Review article

Public Administration Reform in Serbia

Jasmina Džinić orcid.org/0000-0003-3927-6875 ; Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb

Abstract

The position and role of the Serbian public administration after the collapse of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia are analysed. Two main phases in public administration development are indentified. The first one was characterized by the repression of authoritarian system of governance (1990–2000) and disorientation afterwards (2000–2004). The second, reform oriented phase began in 2004 when the PAR Strategy was adopted. The main goals, key reform areas as well as the shortcomings of the PAR Strategy are shown in the article.
As the five-year period provided for implementation proved to be unrealistic, the reform process has been prolonged for another four years. The measures conducted in different fields of public administration as well as the results obtained are analysed. Special attention is given to the issues considering the rationalization
of state administration organization and management, decentralization, privatisation, the civil service and HRM, high education for public administration, control mechanisms of public administration and protection of legality, access to information of public importance and personal data protection. Finally, the (still)
existing partocracy, lack of legal culture, unsatisfactory capacity of ministries responsible for the management of the PAR process, poor quality of legislation, hierarchic nature of decision-making, weak local budgets and administrative capacities and a lack of capacity to benefit from foreign support are indicated as the main obstacles for the PAR Strategy implementation. In the future, Serbia should be more effective and faster in the realisation of set reform measures
because of its pro-European aspirations.

Keywords

public administration reform – Serbia; Serbian Public Administration Reform Strategy; state administration; local self-government; services of general interest; civil service; implementation

Hrčak ID:

131856

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/131856

Publication date:

1.12.2011.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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