Original scientific paper
A Comparison of Ways to Increase Capacity in Local Public Administration - the Reform of the Hungwrian Public Service Sector in an International Context
Edit Somlyódyné Pfeil
; Centra za regionalne studije Mađarske akademije znanosti, Pečuh
Abstract
The paper deals with public service reform in Hungary in a European context. Similarly to Hungary, in most new EU member States a structural change of public administration is either currently underway or has been camed o t only within the last 10 years. The explanation forthis dérivés from thè fact that public administration in the traditional, centralised unitary States does not meet the challenges ofmodernisation ofthe state, economy and society and is notsuitable for creating adequate conditions ofcompetitiveness. However, the ongoing negative
démographie trends evident since the 1990s are urging even economically advanced countries to review their public service organisation units and methods. Hungary is struggling to cope with a fragmented and expensive local govemment System and new EU requirements such as the principle of citizens equal access to public services. The calculated public subsidy policy has created a micro-region-level integration of thè local government System set in accordance with thè
borders ofNUTS 4-level areas, Nevertheless, this solution has not created a new
level of public administration, nor has it affected thè (politically significant)
autonomy of thè units. On thè one hand, we can speak of thè optimal limits of
organising basic public services, and on thè other hand (in connection with thè establishment of multi-purpose micro-regional associations) of creating equal opportunities for citizens’ access to public services. Hungary is a strongly centralísed unitary state; consequently, in the course of a serions functional reform the interrelationships of local, regional and central levels should have been determined. In other words, the reform ought to have resulted ín a redistribution of public dutíes, and, consequently, ín the relocation and regional décentralisation of certain spheres of authority. However, this solution was rejected. The explanation is that ín Hungary we can expect résistance to régionalisation, sínce adaptation by administrative institutions to EU requirements is mainly formal ín character
Keywords
administrative reform; ínter-munícípal co-operation; capacity of local government; décentralisation; public services
Hrčak ID:
203430
URI
Publication date:
4.12.2008.
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