Articles by Vitalis Nakrosis
The article analyses changes in the reform agendas of the Lithuanian government in the period 200... more The article analyses changes in the reform agendas of the Lithuanian government in the period 2004 – 2017. Instead of exploring the systemic and formal agendas of administrative reforms based on government strategies and programmes, it focuses on the institutional and actual agendas of Lithuanian authorities using a set of 20 reform initiatives. In addition to the analysis of the institutional context, we also assess a coupling logic and the exercise of political or bureaucratic entrepreneurship during reform policy making. The article finds that budgetary constraints and the reform policy priorities of the Lithuanian governments explain the ambitious agendas of administrative reforms during the 2008 – 2012 government and, to a lesser extent, during the 2016 – 2020 government. Th e political logic of coupling and political entrepreneurship dominated the flow of the reform process when these governments were in office, producing the top-down approach to reform policy making. In contrast, the 2004 – 2006, 2006 – 2008 and 2012 – 2016 governments relied strongly on a policy-centred logic of coupling together with bureaucratic entrepreneurship, which resulted in the bottom-up approach to administrative reforms in the country.
Public Policy and Administration, 2018
Previous studies of policy reforms that were undertaken during the recent global financial crisis... more Previous studies of policy reforms that were undertaken during the recent global financial crisis mostly focused on fiscal consolidation, with much less attention paid to other structural reforms. Although the impact of such external shocks as crisis or change of government on systemic change is widely acknowledged, little agreement exists on which intervening factors can best account for successes or failures of reform commitments. In this article, we propose an innovative explanation that focuses on the variables of political attention and change leadership, and which analyses temporal political and policy dynamics of reform decision making. We conduct a comparative analysis of the four performance priorities of the 2008–2012 Lithuanian Government led by Prime Minister A. Kubilius. The article concludes that a combination of persistent high political attention to policy reforms and strong reform leadership aimed at mobilising coalition support are essential factors in fulfilling reform commitments.
In this article we describe the adoption and execution of public administration reforms in Centra... more In this article we describe the adoption and execution of public administration reforms in Central and Eastern Europe between 2008 and 2013, as well as examine whether post-communist countries differ from other groups of European countries in terms of the substance of reforms and their implementation process. Instead of following popular Western administrative theoretical frames, we adopt the policy process approach. We focus on the role of policy actors during reform policymaking and implementation at the level of policy subsystems. More specifically, we employ the rational-comprehensive and garbage can perspectives to understand the reform processes in the post-communist region. Our research is based on the statistical analysis of survey data and two case studies of reforms initiated by the 2008-2012 Lithuanian government. The article concludes that countries in Central and Eastern Europe share some common characteristics: they focused on the issues of civil service and public or administrative services, their reform policy was often formulated on a top-down basis, and its execution often lacked adequate capacities. Despite a rational reform façade in these countries, the implementation of governance change appears to be quite erratic, as anticipated in the garbage can perspective. This can have negative consequences on the effectiveness of public policy, continuing to generate public distrust in post-communist state institutions.
The article analyzes the management of government agencies in Central and Eastern Europe. It seek... more The article analyzes the management of government agencies in Central and Eastern Europe. It seeks to explain the similarities and differences of agency control and steering in the two selected post-communist countries: Lithu-ania and Romania. Our comparative research is based on desk research and statistical analysis of the COBRA data. In contrast to Roma-nia whose agency management has gravitated around the Weberian-style model, Lithuania has shifted its agency landscape more towards the NPM-style management as a result of more extensive and centralized managerial reforms in the 2000s. This is attributable to a more sys-temic and top-down approach to result-oriented management in the latter country. Despite the adoption of NPM-inspired reforms in Romania and Lithuania, agencies in these countries do not exhibit systematic relationships between the level of autonomy and ex post control, which can be related to incomplete implementation, differences in the selected management instruments, and certain agency specificities.
Sistemingi, ilgąjį laikotarpį apimantys viešosios politikos darbotvarkės tyrimai pastarąjį dešimt... more Sistemingi, ilgąjį laikotarpį apimantys viešosios politikos darbotvarkės tyrimai pastarąjį dešimtmetį sulaukia vis daugiau tyrėjų dėmesio. Nors šios viešosios politikos studijų krypties populiarumas užsienyje didėja, Lietuvoje susidomėjimas viešosios politikos darbotvarkės kaitos tema išlieka mažas.
Šiame tyrime siekiama užpildyti su užsienio šalių studijomis palyginamų Lietuvos viešosios politikos darbotvarkės tyrimų trūkumą, analizuojant LR Seimo prioritetinių teisės aktų darbotvarkės kaitą 2005–2015 m. Tyrimo teorinis pagrindas sudarytas tiek iš klasikinių teorinių požiūrių (inkrementalizmas),
tiek iš naujausių teorinių požiūrių (pertraukiamos pusiausvyros
teorija). Šiame straipsnyje iš viso tikrinamos šešios hipotezės, iš kurių trys prognozuoja bendras Seimo prioritetinių klausimų darbotvarkės sisteminės kaitos tendencijas, o likusios aiškina konkrečius šios darbotvarkės kaitos turinio niuansus. Siekdami atsakyti į tyrime išsikeltus klausimus, straipsnio autoriai sudarė ir analizavo duomenų rinkinį, apimantį 19 Seimo sesijų bei
2 923 prioritetinius teisės aktų projektus. Seimo prioritetinių darbotvarkės klausimų analizės rezultatai rodo gana nestabilią ir padriką viešosios politikos darbotvarkės padėtį Lietuvoje, kurią sąlygoja įvairūs vidaus ir išorės veiksniai. Atsižvelgiant į didelę ir vis didėjančią Seimo darbotvarkės perkrovą, tai mažina galimybes priimti kokybiškus teisės aktus ir efektyviai išspręsti viešosios politikos klausimus.
