The 12th NISPAcee Annual Conference

“Central and Eastern European Countries Inside and Outside the European Union: Avoiding a New Divide”

 

Vilnius, Lithuania, May 13 – 15, 2004

Conference venue: Hotel Reval Lietuva, Vilnius, Lithuania

Organized in cooperation with the Lithuanian Public Administration Training Association, Vilnius, Lithuania

 



                                    CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

 

Wednesday, May 12, 2004

 

Pre-conference meetings:

 

15.00 - 19.00      NISPAcee Steering Committee meeting

20.00 - 21.00      Meeting of the NISPAcee Steering Committee members and Conference Coordinators

17.00 – 21.00     Registration of participants

 

Thursday, May 13, 2004

 

 07.30 - 09.00     Registration of participants

 09.00 - 09.30     Plenary Session

                            Chair: Barbara Kudrycka, NISPAcee President, Rector of Bialystok   School of PA, Poland

                           Official opening (Greetings and Welcome)

                           Barbara Kudrycka, NISPAcee President    

                           Eugenius Chlivickas, President of  Lithuanian Public Administration Training Association, President of  Training Centre, Ministry of Finance, Vilnius, Lithuania

                           Virgilijus Bulovas, Minister, Ministry of Interior Affairs, Vilnius, Lithuania                    

 09.30 - 10.30    Keynote presentations 

                            Introduction of the main conference theme by the general rapporteur

                            Bob  Bonwitt, Head of  SIGMA/OECD, Paris, France

                             Speakers:

                             Louis Hersom, Principal Administrator, External Relations Directorate-

                             General, European Commission, Brussels, Belgium

                             Topic:  The European Union and Its Neighbours - Looking Towards

                                          the Future

                              Discussion

10.30 - 11.00      Coffee break

11.00 - 11.50      Key note presentations – continuation

                            Petras Austrevicius, Deputy Chancellor of the Government for EU Affairs,

                             Vilnius, Lithuania

                             Topic:

                            Mihailo Crnobrnja, Government of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro

                            Topic: “The Western Balkans: An EU Policy Engagement Needed”

                            Discussion

11.50 - 12.20      Ceremony of the Alena Brunovská Award for Teaching Excellence in Public Administration

                           Presentation of the Award by Barbara Kudrycka, NISPAcee President and

                            Ludmila Gajdošova, NISPAcee Executive Director   to the recipient:

                            Martin Potůček, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic

                            Topic: “Public Policy: Bridge over Troubled Water?”

12.20 - 12.30      Call for participation in new projects; organizational announcements

12.30 - 14.00      Lunch

14.00 - 15.30      Panel Sessions and Forums:

                            - Panel Session on European Accreditation of Public Administration  Programmes

                            - New NISPAcee Working Group on Ethics in Governance:

                              Call for participation and discussion about the working group agenda

                            - Forum for Heads of Training Centres and Institutes of Public  Administration

                            -  Forum for Young Professionals in Public Administration

15.30 - 16.00     Coffee break

16.00 - 17.30      Working Sessions on the main conference themes

                           Meetings of Working Groups

 

19.30                  Departure for the Gala dinner at Le Meridien Villon (19 km) participating by Minister Virgilijus Bulovas from the Ministry of Interior Affairs and/or other High officials. Le Meridien Villon is the summer and winter resort of Lithuania. Internationally acclaimed as the most elegant and luxurious resort and convention centre in the Baltic States, the Villon combines the best of International style, cuisine and service with the attentive and friendly hospitality of Lithuania.

 

 

Friday, May 14, 2004

 

  9.00 - 10.30      Working Sessions on the main conference themes

                           Meetings of Working Groups

10.30 - 11.00     Coffee break

11.00 - 12.30     Working Sessions on the main conference themes

                           Meetings of Working Groups

12.30 – 14.00    Lunch

14.00 - 15.00      Working Sessions on the main conference themes

                           Meetings of Working Groups

15.00 – 15.30     Coffee break

15.30 - 16.45      Panel Sessions and Forums:

                                         - Panel Session on Joint NASPAA – NISPAcee Governance Improvement Cooperative Project

- New  NISPAcee Working Group on the Role of Public Policy and Management Education and Training in CEE:

Call for participation and discussion about the working group agenda

                            - Presentation of the New NISPAcee Publications

                            - Presentation of the NISPAcee Information Portal

 

17.00 – 18.30     NISPAcee Business Meeting

                           Opening

                            Annual Report of activities

                           Financial report

                           Future Plans

                           Elections

                           Others

                           Discussions

                           Representatives of the NISPAcee Member Institutions are expected to participate in the Business Meeting

                           All other participants are warmly invited and welcome to join the meeting.

 

19:00                  Departure for the Folk style dinner - in the "Chili Village".

                             This restaurant   will meet the visitors with its harmonious old styled Lithuanian 

                             authentic and  modern synthesis. The Lithuanian traditional meals and the folk

                             styled music with jokers will entertain the visitors during the whole evening.

 

 

Saturday, May 15, 2004

 

09.00 - 10.30      Working Sessions on the main conference themes

                           Meetings of Working Groups

10.30 – 11.00     Coffee break

11.00 - 13.00      Closing Plenary Session

                           Chair: László Vass, Budapest University of Economic Science and Public

                           Administration, Hungary

                           Reports of the coordinators of the Working Sessions/Groups

                           Report of the general rapporteur Bob Bonwitt, Head of  SIGMA/OECD,

                           Paris, France

13.00 – 14.00     Lunch

15.00 - 17.00      Sightseeing trip in the downtown of Vilnius

 

 

Bookmarks (direct links to detailed programme parts):

         Panel sessions and Forums
         Main Conference Theme:

A.     Problems facing the New Member States

B.     Problems facing the States outside the enlarged European Union

C.     Common problems

 

Working groups

I. Working Group on Politico-Administrative Relations

II. Working Group on Public Sector Quality

III. Working Group on Strategic Leadership in Central Government

IV. Working Group on Democratic Governance of Multiethnic Communities

V. Working Group on Public Sector Finance and Accounting

VI. Working Group on e-Government
VII. Working Group on Capacity Building of a Civil Servants’ Training System according to EU Requirements

 

 

 

Panel Sessions and Forums

 

Thursday, May 13, 2004           14.00 - 15.30        

 

-               Panel Session on European Accreditation of Public Administration Programmes

Chair: Theo van der Krogt, EAPAA Secretary, University of Twente, Enschede,

           The Netherlands

Speakers:

Gyorgy Jenei, Budapest University of Economic Sciences and Public Administration, Hungary

Juraj Nemec, University of Matej Bel, Banska Bystrica, Slovakia

Yurii Polianskiy, Ukrainian Academy of Public Administration, Kyiv, Ukraine

 

The quality of government has a major impact on the lives of individual citizens and the orderly functioning of society. Systematic training programs are essential for ensuring the quality of (future) government officials. Through accreditation, the European Association for Public Administration Accreditation (EAPAA) wants to make a contribution to the improvement of quality and assurance in academic level Public Administration programs in Europe. The European Accreditation of Programs on Public Administration by EAPAA refers to:  the evaluation and continuous improvement of Public Administration programs that are offered by European universities and other academic level institutes with regard to their ability to satisfy stated or implied standards of quality followed by a formal decision to recognize or to not recognize the program.

