Around the Bloc: Kazakh Ex-Premier Jailed for Corruption
Analysts say the case reflects infighting among the ruling class, not a wider crackdown on graft.
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Analysts say the case reflects infighting among the ruling class, not a wider crackdown on graft.
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Article 1 of the Constitution of Liechtenstein mentioned 2 regions Oberland (Upper Country) and Unterland (Lower Country) and 11 municipalities. They play an important constitutional role in the Principality. The municipalities exercise considerable autonomy, encompasses responsibility such as the election of the municipal organs (the highest organ is the Municipal Assem-bly), organization, the determination of municipal taxes and the granting of citizenship. Financial management and municipal accounts are subject to supervision by the Government
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The notion of intersectoral partnership is understood in the paper in terms of vol-untary and institutionalized cooperation between stakeholders representing public, private and civic sectors. The idea of this kind of partnership is related to new ap-proaches to regional and local development in the European Union. One of the main fields in which these approaches are implemented is the field of rural areas develop-ment, where partnerships take the form of Local Action Groups (LAGs). The paper discusses selected aspects of the partnerships’ functioning, basing on an analysis of opinions expressed by their individual members in the Sub-Carpathian region.
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The article presents the issue of local governments’ communication towards local communities, in the context of organizational processes of those activities, utilised communication tools, promotional budgets and trends which can be observed in this area through recent years. Presented deductions are based on a survey conducted in Zachodniopomorskie Voivoidship (Poland) and Podkarpackie Voivodship (Poland) in 2010 and results from research that was carried out in 2012 in Poland. The analysis of those allows the authors to conclude that local governments are interested in using some new communication tools, which in the main are accepted by the majority of the citizens. It seems that the relationship building processes between local governments and citizens can be an important factor in the raising of standards of Polish democracy, especially in the face of the constantly increasing significance of communication towards social groups.
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Analyzing the literature covering public management, the author noticed that the urban planning is a crucial fac-tor in urban development. Cities which have an adequate intellectual resources and proper institutions as well as developed infrastructure are called smart cities. According to the author, proper local spatial development plans should be applied in those cities. Crucial parts of the city, places of the highest investors interest such as technology parks, R&D companies, business incubators, technology transfer centers and industrial complexes should definitely be incorporated in these plans. The ISO 37120 Standard is the most practical method to measure a city’s perfor-mance. The factor which decides about special management is the level of investment pressure. If this indicator is decreasing then the area does not have to be covered by local spatial development plans.This elaboration aims to examine the role of the smart city in urban management. The research shows the relationships between coverage planning, investment pressure and green areas. The main result is the author’s classification of selected 34 Medium-Size Cities in Poland. The test procedure exploited taxonomic methods as Ward’s hierarchical analysis.
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One of the biggest challenges for performance measurement is integration of different aspects of organizational performance, which are very different by their nature, are measured by completely different, not comparable indicators. Organizational and individual-level performance indicators, although naturally and organically linked, but, nevertheless, are measured in different dimensions, could serve as an example. Performance measurement, in one or another form, is spread across various management disciplines: Strategic management, Quality management, Process improvement, and Performance appraisal as a part of Human resources management. Organizational level indicators prevail in Strategic management systems, both organizational level and individual level performance indicators can be found in Quality management and Process improvement systems, and individual level performance indicators are dominant in Human resource management. The link between the indicators of these two levels is of particular importance, if they are not properly connected, employees’ motivation and compensation for work becomes quite formal and does not match overall goals of organization. The difference of the performance measurement in the public and private sectors is determined not only by the different nature of these sectors, but also by different historical traditions. Because of the complexity of the public sector organizations’ mission, private sector organizations’ performance evaluation can be regarded as an isolated case of performance evaluation in public sector organizations. Performance indicators should be clearly distinguished from the factors determining the level of performance, which are no less important, however, are often confused with each other. The first are used to monitor performance, the latter – to improve it. Individual level performance indicators could be more useful in searching the factors determining performance.