Viešojo administravimo reformoms, kurioms per pastaruosius metus buvo skiriama daug dėmesio Europ... more Viešojo administravimo reformoms, kurioms per pastaruosius metus buvo skiriama daug dėmesio Europos šalių vyriausybių darbotvarkėje, aiškinti gali būti pasitelkiami keli metodiniai požiūriai. Jeigu kiekybinė analizė, pagrįsta dideliu atvejų
skaičiumi, leidžia nustatyti bendras reformų tendencijas ir jų skirtumus tarp įvairių šalių grupių, norint giliau suprasti reformas, reikalinga išsamiai išnagrinėti jų kontekstą
ir procesą keliose pasirinktose šalyse, taikant lyginamąjį ir procesinį požiūrius. Šiame straipsnyje pristatomos šių metodinių požiūrių galimybės ir apribojimai, nagrinėjant
naujausių mokslinių tyrimų rezultatus apie viešojo administravimo reformas Europoje ir Lietuvoje.
The NISPAcee Journal of Public Administration and Policy | Volume VIII, Number 1, Summer 2015
The article assesses how and the extent to which political or policy priorities of European gover... more The article assesses how and the extent to which political or policy priorities of European governments condition reform processes and their results in times of crisis. This research is based on desk research and statistical analysis of the 2013 EUPAN survey data on public-administration reform initiatives in Europe. The article finds that the place of public-administration reforms on the governmental agenda partially explains the process of public-administration reforms, but it cannot account for the variation in the (perceived) reform results. Also, the results of this research confirm that EU-13 and (potential) candidate countries face more difficulties in reform implementation due to a combination of comprehensive reform strategies and weak administrative capacities. If the quantitative analysis was able to uncover some broad trends common to European public administrations, more qualitative approaches (causal process-tracing and case studies) are needed to capture specific contexts and changing processes in different European public administrations on which delivery progress is inevitably contingent. In order to explain why some windows of opportunities are seized while others are missed during the process of public-administration reforms, it is important to undertake process-tracing in within-case and between-case analysis and focus on causal configurations in the study of particular reform cases.
This paper analyses the inputs, decisions, outputs and outcomes of fiscal consolidation and struc... more This paper analyses the inputs, decisions, outputs and outcomes of fiscal consolidation and structural reforms undertaken by the Lithuanian authorities in the period 2008-2012. The article is based on desk research, which was supplemented by interviews with key government decision-makers. The article found that Lithuania successfully pursued fiscal consolidation, which contributed to stabilising its economy and public finances. If economic factors explain largely the timing of fiscal consolidation decisions, political factors are more powerful to account for the expenditure-led nature of fiscal consolidation in Lithuania. However, despite bold and ambitious plans, Lithuania’s structural reforms proved to be fragmented and incremental due to the absence of a stable base of political support, sustained political attention and persistent political leadership.
This article compares the actual patterns of agencification and depoliticisation in Lithuania and... more This article compares the actual patterns of agencification and depoliticisation in Lithuania and explains the extent to which the EU influenced these changes. Our research employs (descriptive and inferential) statistical analysis of data on the organisational changes of Lithuanian agencies and the political participation of their managers in the 1990-2012 period. The article found that the EU made a significant contribution to the establishment of new agencies but changes in the scope
of politicisation can be explained by a combination of evolution in the political conditionality of EU membership and wholesale government changes. The differentiated impact of the EU on public administration changes was observed with the management of the Europeanised agencies becoming
increasingly professional over time. Overall, the results of our research confirm the stronger and more enduring impact of specific acquis rules in the policy domain compared to the much weaker influence of the EU’s political conditionality.
This article presents the results of our research on party patronage and state politicisation in ... more This article presents the results of our research on party patronage and state politicisation in different Lithuanian public sector organisations (government agencies and agencies under the ministries, state-owned enterprises, personal health care and educational institutions). Although repeating alterations of
governments best explained the frequent turnover of some public sector heads, their politicisation was related to the length of party rule in power, beliefs of the political and administrative elite and density of the party networks. The legal protection of civil service jobs was only important in the case of the agencies under the ministries whose managers always held career civil service positions. Furthermore, substantial variation in the scope of politicisation was related to such administrative factors as the political salience of policy areas and organisational functions, as well as budget size, which suggested different motivations and opportunities of party patronage in the Lithuanian public sector.
Although Lithuanian agencies are relatively young, since 1990 they have experienced many organiza... more Although Lithuanian agencies are relatively young, since 1990 they have experienced many organizational changes. The purpose of this article is to explain the change and continuity
of Lithuanian agencies and other public sector organizations during 1990–2010 based on the transformative approach. Agency mapping and analysis of other data showed that
organizational changes depended on a combination of exogenous and endogenous factors: Lithuania’s transition to democracy and market economy, its accession to the European Union, the adoption of government-wide organizational reforms during the economic crisis, and the political turnover.
Despite the increased attention of evaluation theorists and practitioners on theory-based evaluat... more Despite the increased attention of evaluation theorists and practitioners on theory-based evaluation, there is still no agreement regarding how to apply this evaluation approach in practice. In order to further advance the application of theory-based evaluation, the article elaborates a specific causal model for the in-depth evaluation of capacity-building interventions supported by the European Social Fund. This model of program outcomes is used to make a contribution claim: that better results of one set of performance management projects can be explained by their better design and more favorable conditions for their implementation compared to other
similar projects. The article suggests setting some specific conditionalities – such as assessing the organizational maturity of potential beneficiaries and improving their project management systems before the start of project execution – to improve the implementation of future capacity building
interventions.