 

Information about the EAPAA, established in 2000, and all related documents for accreditation of public administration programmes can be accessed through their website www.eapaa.org. The panel session aims to provide conference participants with additional information and an opportunity to discuss any questions and to learn about the experiences of ongoing accreditations from the panellists.  These panellists include the General Secretary of EAPAA, members of the Accreditation Committee and representatives of programmes which have already been accredited. Opportunities for accreditation of PA programmes from CEE countries will be discussed.

 

- New NISPAcee Working Group on Ethics in Governance:

Call for participation and discussion about the working group agenda

Program Coordinators:

 Barbara Kudrycka, School of Public Administration, Bialystok, Poland

 Charles Garofalo, Texas State University, Department of Political Science, San Marcos, USA

Presentation:

John-Mary Kauzya, Chief of Governance and Public Administration Branch DPADM/UNDESA, New York, USA

 Topic: Concept of the Regional Charter for Public Service: Prospects for improving ethics and professionalism

Respondent:

Dimitri Argyriades, Advisor, DPADM/UNDESA, New York, USA

 

Ethics in governance is a pervasive concern in many countries across the globe.   Many governments have instituted ethics education and training programs, many public agencies have installed ethics officers or ethics advisors, and many have created codes of ethics as well.  Calls for ethical leadership  can  be  heard  on  every  continent,  along  with  demands for increased  transparency  and  trust, active citizenship, and a stable civil society.   Accountability, responsibility, and legitimacy – ethical public administration - are on the agenda everywhere, including Central and Eastern Europe.   In this context, therefore, NISPAcee would like to add a new working group on Ethics in Governance to its mission of research, education and training, and collaboration among public servants, politicians, and scholars.

 

Beginning  with the May 2004 conference in Vilnius, Lithuania, the Working Group on Ethics in Governance will launch a dialogue on the development and implementation  of  research  projects,  curricula,  workshops,  and  other initiatives  designed  to  move  member  nations toward the overall goal of ethical public service.  For example, one empirical effort might be surveys to elicit citizens’, civil servants', and elected officials' expectations and perceptions of the nature and purpose of ethical public administration. A  second  inquiry might involve Working Group members in an examination of the   extent  to  which  and  how  civil  servants  exercise  judgment  and discretion,  as  contrasted  to  simply  following rules and procedures, in their  daily  decision  making.   A third possible direction might be to explore present and prospective relationships between public and private organizations.   The  point  is  that  ethics in governance offers numerous theoretical   and  practical  opportunities  for  research,  training,  and cooperation  on  the local, national, and regional level across Central and Eastern Europe.

 

As  every country aims at ensuring adequate levels of development and well being  of  its  people,  it  is recognized that a transparent, accountable, professional,  and highly ethical Public service is critical, especially in supporting  effective, equitable, accessible and fair delivery of essential public  services  as well as in the utilization of scarce resources for the benefit of the people.   Many countries have been for long engaged in searching for effective ways of ensuring this kind of Public service but with   mixed   success.  With  the  current  trends  of  globalization  and regionalization,  national  efforts  are increasingly becoming insufficient for  ensuring  harmony  in  behaviour  and  out look of Public servants that belong  to  one  regional grouping. There have been consequently efforts to evolve measures that can provide impetus for countries belonging to a region to share public service behaviours and standards that are not only similar but also predictable across borders.

 

The main objective of this session is to discuss the above described issues with  the  conference  participants,  to  attract  interested individuals to participate  in  this  new  working  group  and to select directions of the working  group  programme for the upcoming year. All interested individuals as well as possible donors of such an activity are warmly welcome to participate in this session.

 

The additional objective is to use the two presentations of the UN experts as  points  of  departure to discuss how useful regional charters of Public service  can be in promoting transparency, accountability, professionalism, and  ethical  standards  in  the  Public  service. It may also be viable to explore during the discussion, to what extent such measures can be adopted in the region served by NISPAcee.

 

-               Forum for Heads of Training Centres and Institutes of Public Administration

Chair: Eugenijus Chlivickas, Training Centre of the Ministry of Finance, Vilnius, Lithuania

           President of Lithuanian Public Administration Training Association

Speakers:

Lichia Saner Yiu, Centre for Socio-Eco-Nomic Development (CSEND), Geneva,

 Switzerland

Carel Jacobs, ROI Training &Coaching&Consultancy, Den Haag, The Netherlands

Lucica Matei, Dean, National School of Political Studies and Public Administration, Bucharest, Romania

 Ricardas Malkevicius, Consultant of Lithuanian Public Administration Training Association

Egle Kesyliene, General director, American English School, Vilnius, Lithuania

Jurga Jakubauskiene, Business development consultant, City&Guilds. Pitman Qualifications, for Lithuanian region         

In many central and eastern European countries, public administration reforms are in progress. Public servants’ training and development of their qualifications are amongst the areas of concern. Making an attempt to solve complicated problems, the focus is on increasing the efficiency of governing structures, on the stability of the management apparatus and on development of public servants’ professionalism.

 

Training of civil servants of state institutions and municipalities is closely related to the creation of a new quality concept. The objective is to create an integrated and easily manageable training system as well as to consolidate the development of this system and related activity programs. Development of a civil servants’ training system is an inevitable measure for strengthening the efficiency of the public service and an important element of public administration reform.  The development of a long-term civil servants’ training policy is therefore of the utmost importance.

 

The main objective of this Forum is to invite Heads of Training Centres and Institutes of Public Administration from Central and Eastern Europe to discuss civil servants’ training policy and development of training systems under the new conditions of public administration reforms in central and eastern European countries both inside and outside the European Union and to share the experiences of their Centres and Institutes. The Forum, while pursuing the main objectives and mission of NISPAcee, should also help in fostering of co-operation among institutions within these countries and the development of their programmes.  Several Heads have been invited to share their experiences but more time would be  devoted to the active discussion of all participants presented at the session.

 

-               Forum for Young Professionals in Public Administration

Chair: Gayane Selimyan, American University of Armenia, Yerevan, Armenia

 

NISPAcee is an open and democratically steered network with over 120 member institutions. It aims to serve its members’ needs and tries to meet them through new initiatives.  Inspired by the Steering Committee and the Secretariat, a group of young researchers and instructors from NISPAcee member institutions is happy to announce the opportunity to create a FORUM FOR YOUNG PROFESSIONALS across European countries and beyond, which aims to bring together people who are at the beginning of their PA career. The goal of the Forum is to bring young researchers and instructors together in order to address the specific needs and challenges they face. NISPAcee believes that young professionals can significantly contribute to the public administration reforms in the region; therefore, it is critical for the future of NISPAcee to assist in their professional development and organization.

 

As a result of a questionnaire distributed by NISPAcee, more then 50 young professionals have subscribed to take part in the Forum activities. Registration for this activity has been re-opened to all individuals interested in participating via the NISPAcee website, from April 2004.

Young professionals who will be present at the Conference will have an opportunity to discuss the future activities of the Forum at its first meeting.

 

Programme of the meeting:

Gayane Selimyan, American University of Armenia, Yerevan, Armenia

Topic: Challenges facing young professionals; why we need a forum? 