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This paper analyses the public service quality management in Lithuanian municipalities.Increasing requirements to the quality of services is altering their quality management, sothe study is seeking to reveal what quality management models and tools are applied by themunicipalities in Lithuania in order to improve the quality management of public services.Grounded by the scientific literature analysis and by the authors’ conducted quantitativeresearch results (September–November, 2015), the article is presenting the public servicesquality management techniques, their application advantages, disadvantages and is analysingthe possible improvements of public service quality management in Lithuanian municipalities.
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The article, on the basis of meta-analysis of scientific literature, interpretative– theoretical modelling and other research methods, analyses the essentialelements and features of creation of public value, the role of internal and externalfactors of creation process. The basic background of analysis methodology is thedoctrine of modern public governance, named as „metagovernance‘ (governanceof the governance). The main indicators of „metagovernance“ are: creation of moresophisticated theory of role of public policy, citizens involvement, strategic planning,social responsibility, new view to place and role of networking and modernisationof implementation process, development effective constructs, trends andperspectives, measure instruments and mechanisms in the process of creation ofpublic value.In the practice, public value construct of creation process is understandingas the whole of objective and subjective factors, indicators, methods and procedures,consist and can be decomposed as: development of more progressive modelsof public governance; installing of new organizational culture and organizationalbehaviour; establishing more strong mechanisms of formation and learning of thestaff of public organizations; assessing their activity from the citizens expectationsperspective.Quality of creation of public value depends on the idea of democratic governancei. e. understanding that the members of society, the groups of citizens aremore than only consumers. Sophisticated thinking about creation of public valueincluded direct participation of citizens, interest groups as co-creators of publicvalue.T he process of public value creation is closely related with modernizationof style and methods of the public organization development. Innovative factors,ideology and new challenges in public governance can be considered as evolutionfrom inter-organizational collaboration to inter-sectoral integration, developmentof new forms and mechanisms of performance management and new typesof hybrid and multi-organization forms and constructs of organization in XXIcentury.
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This article provides comparative analysis of how most popular financial instruments of public policy are used in the public funding of religious communities in Lithuania and Latvia.It was attempted to identify connections between state support and the implementation of the goals of social and cultural policy. Lithuania see’s religious communities (primarily traditional) as an important actor in the social policy making, as it is written in various legal acts. Latvia does not postulate similar position so unambiguously. Lithuania in comparison with Latvia distinguishes in that it gives constant direct annual subsidies to the traditional religious communities. These subsidies consist of basic part and variable part, which on itsturn is dependent upon the number of confession members. Direct subsidies for traditional religious communities in Lithuania are given, as it is officially named, for reconstruction of church buildings and for other needs. It is impossible to correctly identify, evaluate and especially to control connection between the spending of dotation money and implementation of the goals of social or cultural policy while “other needs“ are not defined more precisely. In Latvia there are no constant direct subsidies for religious communities with the exception of annual dotation for maintenance of Aglona shrine according to agreement with the Holy Seat.Financial support is given by concretely expressed ad hoc demand (maintenance of concrete church buildings, etc.). Tax incentives are mostly identical in Lithuania and Latvia.
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The research deals with the evaluation of implementation of child adoption in the Republic of Lithuania. It tries to explain the phenomenon while revealing the main problems that prevent from seeking effective control and implementation of adoption as well as showing how the public policy may be improved. The qualitative research was chosen in order to reveal the attitudes of participants towards the regulation and implementation of child adoption.Nine participants took part in the research: two members of the Seimas (Parliament), two adoptive families, an expert and specialists from State Child Rights Protection and Adoption Service of the Republic of Lithuania, Child Rights protection Service of the Republic of Lithuania, Non-governmental organization and Institution of the Ombudsman for Children Rights of the Republic of Lithuania. The semi-structured interview was chosen as a method to gather the data. However, structural and social problems exist that often become a basis forcomplicated procedures preventing from seeking effective implementation of adoption. The research revealed that the central institution does not perform coordination function which explains differences in practices and shows why activities often contravene the law. According to the results of the research, insufficiently developed social services for adoptive parents and not enough information about adoption services appear in the country. Moreover, the changes in the particular area are difficult to make because of the carelessness of the state institutions and the slow decision making process.