Based on the transformative approach, the NPM and post-NPM models this article explains the proli... more Based on the transformative approach, the NPM and post-NPM models this article explains the proliferation, autonomy, control and innovative behavior of Lithuanian agencies and other public sector organizations in the 1990-2010 period.
While the expansion of governmental functions during Lithuania’s transition to democracy and its accession to the EU brought agencification in 1990-2004, the adoption of government-wide organizational reforms during the economic crisis marked the start of de-agencification in 2009-
2010. The degree of autonomy and control of the Lithuanian public sector organizations is largely explained by their legal basis and political salience of their tasks. Finally, in line with the post-NPM model, structural capacities and participation in
networks have a strong impact on innovative behavior of these organizations.
This article aims at offering a framework for analysing party patronage and state politicisation ... more This article aims at offering a framework for analysing party patronage and state politicisation based on game-theoretic reasoning. It is argued that in order to reveal the main causal mechanisms behind these phenomena, one can focus on the cooperation between political parties analysis based on the model of prisoner’s dilemma. The article identifies four sets of obstacles to party cooperation in Central and Eastern
Europe: unstable and polarised party systems; “the rules of the game” legitimising party patronage; dense party networks and their building through patronage; and insufficient regulation and weak enforcement of the merit principle in state administrations. The influence of these causal mechanisms in the post-communist countries can be explored through historical process-tracing and other methods. Finally, the article proposes several country-specific hypotheses for the empirical study of party patronage and state politicisation in Lithuania.
The processes of transition and accession to the EU produced a fast expansion in the number of ag... more The processes of transition and accession to the EU produced a fast expansion in the number of agencies and other public sector organizations in CEE. Between 1990 and 2004, many new organizations were established in order to implement new or reorganized functions of the democratic state, market economy and the EU member state. Agencies were created at a very high speed and with a larger scope than in most Western countries. Such a trend was counteracted by a major U-turn in the second half of the 2000s, when all studied CEE countries experienced a de-agencification process facilitated by the
financial crisis and the aim to rationalize public sector organization. The studies in this special issue show that there is a considerable variation in terms of organizational autonomy and control, both across and within individual countries, and a
clear domination of ex ante control over ex post control in the CEE region. Finally, politicization of agencies is identified as an important feature influencing their functioning in some CEE countries.
The paper seeks to assess, whether the EU or the domestic factors had a stronger impact on the pr... more The paper seeks to assess, whether the EU or the domestic factors had a stronger impact on the proliferation of public sector organisations and on the degree of their autonomy and control. The results of the COBRA 2008 survey indicate that the EU was the main driving force behind the setting up of public sector organisations in Lithuania. The impact of domestic factors (changes in the governing coalitions and macroeconomic developments) was considerably smaller and not consistent. However, the degree of autonomy and control of the Lithuanian public sector organisations is largely explained by the dominating continental European legal tradition rather than the EU pre- and post-accession processes.
The article seeks to assess the main factors explaining innovations in the Lithuanian public sect... more The article seeks to assess the main factors explaining innovations in the Lithuanian public sector organisations. The empirical analysis is based on the COBRA survey of the Lithuanian public sector organisations. Our results indicate that the structural capacity is the most important explanation behind organisational innovations: larger organisations are more likely to develop new products and services than small ones. Furthermore, we found that the New Public Management argument does not hold in Lithuania: higher managerial autonomy and incentives for performance do not foster innovations. The assessment of importance of administrative culture yielded mixed results, and more research is needed in this area.
This paper seeks assessing the dynamics of Lithuania's governmental perfor mance and comparing it... more This paper seeks assessing the dynamics of Lithuania's governmental perfor mance and comparing it to other countries. It draws on a simple logical model, linking the inputs of the government to its outputs and outcomes. It was found that performance of the Lithuanian government is average and even poor, if compared with the EU aver age or such countries as Estonia and Ireland. This is despite rhe fact the public mode of production is rather expensive in Lithuania and the number of public employees is similar to the EU average. A few performance indicators have recently improved in Lithuania, but not as much as overall government expenditure since 2004. Therefore, the Lithu anian Government should accord higher attention to efficiency and effectiveness of its performance. This is especially relevant in the sector of education, where there is a clear mismatch between a significant share of expenditure, a high number of employees and rather poor educational outcomes. * 'Ihis paper was prepared under the COST action No. ISO601 "Comparative Research into Current Trends in Public Sector Organization" (CRIPO). public policy, programmes, institutions, their structural units as well as public sector employees or their groups. Also, it is possible to measure performance at the level of inputs, processes, outputs and outcomes. Systemic performance concerns the performance of the government as a whole. To measure systemic performance, one can use overall performance measures or aggregate individual performance of institutions, programmes or individuals. The focus on systemic performance has a few limitations. It is not very useful for management purposes (i.e. providing some evidence for politicians or managers to make certain corrective actions). Since "macro-level data en compass a diffuse set of activities of numerous units" 4 , systemic performance could not be attributed ro a single institution, unit or manager. However, the analysis of systemic performance is a good starting point for lower-level analysis of institutions or sectors. This paper seeks assessing the dynamics of Lithuania's performance and com paring it to other countries. In addition to the European Union (EU) average, Estonia and Ireland were selected for the purpose of making this comparison because of two main reasons. First, these countries are similar to Lithuania in terms of their size and government expenditure as part of their gross domestic product (GDP). However, although Estonia is a poorer new member state of the EU, Ireland is a richer old member state of the EU. These differences may be important for linking performance with