Claudia Novac, Center for Rural Assistance, Timisoara, Romania

Topic: Networking, networking, networking

Ieva Lazareviciute, Lithuania

Topic: EPAN Doctoral Network - current activities and future plans

Sergei Pushkarev, Ural State University, Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation

Topic: Concluding remarks and plans for the future

Discussion – 30 minutes

 

 

Friday, May 14, 2004   15.30 - 16.45   

 

-         Panel Session on Joint NASPAA – NISPAcee Governance Improvement Cooperative Project

Chair: Kenneth Tolo, Executive Director, NASPAA, Washington D.C., USA

The primary activity of the joint NASPAA (National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration, USA)/NISPAcee Project (2000 –2004) is to implement a program of applied policy research and technical assistance conducted by NISPAcee Schools and Institutes of Public Administration that links CEE/NIS governments and higher education institutions, with assistance from the NASPAA Schools of Public Affairs and Administration.  These partnership projects have introduced CEE/NIS public administration centres to their local, regional, and national governments as sources of technical capacity for applied research in government problem-solving. More then 20 different projects have been chosen and implemented in almost every CEE country.

 

The aim of this panel session is a wide dissemination of the most relevant and sustainable outcomes of implemented projects. Speakers include researchers of the most successful projects, which resulted in outcomes with a high potential for transferability to other institutions or countries. Presenters will identify “best practices,” “lessons learned,” and other useful outcomes and recommendations.

 

Speakers:

Juraj Nemec, University of Matej Bel, Banska Bystrica, Slovakia

Topic: Overall evaluation of the project results

Allan Rosenbaum, Florida International University, USA

Applied Policy Research and Management Project: ” Developing Mechanism of Management Decentralisation in Regional and Local Health Systems with the Aim to Optimise the Functioning of the Odessa Oblast’s Medical Institutions.”

Saleh Murzaev, Academy of Management by the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Kyrgyz Republic

Applied Policy Research and Management Project: „Rendering Methodical Assistance to State Bodies in Improvements of Realization of the Competitive Selection and Certification of Civil Servants of  Kyrgyz Republic.“

Yurii Polianskiy, Ukrainian Academy of Public Administration, Kyiv, Ukraine

Technical Assistance Project: „MPA Quality Strengthening Project, Ukraine – the Provision of Technical Assistance to Evaluating and Strengthening the Quality of the MPA Programme.”

B.J. Reed, President of NASPAA, Washington D.C., USA

Topic: NASPAA International Cooperation

 

-     New  NISPAcee Working Group on The Role of Public Policy and Management Education and Training in CEE: Call for participation and discussion about the working group agenda

Program Coordinators:

Gyorgy Jenei, Budapest University of Economic Sciences and Public Administration,

                       Hungary

 Lance T. LeLoup, Washington State University, Washington, USA

Frits van den Berq, Advisor, The Netherlands

 

During the last decade, East-West cooperation in evolving and teaching new public policy and management programs at universities and at other institution of higher education in CEE has taken many forms:

 -Developing new public policy and public management programmes at universities based on various models at western institutions.

 -Making available and accessible to Eastern partners Western public administration and policy literature, ranging from research methods to highly theoretical to highly applied approaches.

 -Creating curricula and teaching materials to provide the content of programmes based on European and American models.

 -Fostering collaborative research programmes, including joint conference papers, articles, edited volumes, and research grants.

 -Organizing and sponsoring domestic and overseas internship programmes.

 -Developing educational resources and technologies particularly in libraries and including computers.

 -Assistance in developing in-service training programmes, seminars, and courses for public sector employees.

 -Faculty development activities including language skills, research methods, course development, and research activities.

 -Faculty and student exchanges between Eastern and Western partners.

 -Training courses for central bankers.

 -Professional development for lawyers and other professionals.

 -Exchange of policy analysis and proposals in housing, social programmes, and other areas.

 

This period of East-West cooperation is over. After May 1st 2004, 10 countries of CEE will become integral part of the West. With their EU membership, their institutionalised position

among the Western institutions will be completed.

From this point on, their public administration education and training systems have to contribute to the development of public institution capacities which can meet EU requirements.

Other countries of the CEE region face with serious challenges of modernisation as pertains to their public administration education and training. Some of them are already scheduled to be members of the EU some of them are not, but they hold chances for membership or chances for strategic partnership in the long run.

This means that strategic cooperation and collaboration is needed among countries in CEE because they have shared objectives in the modernisation of public administration education and training and of their administrative systems. In this new period of cooperation new challenges will arise and new directions will be needed.

  1. More emphasis will be needed on institutionalising successful programmes.
  2. More emphasis should be placed on making new partnerships more equal.
  3. Co-operation programmes must be tailored to particular needs and contexts – one size definitely does not fit all.
  4. Cultural differences must be recognized and dealt with at all stages of programme development
  5. Successful co-operation must be well-prepared and incremental in terms of flexibility with a time schedule and realistic.
  6. Successful co-operation must differentiate between personal goals of participants and organisational goals.
  7. As accession to the EU becomes more important to CEE countries, co-operative partnerships with the U.S. may need to move in different directions.
  8. More emphasis in co-operation programmes must be placed on problem areas and emerging policy issues such as transparency in decision making and anti-corruption efforts.

     9.   More emphasis on being a member of a Union, which means co-operating

           with other members but also with the organizational units at EU-level.

    10.  More emphasis on representing all Union-members in certain

           situations, e.g., the Schengen Border.

We are calling participants of the Vilnius conference to come together to exchange our experiences on these issues.

What are the common problems of the development of public administration education and training?

What are the main professional and financial limits?

What are the shared objectives of the development in education and training?

After our discussion, with your comments we can decide whether this theme is supported by the participants and we can finalise the program of the Working Group based on your recommendations.

 

-         Presentation of  new  NISPAcee publications:

Improving the Quality of East and West European Public Services (edited by Elke Loeffler and Mirko Vintar) – presented by Mirko Vintar, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

 

Publication on Anti-corruption Training (will be published; edited by Bryane Michael ) - presented by  Bryane Michael, Oxford University, United Kingdom

 

Proceedings, NISPAcee Conference 2003 (will be published in May 2004, edited by Bryane Michael, Rainer Kattel, Wolfgang Drechsler) - presented by Bryane Michael, Oxford University, United Kingdom

 

How to Be a Better Policy Advisor, Manual for Trainers (edited by Ieva Lazareviciute) – presented by Ieva Lazareviciute, Lithuania

 

Health Care Delivery Systems: Opportunities for Public Management Education in Central and Eastern Europe (edited by Allan Rosenbaum, Juraj Nemec, Kenneth Tolo) – presented by Juraj Sklenar, NISPAcee

 

-         Presentation of  NISPAcee Information Portal:

General information about structure and functionality of the NISPAcee website.
Tutorials to the Database of Institutions and Persons, User Registration System.

Discussion on possible future development – new functionality needs/requests, improving of existing layout.
Presented by Jan Andruch, Consultant in E-information Management, NISPAcee

 

 

Working Sessions on the Main Conference Theme:

Central and Eastern European Countries Inside and Outside the European Union: Avoiding a New Divide:

 

 

A. Problems facing the New Member States

 

Program Coordinators:

Gyorgy Jenei, Budapest University of Economic Sciences and Public Administration,

                        Hungary

Frits van den Berq, Consultant, The Netherlands

 

There is strict conditionality in EU membership. The New Member States have become parts of the European Administrative Community. It is required from all NMS not only to have a functioning democratic and market-economic order, but they also have to guarantee that they can assume the obligations arising from membership and can take on the objectives of political union as well as economic and monetary union.

            There are ongoing convergence and divergence between the administrative systems of the EU member states but they have common requirements at the same time. The main objective of the papers is to contribute

-         to the accomplishment of the legal and functional requirements of the EU membership

-         to the guarantee of the implementation of free democratic principles and the rule of law

-         and to the strengthening of the capability of efficiently and effectively dealing with national problems and European affairs.

