fluoride intakes of children via diet and drinking water with fluoride concentrations at which the caries preventive effect approached its maximum whilst the risk of dental fluorosis approached its minimum were chosen. Except for one confirmatory longitudinal study in US children, more recent studies were not taken into account as they did not provide information on total dietary fluoride intake, were potentially confounded by the use of fluoride-containing dental hygiene products, and did not permit a conclusion to be drawn on a dose-response relationship between fluoride intake and caries risk. The AI of fluoride from all sources (including non-dietary sources) is 0.05 mg/kg body weight per day for both children and adults, including pregnant and lactating women. For pregnant and lactating women, the AI is based on the body weight before pregnancy and lactation. Reliable and representative data on the total fluoride intake of the European population are not available

European public procurement directives and their implementation in Slovenia

This article presents the results of the research work “Awarding work to external contractors,” carried out with a questionnaire in 2009 and 2010. The research examined the method and scope of public procurement in Slovenian municipalities with more than 8000 inhabitants. The objectives of the research work were: a comparison of public procurement legislation in selected EU countries; determination of the current situation in the field of public procurement in local government in years 2008 and 2009; determination of similarities and differences in the implementation of contracts; determination of the most common open questions in the implementation of contracts; determination of good practices in public procurement and making the recommendations for changes. Public procurement represents a significant proportion of national budget spending. Municipalities allocate around 20% of all expenditures to public procurement. The scope and methods of public procurement vary between municipalities. Small-value public procurement is determined by the municipalities in their internal acts, while large-value public procurement has legally prescribed procedures. New legislation on public procurement has brought innovations in the field of public tender and contract award procedures for procurement, which enables greater flexibility in the implementation and realisation of public procurement. This article presents also the European directives on public procurement and an international comparison of public procurement in selected EU and EEA states

Mjere štednje u javnom sektoru u Sloveniji i drugim odabranim europskim zemljama

The global financial and economic crisis has placed a heavy burden on the public finances of EU Member States, including Slovenia. The current priority of each country is to ensure the sustainability of public finances. In 2012,the majority of EU countries still officially had an excessive deficit, i.e. one that exceeded the permitted level of 3 per cent of GDP. In most EU countries, measures to consolidate public finances are aimed at reducing government expenditure, and mainly include changes to the organisation of the public sector, social security and pension schemes. Most countries have had to face public sector wage reductions, combining wage cuts and wage freezes with employment reductions and other changes to employment conditions. The aim of the paper is to outline and compare the current state of public finances in the selected EU countries – Slovenia, the Netherlands, France and Italy – and to outline and compare the austerity measures in these countries’ public sectors, particularly as they affect civil servants. The comparison gives an insight into the similarities and differences of the austerity measures in the selected countries as a first step to stabilization of economic situation. The negative consequences of the adopted austerity measures have to be taken into consideration, too. The need for measures, which would be a sufficient condition for economic growth, recovery, and unemployment reduction, is also indicated in the paper.Globalna financijska i ekonomska kriza iznimno je opteretila javne financije država članica EU, uključujući i Sloveniju. Trenutačni prioritet svake zemlje jest osigurati održivost javnih financija. Većina zemalja članica EU je 2012. godine službeno još uvijek imala prekomjerni deficit odnosno deficit im je prelazio dozvoljenu razinu od 3% BDP-a. Mjere za konsolidaciju javnih financija usmjerene su na smanjivanje javne potrošnje te uglavnom uključuju promjene u organizaciji javnoga sektora, socijalne sigurnosti i načinima umirovljenja. Države članice morale su se suočiti sa smanjivanjem plaća u javnom sektoru, kombinirajući smanjivanje i zamrzavanje plaća sa smanjenjem zapošljavanja te drugim promjenama uvjeta zapošljavanja. Cilj rada je prikazati i usporediti sadašnje stanja javnih financija u odabranim državama članicama EU – Sloveniji, Nizozemskoj, Francuskoj i Italiji – te prikazati i usporediti mjere štednje u javim sektorima navedenih zemalja, posebno one koje se tiču javnih službenika. Usporedba daje uvid u sličnosti i razlike mjera štednje koje primjenjuju odabrane zemlje kao prvi korak prema stabilizaciji gospodarskog stanja. Negativne posljedice usvojenih mjera štednje također se moraju uzeti u obzir. U radu se navodi i potreba za mjerama koje bi potaknule gospodarski oporavak i rast te smanjile nezaposlenost