the level of socio-economic develop ment. Second, Lithuania is often benchmarked against these countries in the public discourse because of a relatively large share of Lithuanian migrants in Ireland or allegedly more advanced Baltic neighbour of Estonia. This paper draws on a simple logical model, linking the inputs of the govern ment to its outputs and outcomes (results and impact). Public administrations use various (financial, human, technical, etc.) inputs to produce certain physical outputs. This paper analyses two main inputs of the government: government expenditure and human resources. Results are (immediate) effects on the direct beneficiaries (e.g. reduced journey times, transport costs or number of the employed trainees). This paper assesses main objective and subjective results of the Lithuanian government. The analysis of systemic performance allows some assessment of efficiency and effectiveness in the public sector. Efficiency is defined as the maximization of output for a given set of inputs or the minimization of inputs for a given set Figure No. 1. Logical model Impact Needs Results Objectives Inputs Processes Outputs S o u r c e : adapted from The European Commission. Working Paper No. 3:Indicators for Moni toring and Evaluation: An Indicative methodology, 1999. of outputs. Effectiveness is defined as the extent to which cet tain aims have been achieved. It is interesting to assess the link between government expenditure on the input side and (objective or subjective) government performance on the output/outcome side. However, such assessments are constrained by such factors as the lack of quantified objectives or the absence of price information in the public sector. This paper draws on various sources of information for measuring systemic performance in Lithuania. They include international, European and national sources of information, some monitoring information and performance-related research. The paper starts with the analysis of main government inputs, proceeds with the analysis of main government outputs and outcomes and concludes in the end. The paper concludes that performance of the Lithuanian government is average and even poor, if compared with the EU average or such countries as Estonia and Ireland. This is despite the fact the public mode of production (intermediate consumption and compensation of employees) is rather expensive in Lithuania and the number of public employees is similar to the EU average. A few performance indicators have recently improved in Lithuania, but not as much as overall government expenditure since 2004. Therefore, efficiency and effectiveness of government performance should be a main priority in the future (in particular in such sectors as education and health care).
Public-management reforms in CEE countries have achieved a mix of successes and failures. However... more Public-management reforms in CEE countries have achieved a mix of successes and failures. However, the reform process proved to be more difficult and slower than expected at the outset of political and economic transition as well as EU accession.
This article analyses the process of policy transfer in the candidate countries/new member states... more This article analyses the process of policy transfer in the candidate countries/new member states before and after EU eastward enlargement. The analysis is based on the experience of Lithuania in several policy areas. Policy transfer is analysed at three different levels (macro, medium and micro), the analysis is based on the new institutionalist approach. The paper assesses the effectiveness of different policy transfer types, the impact of EU-level and domestic factors on policy transfer as well as main outcomes of policy transfer. Finally, the paper summarises main findings of the analysis and discusses the future of policy transfer in the enlarged EU.
Uploads
Articles by Vitalis Nakrosis
Šiame tyrime siekiama užpildyti su užsienio šalių studijomis palyginamų Lietuvos viešosios politikos darbotvarkės tyrimų trūkumą, analizuojant LR Seimo prioritetinių teisės aktų darbotvarkės kaitą 2005–2015 m. Tyrimo teorinis pagrindas sudarytas tiek iš klasikinių teorinių požiūrių (inkrementalizmas),
tiek iš naujausių teorinių požiūrių (pertraukiamos pusiausvyros
teorija). Šiame straipsnyje iš viso tikrinamos šešios hipotezės, iš kurių trys prognozuoja bendras Seimo prioritetinių klausimų darbotvarkės sisteminės kaitos tendencijas, o likusios aiškina konkrečius šios darbotvarkės kaitos turinio niuansus. Siekdami atsakyti į tyrime išsikeltus klausimus, straipsnio autoriai sudarė ir analizavo duomenų rinkinį, apimantį 19 Seimo sesijų bei
2 923 prioritetinius teisės aktų projektus. Seimo prioritetinių darbotvarkės klausimų analizės rezultatai rodo gana nestabilią ir padriką viešosios politikos darbotvarkės padėtį Lietuvoje, kurią sąlygoja įvairūs vidaus ir išorės veiksniai. Atsižvelgiant į didelę ir vis didėjančią Seimo darbotvarkės perkrovą, tai mažina galimybes priimti kokybiškus teisės aktus ir efektyviai išspręsti viešosios politikos klausimus.
skaičiumi, leidžia nustatyti bendras reformų tendencijas ir jų skirtumus tarp įvairių šalių grupių, norint giliau suprasti reformas, reikalinga išsamiai išnagrinėti jų kontekstą
ir procesą keliose pasirinktose šalyse, taikant lyginamąjį ir procesinį požiūrius. Šiame straipsnyje pristatomos šių metodinių požiūrių galimybės ir apribojimai, nagrinėjant
naujausių mokslinių tyrimų rezultatus apie viešojo administravimo reformas Europoje ir Lietuvoje.
of politicisation can be explained by a combination of evolution in the political conditionality of EU membership and wholesale government changes. The differentiated impact of the EU on public administration changes was observed with the management of the Europeanised agencies becoming
increasingly professional over time. Overall, the results of our research confirm the stronger and more enduring impact of specific acquis rules in the policy domain compared to the much weaker influence of the EU’s political conditionality.
governments best explained the frequent turnover of some public sector heads, their politicisation was related to the length of party rule in power, beliefs of the political and administrative elite and density of the party networks. The legal protection of civil service jobs was only important in the case of the agencies under the ministries whose managers always held career civil service positions. Furthermore, substantial variation in the scope of politicisation was related to such administrative factors as the political salience of policy areas and organisational functions, as well as budget size, which suggested different motivations and opportunities of party patronage in the Lithuanian public sector.
of Lithuanian agencies and other public sector organizations during 1990–2010 based on the transformative approach. Agency mapping and analysis of other data showed that
organizational changes depended on a combination of exogenous and endogenous factors: Lithuania’s transition to democracy and market economy, its accession to the European Union, the adoption of government-wide organizational reforms during the economic crisis, and the political turnover.
similar projects. The article suggests setting some specific conditionalities – such as assessing the organizational maturity of potential beneficiaries and improving their project management systems before the start of project execution – to improve the implementation of future capacity building
interventions.