 

Friday, May 14, 2004

 

 09.00 - 10.30    Session 1: Introduction. Perspectives, problems and failures of local and regional policy

Andris Runde, Mirabella SIA, Riga, Latvia

Paper: Perspectives and problems of local Baltic brands in the context of the European integration

Edvins Vanags, Inga Vilka, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia

Paper: Identification of assisted areas within regional policy in Latvia

Andrei Lobatch, Belarusian State Economic University, Minsk, Belarus

Paper: EU membership and growing regional disparities: Poland’s strategy options to optimize structural transfers from the Union

Erik Moora, Tanel Oppi, Public Service Academy, Tallinn, Estonia

Paper: The failures of the EU regional policy in Estonia?

                       

10.30 - 11.00     Coffee break

11.00 - 12.30     Session 2: Development of institutional capacities on the regional levels of public administration (absorption capacity, effectiveness, programme management)

Jan Pavel, Markéta Šumpíková, University of Economics Prague, Czech Republic

Paper: EU pre-accession funds: absorption capacity and effectiveness of their use, with focus on regional level on the Czech Republic

Roberta Benini, Nomisma Institute of Economic Research, Bologna, Italy

Paper: The effectiveness of the Structural funds implementation capacity in the Accession countries: The case of the three Baltic States. Critical economic and institutional issues

Vitalis Nakrosis, Institute of International Relations and Political Science, Vilnius, Lithuania

Paper: The capacities of new member states to manage EU funds: From absorption to value added

Magdalena Kun-Buczko, Bialystok School of Public Administration, Poland

Paper: The capacity building of the institutional system as one of the elements necessary to the effective structural funds absorption. On the example of Poland and some Member States’ experiences.

Anna Daszuta, Bialystok School of Public Administration, Poland

Paper: Problem of so called “readiness” as a determinant of success in Structural Funds programmes managements, based on the example of Podlaskie Region in Poland.

                         

12.30 – 14.00    Lunch

14.00 - 15.00      Session 3: Challenges in governance and public policy making in the context of EU membership (Key issues and problems in the economy and public administration; reform efforts)

Krzysztof Szczerski,  Business high School, Nowy Sacz, Poland

Paper: Multi-level governance in post-communist conditions - challenges in govern ability for the new EU member states

Jane Järvalt, Supreme Court of Estonia, Tallinn, Estonia

Paper: Career management in transitional administration: The case of the Estonian civil service

Rafal Stanek, SST-Consult, Krakow, Poland

Paper: Preparing local and regional governments for implementation of environmental investment heavy EU directives: experience from Poland

Amanda Sloat, Queen’s University Belfast, United Kingdom

Paper: Fixing and old divide: The political participation of women in an enlarged Europe

 

Saturday, May 15, 2004

 

09.00 - 10.30      Session 4: Public administration reform efforts and key issues; problems 

                           of economic development. Conclusions; (Completing of the report for the

                           closing plenary session; Plans for the next year)

11.00 - 13.00      Closing Plenary Session

                           Reports of the coordinators of the Working Sessions/Groups

 

B. Problems facing the States outside the enlarged European Union

 

Program Coordinators:

Gyorgy Jenei, Budapest University of Economic Sciences and Public Administration,

                        Hungary

Frits van den Berg, The Netherlands

 

Outside the enlarged European Union, there will remain a large number of states, each at different stages of development, with different relationships both with the EU and with each other.

            But when they have the ambition to get closer to the European Union or even becoming candidates for accession, they can then make the necessary changes and scarce resources can thus be optimized.

            The main aim of the papers is to support the foundation of public administration which can contribute to the development of democracy with stability of political pluralism and functional checks and balances and of market economy being able to compete.

            The function of the papers and discussions is to support the “Neighbours of the European Union” in implementing the administrative law principles (reliability, predictability, openness, transparency, accountability, efficiency and effectiveness) and in setting the EU administrative standards.

 

Thursday, May 13, 2004

 

16.00 - 17.30      Session 1: Introduction. Implementation issues of the EU requirements in policy making and administration capacity building.

Presentations:

Dragos Jaliu, National School of Political Science and Public Administration, Bucharest, Romania

Paper: Assessing the “international funds” management capacity at the central public administration level: Romanian case

Li Tchon, Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno, Belarus

Paper: Base line EU enlargement study

Nehare Zeqiraj, Office of KPC Coordinator UNMIK/ Pristina-Kosovo, Albania

Paper: Convention for workers right, gender equality and challenges in Kosovo as a country in transition

 

Saturday, May 15, 2004

 

11.00 - 13.00      Closing Plenary Session

                           Reports of the coordinators of the Working Sessions/Groups

 

C. Common problems

 

Program Coordinators:

Alexej Barabashev, Moscow State University, Russian Federation

Juraj Nemec, University of Matej Bel, Banska Bystrica, Slovakia

 

All CEE countries face a set of common challenges in public policy and administration. The key issue is the modernisation of the national administrative systems and strengthening the cooperation among them in the Central and Eastern European region.

            The main goal of the papers in this section is to contribute to the building of institutions for a capable public administration which means

-         a strong central capacity for formulating and coordinating policy;

-         efficient and effective delivery systems;

-         motivated and capable staff (merit-based recruitment and adequate compensation in promotion);

-         strengthening the role of competitive markets to improve delivery;

-         setting up performance-based public agencies; and

-         improving delivery through the core public sector and contracting out to the private sector and NQOs at the same time.

 

            The papers and discussions try to support the administrative systems of CEE region in solving such problems as

-         weak capacity and fragmented policy making;

-         lack of policy coordination;

-         weak capacities of institutional mechanisms to improve delivery; and

-         controlling corruption.

 

Thursday, May 13, 2004

 

16.00 - 17.30      Session 1: Education

Valentin Afanasjev, Natalia Kozyreva, State University of Management, Moscow, Russian Federation

Paper: The ways of improving the training of public servants in the process of reforming public service

Philip Murphy, University of Pittsburgh, United States

Paper: Public administration education in South-eastern Europe: Accelerating the process                        

 

Friday, May 14, 2004

 

 09.00 - 10.30    Session 2: Corruption

Mihaela Carausan, National School of Political Studies and PA, Bucharest, Romania

Paper: Transparency and integrity of PA in Romania (The phenomenon of corruption and its perception)

Patrycja Suwaj, Bialystok School of PA, Poland

Paper: Preventing corruption and conflict of interest- necessity or fashion? Case of Poland

Ciprian Ungureanu, University”Stefan cel Mare”, Suceava, Romania

Paper: The corruption. A problem of this century

Olga Vidlakova, Institute for Legal Education and Information, Prague, Czech Republic

Topic:  How to fight corruption and conflicts of interest - An analytical insight into the corruption in public service in Central and Eastern European countries, with particular reference to the candidate countries to the EU

Raymon Bruce, University of Texas at Arlington, United States

Paper: Market transaction relations between Eastern European and Western European countries; An action research view

 

11.00 - 12.30     Session 3: Attitudes to the European integration

Liudas Mazylis, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania

Paper: Motivation of popular support towards European integration in CEE countries

Zoltan Balogh, Budapest University of Economic Sciences and PA, Hungary

Paper: Implementation of new regionalism in the CEECs

 

14.00 - 15.00      Session 4: General topics

Noah Simmons, Open Society, New York, United States

Paper: Decentralization and health systems reform after the cold war: One size does not fit all

Gabriel Soos, Tocqueville Research Center, Budapest, Hungary

Paper: How to measure the quality of local democracy? Methodological lessons from two comparative projects

Charles Garofalo, Texas State University, San Marcos, United States

Paper: Leadership development and moral agency in the public service

                         

 

Saturday, May 15, 2004

 

11.00 - 13.00      Closing Plenary Session

                           Reports of the coordinators of the Working Sessions/Groups

 

 

WORKING GROUPS

 

I. Working Group on Politico-Administrative Relations

 

WG Programme Coordinators:

Bernadette Connaughton, University of Limerick, Ireland

Georg Sootla, Tallinn University of Educational Sciences, Estonia

B. Guy Peters, University of Pittsburgh, USA

 

Theme 2004: “Various decision and discourse arenas at different levels and stages of the policy process”

 

The contemporary focus on governance can be understood in part as a response to the challenge of governing complex and fragmented societies, and the difficulties faced by the state in attempting to solve complicated and intractable social problems through direct forms of intervention. Therefore, in addition to the traditional focus on the relationship between the principal actors - politicians and civil servants - the concept of governance implies the presence, impact of, necessity and contribution of a variety of other actors in the policy-making arena.  It may be argued that in the case of Central and Eastern Europe the development of channels, access and the roles of these actors are weak.  This in turn has a negative impact on the institutionalization of public policies in CEE countries and capacities to govern, given that traditional devices of political, as well as administrative, responsibility and accountability do not optimally work in the region.  In view of this the permanent working group on politico-administrative relations is interested in the presentation of analysis of the various decision and discourse arenas at different levels and stages of the policy process in specific sectors (e.g. Telecommunications, Environment, Agriculture) or a dimension of governance (e.g. policy arenas in central-local relations, especially in the context of EU accession.)  In order to study these arenas, main channels and styles of government – civil society interactions (consultations, participation, feedback, impact, manipulation etc.) in the policy process and the diverse configurations of stakeholders, patterns have to be identified.  A detailed outline of the rationale and methodology is described in the research protocol on the NISPAcee website.  Contributions from both CEE and western countries are welcome, especially from those who have not had any previous contact with the WG.

 

Thursday, May 13, 2004

 

16.00 - 17.30    Session 1:  Theory and methodology of analysis

                           Chair B. Guy Peters 

Guy Peters, University of Pittsburgh, USA

Paper: Theoretical approaches to the analysis of state society relations in the policy process

Francisco Cardona, SIGMA, Paris, France

Paper: The delegation of administrative decision-making powers: A tool for better public performance

L. Johannsen, O. Norgaard, University of Aarhus, Denmark

Paper: Policy-making in Central and Eastern Europe: A cross-sectional sector perspective

 

Friday, May 14, 2004

 

 09.00 - 10.30    Session 2:  Roles and networks in administrative

                           policymaking and reforms. Chair G. Sootla

Georg Sootla, Tallinn University of Educational Sciences, Estonia 

Paper: Theories of governance reforms: actors vs. processes

Markku Temmes, Helsinki University, Finland

Paper: The Governance Discourse in three Countries. A Comparison of Administrative Reform Activities in Finland, Estonia and Russia 

Diederik Vancoppenolle, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium

Paper: Civil servants in Belgian policy-making processes: Implications of governance processes on their tasks and competences. A comparative multiple-case study.  

 

11.00 - 12.30     Session 3: Networks and decision arenas in reforming policy sectors Chairs:  B. Connaughton, O. Norgaard

Ole Norgaard, University of Aarhus, Denmark

Paper: Reforms of the telecom sector in the Czech Republic  

Bernadette Connaughton, University of Limerick, Ireland

Topic: Implementation of waste management policy in Ireland. An analysis of the key stakeholders and the development of networks in the Midwest region.

Kaarel Haav, Tallinn Pedagogical University, Estonia

Paper: Estonian Education Forum: main stakeholders and models of decision-making

Erik Sootla, Tallinn Pedagogical University, Estonia

Paper: Mapping the policy network in the Estonian forestry sector during the elaboration and implementation of the National Forestry policy program.

 

14.00 - 15.00      Session 4: Constituents and networks in the policy process at local level  Chair A. Rosenbaum

Allan Rosenbaum, Florida International University, USA

Natalya Kolishinichenko, National Academy of PA, Odessa, Ukraine

Paper: Urban development and central – local governance relationships in three Ukrainian cities: Dnipropetrovsk, Kiev and Odessa 

Tatiana Majcherkiewicz, Mining and Metallurgy University, Cracow, Poland

Paper: Challenges of coalition building in Poland: experiences of central and regional politics

Valeriu Mosneaga, State University of Moldova, Chisinau, Moldova

 Paper: The territorial - administrative reform in Moldova: How different political interests and groups influences public policies 

Anna Volkova, Saint-Petersburg State University, Russian Federation

Topic:  Government in Moscow and St.-Petersburg: Two Models and Two Ways

Gabriele Burbulyte, Klaipeda University, Lithuania

 Paper: Leadership an exogenous factor in developing centre-periphery relations

 

Saturday, May 15, 2004

 

09.00 - 10.30  Session 5: Changes of decision arenas and policy networks after EU

                         accession  Chair: D. Fuller

Donald Fuller, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia

Paper: Impact of EU agricultural deliberations upon Slovakian agriculture

Mihaela Carausan, National School of Political Studies and PA, Bucharest, Romania

Paper: Administrative reform and capacity to govern in the EU context

Conclusions

 

11.00 - 13.00      Closing Plenary Session

                           Reports of the coordinators of the Working Sessions/Groups

 

 

II.      Working Group on Public Sector Quality

 

WG Programme Coordinators:

Leslie Eliason, Graduate School of International Policy Studies, Monterey Institute of International Studies, USA – in memoriam

Katarina Staronova, Open Society Foundation, Bratislava, Slovakia

William Dunn, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA and Graduate Center for Public

Policy and Management, Skopje, Macedonia

Sergei Pushkarev, Ural State University, Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation

 

Theme 2004: Public sector quality in policy making: quality of policy analysis, research, expertise, and citizen consultation in decision-making and implementation.

Establishing principles, institutions and procedures of good governance is one of the greatest challenges facing both western democracies as well as the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (“CEE”). This challenge includes the development of professional policy making. The concept of ‘good governance’ – not readily translatable to most of the languages in the CEE region – has become increasingly associated with the capacity to develop and deliver public policies based on participatory principles as well as respecting the principles of effectiveness and efficiency. In other words, professional and high quality public policy making is transparent and open to broad societal participation but, at the same time, addresses societal problems timely and with a minimum waste of available resources.

 

In most countries in Europe, there is not a coherent modernising agenda in relation to quality policy making and policy capacity development – indeed, sometimes there is not even an explicit modernising agenda at all. However, a number of themes can be identified, each of which is important in a number of European countries.

Therefore, the NISPAcee Working Group on Public Sector Quality has chosen

“Public Sector Quality in Policy Making” as the overall theme for its fifth meeting at the 12th NISPAcee Conference.