While the expansion of governmental functions during Lithuania’s transition to democracy and its accession to the EU brought agencification in 1990-2004, the adoption of government-wide organizational reforms during the economic crisis marked the start of de-agencification in 2009-
2010. The degree of autonomy and control of the Lithuanian public sector organizations is largely explained by their legal basis and political salience of their tasks. Finally, in line with the post-NPM model, structural capacities and participation in
networks have a strong impact on innovative behavior of these organizations.
Europe: unstable and polarised party systems; “the rules of the game” legitimising party patronage; dense party networks and their building through patronage; and insufficient regulation and weak enforcement of the merit principle in state administrations. The influence of these causal mechanisms in the post-communist countries can be explored through historical process-tracing and other methods. Finally, the article proposes several country-specific hypotheses for the empirical study of party patronage and state politicisation in Lithuania.
financial crisis and the aim to rationalize public sector organization. The studies in this special issue show that there is a considerable variation in terms of organizational autonomy and control, both across and within individual countries, and a
clear domination of ex ante control over ex post control in the CEE region. Finally, politicization of agencies is identified as an important feature influencing their functioning in some CEE countries.
Šiame tyrime siekiama užpildyti su užsienio šalių studijomis palyginamų Lietuvos viešosios politikos darbotvarkės tyrimų trūkumą, analizuojant LR Seimo prioritetinių teisės aktų darbotvarkės kaitą 2005–2015 m. Tyrimo teorinis pagrindas sudarytas tiek iš klasikinių teorinių požiūrių (inkrementalizmas),
tiek iš naujausių teorinių požiūrių (pertraukiamos pusiausvyros
teorija). Šiame straipsnyje iš viso tikrinamos šešios hipotezės, iš kurių trys prognozuoja bendras Seimo prioritetinių klausimų darbotvarkės sisteminės kaitos tendencijas, o likusios aiškina konkrečius šios darbotvarkės kaitos turinio niuansus. Siekdami atsakyti į tyrime išsikeltus klausimus, straipsnio autoriai sudarė ir analizavo duomenų rinkinį, apimantį 19 Seimo sesijų bei
2 923 prioritetinius teisės aktų projektus. Seimo prioritetinių darbotvarkės klausimų analizės rezultatai rodo gana nestabilią ir padriką viešosios politikos darbotvarkės padėtį Lietuvoje, kurią sąlygoja įvairūs vidaus ir išorės veiksniai. Atsižvelgiant į didelę ir vis didėjančią Seimo darbotvarkės perkrovą, tai mažina galimybes priimti kokybiškus teisės aktus ir efektyviai išspręsti viešosios politikos klausimus.
skaičiumi, leidžia nustatyti bendras reformų tendencijas ir jų skirtumus tarp įvairių šalių grupių, norint giliau suprasti reformas, reikalinga išsamiai išnagrinėti jų kontekstą
ir procesą keliose pasirinktose šalyse, taikant lyginamąjį ir procesinį požiūrius. Šiame straipsnyje pristatomos šių metodinių požiūrių galimybės ir apribojimai, nagrinėjant
naujausių mokslinių tyrimų rezultatus apie viešojo administravimo reformas Europoje ir Lietuvoje.
of politicisation can be explained by a combination of evolution in the political conditionality of EU membership and wholesale government changes. The differentiated impact of the EU on public administration changes was observed with the management of the Europeanised agencies becoming
increasingly professional over time. Overall, the results of our research confirm the stronger and more enduring impact of specific acquis rules in the policy domain compared to the much weaker influence of the EU’s political conditionality.
governments best explained the frequent turnover of some public sector heads, their politicisation was related to the length of party rule in power, beliefs of the political and administrative elite and density of the party networks. The legal protection of civil service jobs was only important in the case of the agencies under the ministries whose managers always held career civil service positions. Furthermore, substantial variation in the scope of politicisation was related to such administrative factors as the political salience of policy areas and organisational functions, as well as budget size, which suggested different motivations and opportunities of party patronage in the Lithuanian public sector.
of Lithuanian agencies and other public sector organizations during 1990–2010 based on the transformative approach. Agency mapping and analysis of other data showed that
organizational changes depended on a combination of exogenous and endogenous factors: Lithuania’s transition to democracy and market economy, its accession to the European Union, the adoption of government-wide organizational reforms during the economic crisis, and the political turnover.
similar projects. The article suggests setting some specific conditionalities – such as assessing the organizational maturity of potential beneficiaries and improving their project management systems before the start of project execution – to improve the implementation of future capacity building
interventions.
While the expansion of governmental functions during Lithuania’s transition to democracy and its accession to the EU brought agencification in 1990-2004, the adoption of government-wide organizational reforms during the economic crisis marked the start of de-agencification in 2009-
2010. The degree of autonomy and control of the Lithuanian public sector organizations is largely explained by their legal basis and political salience of their tasks. Finally, in line with the post-NPM model, structural capacities and participation in
networks have a strong impact on innovative behavior of these organizations.