 

In particular, we will look at:

·        International Actors and Cross-National Comparisons in policy making (first session)

·        Engaging Citizens and Communities into Policy Making (second session)

·        Knowledge Based Policy Making (third session)

·        Learning lessons from the case studies (fourth session)

·        Ensuring Quality of Expertise in Policy Process (fifth session)

 

Papers presented in individual sessions present single case studies or comparative, policy-relevant empirical research on how to improve quality of policy making in the good governance perspective in the western democracies, CEE and the NIS. This includes studies that identify significant obstacles to effective policy-making; factors that may help or hinder the development and implementation of effective policies at the national, regional or local level; or the contingent conditions that encourage or hinder effective policy implementation. Each session is to be followed by a plenary discussion.

 

Thursday, May 13, 2004

 

16.00 - 17.30   Introduction by Katarina Staronova

                      Session 1:  International actors and cross-national comparisons

Iwona Sobis, Michiel de Vries,  University of  Skovdisk, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands

Paper: The role of outside experts in local government in transitional countries

Giorgi Rusiashvili, Orbeliani Tbilisi State Pedagogical University,

Georgia

Paper: Public sector quality as problem faced in the states outside the enlarged European Union
Discussant: Sergei Pushkarev, Ural State University, Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation

Plenary discussion moderated by William Dunn

 

Friday, May 14, 2004

           

09.00 – 10.30  Session 2:  Engaging citizens and communities into policy making

Casandra Bischoff, Development Alternatives, Bucharest branch, Romania

Paper:  Is there a role for the community when the mine closes down? The case of Jiu Valley

Sergei Pushkarev, Ural State University, Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation

Paper: Government serving citizens and businesses:  Local government responsiveness in Russia
Reiner Buchegger, Anita Buchegger-Traxler, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria

Paper: Local/Regional labour market governance and territorial employment pacts
Discussant: Milena Minkova, University of Sofia, Bulgaria

Plenary discussion moderated by Katarina Staronova          

 

11:00 -  12:30   Session 3: Knowledge based policy making

                         

Yaman Akdeniz, Turkey (University of Leeds, UK)

Paper: Internet governance: Towards the modernization of policy making process in Turkey

Aare Kasemets, University of Tartu, Estonia

Paper: The Use of socio-legal information in the Draft Acts’ Explanatory Memoranda: A precondition for good governance

Ilona Obrsalova, University of Pardubice, Czech Republic

Paper: Impact assessment – an analytical tool for policy making: The case of environment policy

Discussant: Casandra Bischoff, Development Alternatives, Bucharest branch, Romania

Plenary discussion moderated by William Dunn

 

14:00 -  15:00     Session 4: Learning lessons from the case studies

Margareta Bacova & Ardith Maney, Iowa State University, Ames, USA

Paper: Strengthening policymaking and community economic development through citizen participation: Evidence from Slovak and Czech cities

Silvana Braculla, The Urban Institute, Albania

Paper:  Tirana Municipality Information centre -  an initiative to promote citizens engagement and transparency

Claudia Novac, Centre for Rural Assistance, Romania

Paper:  Linking citizens and administrations – local development agents in Romania, Timis County

Discussant: Sergei Pushkarev, Ural State University, Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation

Plenary discussion moderated by William Dunn

 

Saturday, May 15, 2004

 

09.00-10.30    Session 5: Ensuring quality of expertise in  policy process

Milena Minkova, University of Sofia, Bulgaria

Paper: Improving the public policy making process in Bulgaria by introducing quality management systems in units of government at regional and local levels - a need or an opportunity

Kaido Paabusk, Kristiina Tonnisson, Centre for Public Service Training and Development and University of Tartu, Estonia

Paper: Securing common knowledge and values in decentralized public service training system: The case of Estonia

Zdravko Pecar, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Administration, Slovenia

Paper: Standards facilitate better public policy management

Discussant: Magdalena Bacova, Slovakia (Iowa State University, Ames, USA)

Plenary discussion moderated by Katarina Staronova

Conclusions and plan of the WG for future

 

11.00 - 13.00      Closing Plenary Session

                           Reports of the coordinators of the Working Sessions/Groups

 

 

III. Working Group on Strategic Leadership in Central Government

 

WG Programme Coordinators:

Martin Brusis, Center for Applied Policy Research, Germany

Radoslaw Zubek, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK

 

The aim of the working group is to investigate the institutional underpinnings of strategic leadership in central government. The working group provides a forum for scholars and practitioners to exchange ideas and experience with strategic decision-making in Central and Eastern Europe. Key themes of the meeting are the development of strategic capacities at the centre of government and the impact of core executive institutions on policy-making.

 

Thursday, May 13, 2004

 

16.00 - 17.30      Session 1: Building strategic capacities at the centre of government

Brief introduction by Brusis / Zubek

László Vass, Budapest University of Economic Science and Public Administration, Hungary

Paper: The case of STRATEK: Development of an organizational unit at the Prime Minister’s Office in Hungary for enhancing strategic leadership

Irena Jackiewicz, Centre for Strategic Studies, Government of Poland, Warsaw, Poland

Paper: Strategic capacities at the Centre of Government. Institutional changes and dilemmas. The case of Poland 1995-2003

 

Friday, May 14, 2004

 

09.00 - 10.30      Session 2: Building strategic capacities – sectoral perspectives I

Karen Närep, Estonian Ministry of Finance, Tallinn, Estonia

Paper: The introduction of strategic planning in Estonian public administration – building

up the system

Anika Velthut, Tallinn Pedagogical University, Estonia

Paper: Environmental strategy and the capacity to govern: the case of Estonia

Mina Shoylekova, Centre for Policy Modernization, Sofia, Bulgaria

Paper: The policy-making process: Experience from Bulgarian administrative reform

Sorin Ionita, Romanian Academic Society, Bucharest, Romania

Paper: Governing by default: Flaws in the process of policy-making in Romania

 

11.00 - 12.30      Session 3: Building strategic capacities – sectoral perspectives II

Polya Katsamunska, University of National and World Economics, Sofia, Bulgaria

Pavel Pavlov, Varna Free University, Bulgaria

Paper: The relation of leadership and public management in central government:

Bulgarian specifics

György Hajnal, Budapest University of Economic Science and Public Administration, Hungary

Paper: Strategic orientation in Hungarian central government organisations: The role of organisational culture

14.00 - 15.00    Session 4: EU accession, executive configurations and policy change

Andreas Bagenholm, Göteborg University, Sweden

Paper: Getting ready for EU-membership. An analysis of governmental capacity in preparing and passing EU-related legislation in Lithuania and Romania
Martin Brusis, Centre for Applied Policy Research, Munich, Germany

Paper: Governance indicators and executive configurations in Central and Eastern Europe
Klaudijus Maniokas, University of Vilnius, Lithuania

Paper: Linking co-ordination of European affairs and European policy: Lithuania and other new member states in the decision-making process of the EU

 

Saturday, May 15, 2004

 

09.00 - 10.30      Session 5: EU accession, executive configurations and institutional changes

Oleh Protsyk, European Centre for Minority Issues, Flensburg, Germany

Paper: Ministerial structure of Cabinets in Eastern and Central Europe: Does a country’s

EU accession status matter?

Radoslaw Zubek, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK

Paper: Europeanizing the centre in Poland: How Europe affects the institutional

underpinnings of ministerial responsiveness in the Polish Cabinet

Gaby Umbach, Universitat zu Koln, Germany

Paper: Post-communist state administrations under the pressures of Europeanization: Stages

National Differentiation - Scenarios

Conclusions; Completing of the WG report for the closing plenary session

 

11.00 - 13.00      Closing Plenary Session

                           Reports of the coordinators of the Working Sessions/Groups

 

 

IV. Working Group on Democratic Governance of Multiethnic Communities

 

WG Programme Coordinators:

Petra Kovacs, LGI/OSI, Budapest, Hungary

Jana Krimpe, Tallinn University of Educational Sciences, Tallinn, Estonia

Michael Brintnall, American Political Science Association, Washington D.C., USA

 

Theme 2004: Diversity and public services: Introducing new standards of diversity

                        management in changing Europe“

 

Our working group is addressing three broad themes in its panels, all central to improving the management of public services in meet the special demands of governance in multiethnic democracies.  One panel of papers focuses on the institutional arrangements for developing, administering, and assessing policies about diversity.  A second looks at specific strategies for performance measurement, monitoring, and evaluation of social policy, with a particular focus on the Roma community in 4 countries.  And the third addresses the preparation of public officials to perform well in meeting the needs of diverse communities.  The working group will conclude with development of an active agenda for future activities.

 

Thursday, May 13, 2004

 

16.00 - 17.30      Session 1:  Introduction, review of past Working Group activities, and discussion of themes and objectives of Working Group

                          

Friday, May 14, 2004

 

 09.00 - 10.30    Session 2: Assessing institutional responses to challenges of democratic governance of multiethnic communities

Rustem Ablyatifov, State Committee of Ukraine for Nationalities and Migration , Kyiv, Ukraine

Paper:  The resettlement, adaptation and integration of formerly deported Crimean Tatars in Ukraine: evaluation of impact of governmental programmes of 2002.

Andrey Makarychev, Nizhny Novgorod Linguistic University, Russian Federation  

Paper:  Trans-regional cooperation in the areas of EU-Russia direct neighborhood: The changed roles of Europe's margins

 

11.00 - 12.30     Session 3: Monitoring, evaluating and measuring performance of 

                                           policies that meet needs of ethnic minorities:                                           

Eva  Haviarova,  Charles University, Prague,  Czech Republic

Paper:  The requirement of authentic demographic and socioeconomic data about Roma in Slovakia and their use in decision making process by public administration at different levels

Ekaterina Marinova, CARE Bulgaria Foundation, Sofia,  Bulgaria

Paper:  From social assistance to social employment: New trends in the application of the Bulgarian Social Assistance Act for low income families and social assistance users from Roma origin 

 

14.00 - 15.00    Session 4:  Recruiting and training public servants to be responsive to challenges of multiethnic democracy

Victoria Antonova,  Volga-region Academy for Civil Service, Saratov,  Russian Federation

Paper:  Multiculturalism in the Regional Civil Service in Russia (the case of Saratov region)

Petra Kovacs, Local Government and Public Service Reform Initiative (LGI), Open Society Institute, Budapest, Hungary

Paper:  Monitoring the impact of the Anti-Discrimination Training Program in Hungary

Gayane Selimyan, American University of Armenia, Yerevan, Armenia

Paper:  Ethnic minorities in Public Administration in Armenia: Distant utopia or a tangible future?

Karen  West,  Centre for Management and Policy Studies, UK Cabinet Office, Ascot, United Kingdom

Paper:  Round and round (and round...) the learning cycle - Experience of cross cultural institutional development in the Balkans

 

Saturday, May 15, 2004

 

09.00 - 10.30  Session 5: Conclusions:  Lessons from the Papers, Plans for Publications, and Procedures for communication after the Working Group

 

11.00 - 13.00      Closing Plenary Session

                           Reports of the coordinators of the Working Sessions/Groups

 

 

 

V. Working Group on Public Sector Finance and Accounting

 

WG Programme Coordinator:

Zeljko Sevic, The University of Greenwich, London, United Kingdom

 

The Group will focus on the local government capacity and ongoing experience with non-tax revenue sources such as user fees and charges, duties, etc. The individual country papers will provide a detailed account of the fiscal legislation and current practices in fixing, collecting and allocating non-tax revenue sources.

 

Thursday, May 13, 2004

 

16.00 - 17.30    Session 1: 

Zeljko Sevic, University of Greenwich, United Kingdom

Introduction

David Amborski, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada

Paper: Applications of municipal user charges in Canada: Experience and implications for other justifications

Peter B. Boorsma, Twente University, Enschede, The Netherlands

Paper: Local taxes: Why?, with special reference to the Netherlands

Jonathan Watson, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom

Paper: Maximising your assets: Moving from spending ministries to economic players

Verena Fritz, GTZ, Frankfurt, Germany  

Paper: Raising revenue in transition: The development of tax policy and tax administration in Ukraine

 

Friday, May 14, 2004

 

09.00 - 10.30   Session 2: 

Phillip Bryson, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States

Paper: Users fees and local finance in transition countries: the Czech and Slovak cases

Lucie Sedmihradska, University of Economics, Prague, Czech Republic

Paper: Municipal budgetary process and decision making on the revenue side of the budget

Piotr Bury, Swietokrzyska Academy, Kielce, Poland

Paper: Charges in local government services and budgets in Poland

Pawel Swianiewicz, Warsaw University, Poland

Paper: Fees and charges in budgets of local governments in Poland: Regulations and practice

 

11.00 - 12.30    Session 3: 

Mark Chandler, Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, Latvia

Paper: User charges and fees: Financing local services – Do local governments really cover the costs in Lithuania?

Kenneth Kriz, University of Nebraska, Omaha, United States and Karsten Staehr, University of Tartu, Estonia

Paper: User charges and fees in theory and practice: the Estonian case

Stanislavs Keiss, School of Business Administration Turiba, Latvia and Zarina Vita, SSC Diplomatic Service Agency, Riga, Latvia

Paper: The influence of international accounting standards on the normative regulation of the  Latvian accounting system

Yulia Subbotovych, Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University, Ukraine and Sergii Slukhai, Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University, Ukraine  

Paper: Utility pricing policy and local budgets in Ukraine

 

14.00 - 15.00      Session 4: 

David Tumanyan, Communities Finance Officers Association of Armenia, Yerevan, Armenia

Paper: User charges and fees in Armenian local government system

Leonida Pliskevich, International Institute for Social and Labour Relations, Belarus

Paper: Financial Local Services, User Charges and Fees in the Republic of Belarus

Tatiana Danieliants, Inter-Tass Agency, Moscow, Russian Federation and Yulia Potanina, Moscow State Lomonossov University, Russian Federation

Paper: User charges: Case of Russia

 

Saturday, May 15, 2004

 

09.00 - 10.30      Session 5: Conclusions:  Completing of the WG report for the closing

                           plenary session; Plans for the next year

 

11.00 - 13.00      Closing Plenary Session

                           Reports of the coordinators of the Working Sessions/Groups

 

VI. Working Group on e-Government

 

WG Programme Coordinators:

Yuri  Misnikov, UNDP Slovakia

Mirko Vintar, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

 

Theme 2004: “Knowledge management and ICT for public policy”

 

Applying ICT based KM techniques in the policy formulation and implementation process can be considered as a very effective tool for overcoming policy making problems as it integrates knowledge handling,  reduces the vagueness and fuzziness of the policy making process, and creates a systemic framework for addressing bottlenecks and inconsistencies. The papers selected for working group IV address both national trends and global approaches to policy making through knowledge management and ICT applications

 

Thursday, May 13, 2004

 

16.00 - 17.30      Session 1:

Panel 1: National and local strategies for knowledge management and ICT in government