Europe: unstable and polarised party systems; “the rules of the game” legitimising party patronage; dense party networks and their building through patronage; and insufficient regulation and weak enforcement of the merit principle in state administrations. The influence of these causal mechanisms in the post-communist countries can be explored through historical process-tracing and other methods. Finally, the article proposes several country-specific hypotheses for the empirical study of party patronage and state politicisation in Lithuania.
financial crisis and the aim to rationalize public sector organization. The studies in this special issue show that there is a considerable variation in terms of organizational autonomy and control, both across and within individual countries, and a
clear domination of ex ante control over ex post control in the CEE region. Finally, politicization of agencies is identified as an important feature influencing their functioning in some CEE countries.
Kolektyvinės monografijos „Kada reformos virsta pokyčiais? Politinis dėmesys, palaikymo koalicijos ir lyderystė A. Kubiliaus Vyriausybės veiklos 2008–2012 m. laikotarpiu“ objektas yra minėtos Vyriausybės specifiniai veiklos prioritetai, kurie buvo suformuluoti ir vykdomi įvairiose valdymo srityse. Prioritetai reiškia, kad vyriausybės darbotvarkėje pasirinktiems viešosios politikos klausimams turi būti teikiama pirmenybė kitų klausimų atžvilgiu, jiems skiriant daugiau politinio dėmesio ir kitų išteklių.
Šiam tyrimui buvo pasirinkta penkioliktoji Vyriausybė, kuriai vadovavo Ministras Pirmininkas A. Kubilius. Tai buvo pirmoji Lietuvos Vyriausybė, kuri nuo 1990 m. išdirbo pilną keturių metų kadenciją. Vyriausybės veiklos prioritetai Lietuvoje pirmą kartą buvo patvirtinti šios Vyriausybės kadencijos metu 2010 m., siekiant finansų krizės metu geriau įgyvendinti Vyriausybės programą ir joje numatytas struktūrines reformas. Nors ir ankstesnės Lietuvos Vyriausybės strateginio planavimo proceso metu tvirtindavo prioritetinius strateginius tikslus, paprastai juose buvo nustatomos kelios Vyriausybės prioritetinės veiklos kryptys arba tikslai, kurie buvo gana abstraktūs ir neturėjo kiekybinių siekių.
Mes išsikėlėme du svarbiausius tiriamuosius klausimus. Pagrindinis teorinis klausimas buvo šis: kaip paaiškinti Vyriausybės veiklos prioritetų įgyvendinimo procesą ir jų rezultatus Lietuvoje, pasitelkiant tinkamus teorinius požiūrius ir juos pritaikant prie šio tyrimo objekto? Savo ruožtu, pagrindinis empirinis klausimas buvo toks: kokie veiksniai darė įtaką analizuojamų Vyriausybės veiklos prioritetų įgyvendinimui ir gali paaiškinti jų įgyvendinimo sėkmę ar nesėkmę?
Mūsų tyrimas buvo pagrįstas bendru teoriniu analizės pagrindu, kurį sudaro išorės, tarpiniai ir vidaus veiksniai, taip pat jų tarpusavio ryšiai. Vadovaujantis šiuo pagrindu, viešosios politikos kaitos sprendimus gali geriausiai paaiškinti viešosios politikos posistemiuose vykstanti palaikymo koalicijų sąveika. Jai įtaką daro įvairūs išorės veiksniai ir įvykiai, taip pat tokie tarpiniai veiksniai kaip politinis dėmesys ar planuojamų pokyčių pobūdis ir aktualūs vidaus veiksniai (koalicijų narių įsitikinimai, politinė lyderystė, mokymasis, t. t.). Šiame darbe mes nagrinėjome viešosios politikos sprendimų priėmimą ir jų įgyvendinimo rezultatus.
Mes parengėme šešias atvejo studijas pagal pagrindinius penkioliktosios Vyriausybės veiklos prioritetus ir prioritetines sritis: (1) daugiabučių namų atnaujinimo programos įgyvendinimą; (2) valstybės tarnybos reformą; (3) pensijų reformą; (4) asmens sveikatos priežiūros įstaigų tinklo pertvarkymą; (5) aukštojo mokslo reformą ir (6) pasiruošimą statyti Visagino atominę elektrinę. Jie buvo susiję su penkioliktosios Vyriausybės programoje numatytomis ilgalaikėmis struktūrinėmis reformomis (pvz., dėl aukštojo mokslo sistemos reformos, sveikatos apsaugos reformos, struktūrinių energetikos sektoriaus reformų ir valstybės valdymo pertvarkos) bei kitų reikšmingų programų įgyvendinimu finansų krizės sąlygomis. Rengiant šias atvejo studijas, buvo išanalizuoti prieinami informacijos šaltiniai ir atlikti 40 interviu su 38 viešosios politikos veikėjais
The fragmented and inefficient structure of public administration combined with the economic crisis brought the need for public management reforms in the organizational area. Some organizational reforms at the agency level were initiated under the 1999-2000 Government amid the first economic downturn. In the end of 2008 a combination of the new economic crisis and the appointment of the right-wing government marked the adoption of new organizational reforms based on the NPM doctrine. The purpose of these reforms that affect all types of public sector organizations in the executive system is to improve effectiveness of the government sector. However, progress in implementing these reforms has been mixed.
The degree of autonomy and control of the Lithuanian public sector organizations is the result of their legal environment. Previously taken decisions on the formal status of public organizations had a strong impact on the level of autonomy and control of the public organizations. Ex post control of these organizations also depends on the relationship between parent ministries and agencies as well as the salience of a policy area. The ongoing public management reforms further reduced financial autonomy of some Lithuanian public sector organizations; they also became subject to a more effective ex post control based on improved techniques of results-oriented management.
The content of the current public management reforms is broadly in line with mixed empirical evidence about the effectiveness of the NPM doctrine in Lithuania. On the one hand, higher autonomy in addition to the system of performance-related sanctions and rewards does not lead to the adoption of innovations in the Lithuanian public sector. It is the structural capacity that explains organizational innovations: larger organizations are more likely to develop new products and services than small ones. On the other hand, there is evidence that the adoption of results-oriented management techniques contributes to the self-perceived efficiency of Lithuanian public sector organizations.
states in designing and implementing NPM reforms. However, this study showed that Lithuania is still lagging behind from the perspective of more advanced NPM countries. The quality of performance information is poor and its use is limited in the decision-making process. Also, program-based budgeting is underdeveloped in Lithuania. Although performance management improved the implementation of governmental commitments, its contribution to the efficiency and effectiveness of governmental operations has been limited.
(including the EU’s influence), internal factors and our dependent variables (changes in public administration and the impact of the EU). Whereas the previous analysis of politicisation and agencification in Central and Eastern Europe was based on survey data or case studies, our research employs (descriptive and inferential) statistical analysis of data on the organisational changes of Lithuanian agencies and political participation of their managers. Furthermore, a longitudinal approach was employed to observe ‘net changes’ by mapping agencification and politicisation throughout the period 1990-2012.
The paper found that the EU made a significant contribution to the establishment of new agencies driven by the exigencies of EU accession, but its impact on the survival of Europeanised agencies was much smaller after enlargement. Changes in the scope of politicisation can be explained by a combination of evolution in the political conditionality of EU membership and wholesale government changes. The differentiated impact of the EU on public administration changes was observed with the management of the Europeanised agencies becoming increasingly professional over time. Overall, the results of our research confirm the stronger and more enduring impact of specific acquis rules in the policy domain compared to the much weaker influence of the EU’s political conditionality. Furthermore, it points to the importance of interactions between domestic actors that realise particular beliefs and pursue certain strategies to understanding institutional and policy changes at domestic level.
hypotheses for the analysis of agency control and steering in Lithuania and Romania. The second part presents the methodology and main findings, while the third part
outlines the key observations concerning the hypothesis and the control and steering patterns in both countries. Lastly, the paper discusses the implications of the statistical findings and lays the ground for future research.
agentūromis.
kurios institucinėje sandaroje veikia arčiau Vyriausybės centro, vadovai labiau politizuoti nei įstaigų prie ministerijų vadovai. Straipsnyje teigiama, kad šių agentūrų vadovų kaitą geriausiai paaiškina esminiai valdančiosios daugumos ir Lietuvos Vyriausybių pokyčiai, o politizaciją – politinių partijų
valdymo trukmė ir jų tinklai, taip pat politinis valdymo sričių jautrumas.
pradžioje nebuvo sėkmingas dėl nepakankamos politinės nuosavybės ir legalistinio požiūrio. Penkioliktosios Andriaus Kubiliaus Vyriausybės vykdomos viešojo valdymo reformos pagrįstos vadybine doktrina, kurioje vyrauja NVV doktrinos bruožai. Partinės logikos ir NVV derinys gali būti prieštaringas ir
pavojingas Rytų ir Vidurio Europos šalyse. Kadangi NVV doktrina nedavė gerų rezultatų žemyninės Europos šalyse, jos sprendimai mažai atitinka Lietuvos problemas ir nėra tvirtų įrodymų, jog NVV gali efektyviai veikti Lietuvoje, viešojo valdymo reformų metu ją siūloma taikyti ribotai ir selektyviai.
alternatyvos: valstybės tarnybos stabilizacija bei konsolidacija ir nuosaiki vadybinė reforma. Šioms alternatyvoms įgyvendinti pateikiamos trumpojo ir vidutinio laikotarpio rekomendacijos, skirtos Lietuvos sprendimų priėmėjams.
aprašoma veiklos valdymo problema.
nacionalinė Lisabonos strategijos įgyvendinimo programa. Pagrindinė straipsnio išvada – nacionalinis Lisabonos procesas tik iš dalies prisidėjo prie pageidautinų viešosios politikos pokyčių. Neišnaudotas nacionalinės Lisabonos programos potencialas svarbioms viešosios politikos reformoms
paskatinti. Nevisiškai aiški nacionalinės Lisabonos programos vieta Lietuvos strateginio planavimo dokumentų sistemoje – „Briuseliui“ tai lyg ir svarbiausias vidutinio laikotarpio strateginio planavimo dokumentas, o Lietuvoje šalia nacionalinės Lisabonos strategijos yra parengta dar
keletas strategijų, kurios „konkuruoja“ dël politikų, valdininkų ir visuomenės dėmesio. Siekiant giliau atskleisti Lisabonos proceso įtaką konkrečiam viešosios politikos turiniui, straipsnyje atliekamos dvi atvejo studijos – aktyvios darbo rinkos bei mokslinių tyrimų ir technologinės plėtros srityse. Konstatuojama, kad būtent pastarojoje srityje Lisabonos
procesas prisidėjo iškeliant gana ambicingus tikslus. Abiejose srityse pastebima ir tam tikra teigiama įtaka politikos procesui, nors šiuo atveju reikia kalbëti labiau apie „inkrementinį“ pagerėjimą, o ne kokius nors esminius pokyčius.
koordinavimo metodo įtakos mechanizmai bei viešosios politikos ir institucinė kaita (priklausomi kintamieji). Šis analizės pagrindas naudojamas atvirojo koordinavimo metodo taikymo Lietuvoje tyrimo rezultatams struktûrinti ir apibendrinti. Straipsnyje pateikiami atvirojo koordinavimo metodo taikymo Lietuvoje rezultatai ir nagrinėjamos jo ateities tendencijos.