Elizabeth Muller., SIGMA/OECD, Paris, France

Paper: E-Government in OECD countries

Ivanna Atamanchuk, Ukrainian Academy of Public Administration, Kyiv, Ukraine

Paper: E-Government in Ukraine: Achievements and challenges

Irina Merkuryeva, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation   Paper: Development of e-government in St.-Petersburg: Evaluation of government web site performance and usability

Yaroslav Mudryi, London Metropolitan University, London, United Kingdom

Paper: Introducing the concept of distance learning for public servants training in regional institutes of National Academy of Public Administration in Ukraine

 

Friday, May 14, 2004

 

 09.00 - 10.30    Session 2: Panel 1: National and local strategies for knowledge management and ICT in government (continuation)

Antoni Sobolewski, Higher School of Public Administration, Szczecin, Poland

Paper: Polish self-government on its way to the e-government

Dusan Soltes, Faculty of Management, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia

Paper: EU Lisbon Strategy: e-Europe+ in Slovakia in the Context of the Future EU-25

Ovidiu Stoica, "Al. I. Cuza" University of Iasi, Iasi, Romania 

Paper: Local e-government developments in Romania. A survey

Ligita Zailskaite, Kaunas University of Technology, Kaunas, Lithuania

Paper: E-government implementation in Lithuania

 

11.00 - 12.30    Session 3: Panel 2: ICT and public policies

Frances Chetwynd, Arlington, United States

Paper: Openness and privacy concerns in e-government

Martin Gramatikov, University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria

Paper: Knowledge management strategies in the context of public-private partnerships

Agnieszka Pawlowska, M. Curie-Sklodowska University, Lublin, Poland

Paper: GIS as a tool in local policy-making

Jiri Pribil / Jan Pavel, University of Economics, Jindrichuv Hradec, Czech Republic,

Leos Vitek, Ministry of Finance, Prague, Czech Republic

Paper: Tax administration and e-government: Case of the Czech Republic

Kristina Reinsalu, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia

Paper: Knowledge management in local governments-the tool for building trust

Marcin Sakowicz, Warsaw School of Economics, Warsaw, Poland

Paper: Knowledge management in Polish local self-government

 

14.00 - 15.00      Session 4: Panel 2: ICT and public policies (continuation)

Aleksandar Ugrinoski, Civil Servants Agency, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia

Paper: The central register of civil servants, e-data or e-knowledge

Razvan Viorescu, University "Stefan cel Mare" Suceava, Suceava, Romania

Paper: Preventing and fighting against cyber crime – Romanian case

Marta Wielinska, Higher School of Public Administration, Szczecin, Poland

Paper: Education for the e-government – as a method to present the digital divide process on the example of the West Pomerania Voivodship in Poland

Jiri Krecan, Training Centre for Public Administration (FALA), Pardubice, Czech Republic

Paper: The Public Administration Portal of the Czech Republic in point of view of public servant

 

Saturday, May 15, 2004

09.00 - 10.30      Session 5: Discussion - Conclusions; (Completing of the WG report for the closing plenary session; Plans for the next year)

11.00 - 13.00      Closing Plenary Session

                           Reports of the coordinators of the Working Sessions/Groups

 

VII. Working Group on Capacity Building of a Civil Servants’ Training System according to EU Requirements

 

WG Programme Coordinators:

Eugenijus Chlivickas, Training Center of the Ministry of Finance, Lithuania

President of Lithuanian Public Administration Training Association

Borisas Melnikas, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Lithuania

 

Contemporary public administration is inherent of reforms, changes and innovations. Seeking solutions to the problems arising, most attention is paid to increasing state structures’ efficiency, stability of governance bodies and the professionalism and efficiency of civil servants’ training systems in state institutions in central and eastern European countries, inside as well as outside the European Union. The development of civil servants’ administration skills is one of the conditions for an increase in public service efficiency. The civil servants’ continuous training system, which consists of selection and recruitment of specialists, career planning, payment and promotion, introductory and continuous training, re-skilling and assessment of specialists, is closely related to the strengthening of administrative capacities and new quality creation according to the conditions of the EU.

 

The principal goals of the newly established working group is to research and identify new approaches towards capacity building of civil servants’ training systems according to EU requirements.

 

Thursday, May 13, 2004

 

16.00 - 17.30      Session 1:

Ivan Maly, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic

Paper:  Experiences from an implementation of a new Civil Servants Training System in the Czech Republic - country study
 
Razvan Viorescu, University "Stefan cel Mare", Suceava, Romania

Paper:  The professionalizing of the civil service according to public administration reform (Romanian case)

 

Friday, May 14, 2004

 

 09.00 - 10.30    Session 2:                     

Lidia Goverdovskaja, International Market Institute, Samara, Russian Federation

Paper:  Development of the state and municipal civil servants training and re-training system in the Oblast of Samara (the Case of the Public and Municipal Service Department, International Market Institute)
Mik Strmecki, Faculty of Administration, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Paper:  Civil servants training for EU accession: The Slovenian experience
Yurii Polianskiy, Ukrainian Academy of Public Administration, Kiev, Ukraine

Paper:  Adjusting MPA Programme Standards to EU requirements: Ukraine case
Borisas Melnikas, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Lithuania

Paper:  Improvement of the System of Public administration specialist training in countries of Central and Eastern Europe: integrated and individualized university studies and introduction of the lifelong learning principle in the environment of the growing European Union

11.00 - 12.30     Session 3:                        

Eugenijus Chlivickas, Ricardas Malkevicius, Lithuanian Public Administration Training Association, Vilnius, Lithuania

Paper:  Capacity building of decentralized training system in context of global transformations: Lithuanian experience

Beata Grebliauskiene, Customs Training Centre, Vilnius, Lithuania

 Paper:  The system of Lithuanian customs officials qualification improvement referring EU standards
Ona Grazina Rakauskiene,  Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, Law University of Lithuania, Vilnius, Lithuania
Paper:  State of the Art of Lithuanian macro economy and challenge of increasing state revenue in to the context of capacity building of government

Antanas Seilius, Klaipeda University, Management   Department, Lithuania

Paper:  Regional problems of personnel development in public administration     institutions

Narimantas Paliulis, V. Elskyte, L. Šaulinskas, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Lithuania

Paper:  Challenges of Information society in civil servants training

14.00 - 15.00      Session 4:

Eugenijus Chlivickas, Lithuanian Public Administration Training Association, Lithuania

Paper:  Civil Service Training System: Strategy of human resources development

Irena Alperyte, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Lithuania
Paper:  Public administration improvement in Eastern and Central Europe: Culture administrators training system according to EU requirements

Gediminas Dubauskas, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania, Vilnius, Lithuania
Paper:  Studies and training programs on management of public finance in Lithuania's defence sector

Zenonas Streikus, Training centre “Dainava”  for  Civil Servants and Local Administration, Druskininkai, Lithuania
Paper:  Training system oriented for „the first line“ civil servants

Rasa Smaliukiene, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania, Vilnius, Lithuania
Paper:  Leaders for public administration: civil servants’ education system in Lithuania
Alvydas Raipa, Kaunas University of Technology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Public Administration, Vilnius,  Lithuania
Paper:  Effective civil servants trainings as a component of better implementation public management innovations

Saturday, May 15, 2004

 

09.00 - 10.30   Session 5: Conclusions

 

11.00 - 13.00   Closing Plenary Session

                           Reports of the coordinators of the Working Sessions/Groups