Bendra straipsnio išvada yra ta, kad atvirasis koordinavimo metodas Lietuvoje neveikia dël silpnų jo įtakos mechanizmų. Be to, nors pats atvirasis koordinavimo metodas pagal apibrėžimą priskiriamas prie „minkštųjų“ valdymo formų ir vien todėl gali turėti menkesnę įtaką nei teisiškai įpareigojančios Bendrijos metodo priemonës, Lietuvoje jo veiksmingumą
dar silpnina netinkamas taikymas. Tai sunkina reikalingų reformų įgyvendinimą Lietuvoje ir mažina jos indėlį į bendrą Europos Sąjungos ûkio augimą ir užimtumą.
vadybos taikymą viešojo administravimo įstaigose. Akcentuojama, kad Lietuvoje kokybės vadyba tiek valstybės, tiek įstaigų lygmenimis pradėta diegti neseniai, todėl kokybės vadybos iniciatyvas taikančių įstaigų nėra daug. Parodyta, kad kokybės vadybos iniciatyvas dažniau linkusios taikyti brandesnės įstaigos, kurios turi kitų veiklos valdymo priemonių
taikymo patirties, o trūkstant kokybės vadybos patirties pasirinktas kokybės vadybos modelis gali būti įdiegtas formaliai ir gali daugėti administracinio krūvio. Pagrįsta, kad diegiant
kokybės vadybą svarbūs įstaigos amžius ir jos dydis.
electoral competition and the rule of law are generally respected by the
Lithuanian authorities. However, substantive democracy suffers from a few
weaknesses. Despite some recent improvements, party financing is not
sufficiently monitored or audited, and campaign-financing fraud is not subject
to adequate enforcement. In addition, discrimination continues to be evident,
sometimes significantly so. Most importantly, corruption is not sufficiently
contained in Lithuania. Anti-corruption legislation is well developed, but the
public sector continues to offer opportunities for abuses of power or position,
and the enforcement of anti-corruption laws remains insufficient.
Lithuanian policymakers have sought to establish and maintain social,
economic and environmental conditions promoting their citizens’ well-being.
However, the country’s policy performance remains mixed, with social-policy
results lagging behind those of economic and environmental policies. Some
observers attribute this to transition and EU-integration processes that have
focused on primarily political, economic and administrative matters. The
country’s formal governance arrangements are quite well designed. However,
these arrangements do not always function to their full potential. There are
significant gaps in policy implementation and in practical use of the impactassessment
process for most important policy decisions, and societal
consultation remains underdeveloped.
There were a few important developments in the 2014 – 2015 period. In 2015,
the country’s first direct mayoral election were held successfully. The
governing Social Democrats won most mayoral posts, followed by the two
opposition parties the Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats and
the Liberal Movement (which won the post of Vilnius city mayor). The threeparty
government led by the Social Democratic Party and Prime Minister
Algirdas Butkevičius remained in power. In response to Russia’s actions in
Ukraine, the country’s political parties signed an agreement in 2014 on
increasing defense spending to 2% of GDP by 2020.
In terms of economic developments, the Lithuanian economy continued its
positive performance in 2014 and 2015. After the shock of the financial and
economic crisis in 2008, the economy had returned to growth in 2010 as a
SGI 2016 | 3 Lithuania Report
result of ongoing fiscal consolidation, a recovery in the global economy and
increasing domestic demand. Lithuania has since numbered among the fastestgrowing
economies in the European Union (with real GDP growing around
3% in recent years), despite the negative effects of sanctions imposed by
Russian authorities on some Lithuanian exports. In 2015, however, its
economic growth was expected to be slightly below the forecast EU average of
1.9%. Lithuania joined the euro zone on 1 January 2015. In addition, the
floating import terminal for liquefied natural gas opened at the port of
Klaipėda in December 2014, thus ending the monopoly formerly held by
Russia’s Gazprom on the supply of gas to Lithuania. These projects had been
top priorities of the previous government in the 2008 – 2012 period, and the
current government, formed in 2012, continued this focus with the president’s
support.
The country’s social developments during the period under review were less
positive. Despite some recent improvements, the number of people at risk of
social exclusion remained at a relatively high level, and unemployment rates
remained significant, especially among the low skilled. Moreover, the country
continues to be ranked comparatively poorly in terms of life expectancy at
birth. A low birthrate, ongoing emigration to richer EU member states and
relatively low inflows of immigrants continue to pose significant demographic
challenges that in the future are likely to have negative effects on economic
growth and the sustainability of pension systems, and exert increasing pressure
to restructure education, health care and public-administration institutions. In
2015, the government approved a “new Lithuanian social model” that contains
a comprehensive set of proposals for the liberalization of labor relations and
the development of a more sustainable state social-insurance system. As of the
time of writing, the full package of legislative proposals was under
consideration in the parliament.
Despite the change in government in 2012, there was a good deal of continuity
in the country’s governance arrangements, and the number of clearly
politically motivated decisions has been rather small. Thus, executive capacity
and accountability were largely maintained as before. Lithuania successfully
completed its EU Council presidency, and continued its preparations for
joining the OECD. However, power and authority remains concentrated at the
central level. Citizens and various other external stakeholders continue to have
only a limited degree of involvement in the structures and processes of
government, while staffing decisions at the senior levels of the civil service
and within other public-sector organizations remain rather politicized.