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The establishing of Polski Komitet Wyzwolenia Narodowego (PKWN – Polish Committee of National Liberation) and assuming power by the Committee made it possible to implement a socio-political programme that had been based on a Manifesto of 22 July 1944. Aiming at a radical change of the nationality structure in Poland, on 9 September 1944, PKWN signed an agreement with the USSR that pertained an exchange of population. On this basis fast resettlement of Ukrainians inhabiting Poland, including the Lublin province, was to be executed. However, the prolonging resettlement process forced the authorities to implement a specific „national” policy in the area of political, economic, religious and educational relations. The attitude and activities undertaken by Organizacja Ukraińskich Nacjonalistów (Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists) exerted a considerable influence on the authorities’ decision to first suspend the resettlement process and then to use force to execute it. The resettlement could not be hastened even by periodically intensifying anti-Ukrainian demonstrations by the Polish nationalist military resistance movement (e.g. 5 June 1945 in Wierzchowiny). The mutual attacks launched by the Polish and Ukrainian anti-communist resistance were curbed when the Lublin province unit of NSZ was dissolved and local agreements were concluded. Voluntarily or forced by the authorities, about 195 thousand Ukrainians left the Lublin province. Their resettlement was supported by political parties licensed by Polska Partia Robotnicza (Polish Workers’ Party), such as Polska Partia Socjalistyczna (Polish Socialist Party), Stronnictwo Ludowe (Peasant Party), Stronnictwo Demokratyczne (Democratic Alliance) as well as by legitimate opposition (Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe – Polish Peasant Party and Stronnictwo Pracy – Labour Alliance). In course of the resettlement, the authorities made the Orthodox Chełmsko- Podlaska Diocese, Greek Catholic Przemyska Diocese and the Ukrainian schools close down. In consequence of the national policy implemented by the authorities in the period of 1944–1946, the south-eastern Poland gradually lost its traditional status of a multi-national, multi-cultural, and multi-religious borderland. The ultimate status of the territory was decided by the „Wisła” action, executed in 1947.
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There is no doubt that the border is a place of power – a local authority. In its essence it involves the existence of a distinct interest in forming a borderland community. This interest is reflected in the institutional form of local government, under which the local authority is exercised. Borderland is always a political force and determines the specificity of power in a given area, often determining systemic solutions in the country. It is obvious that a large role is played by the border strength with which they articulated their needs and the general conditions of political organization within which it operates (system, historical traditions, etc.). In the radically different circumstances, the local government operates in ethnically homogenous Poland. It’s not the borderland who has forced decentralization and the need for efficient governance of new political conditions. The needs of the Borderland, at first loudly articulated, have been met mostly by legislation protecting ethnic and national minorities. However, of significance is the example of the Silesian Autonomy Movement as the identity of the Borderland, which is still not satisfied with his own status. Within the framework of the homogeneous state, there are many opportunities for the borderland to participate in the exercise of local authority. Although the administrative division takes into account the principle of diversity of socio- cultural variety of the country, the administration is a standardized, three-tier system that coexists with government in the area. Each level has a decision-making council or Regional Council in the province and a Board as an executive body. The councils, the Regional Councils and the executive authorities in the municipalities are elected by the local community. Similarly, the tasks are divided equally and harmonized powers, and rules governing the relationship between the administrations in all directions. There is no hierarchical subordination here, the activity is under the protection of the courts of general jurisdiction and is subject to the administrative jurisdiction. The control and supervision of the activities are intended only to verify compliance with the law.
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The United States Secret Service is an American federal law enforcement agency that is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Until March 1, 2003, the Secret Service was part of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The Secret Service has two distinct areas of responsibility: (1) Financial Crimes, covering missions such as prevention and investigation of counterfeiting of U.S. currency and U.S. treasury securities, and investigation of major fraud; (2) Protection, which entails ensuring the safety of current and former national leaders and their families, such as the President, former presidents, vice presidents, presidential candidates, visiting heads of state and foreign embassies. Protecting national leaders, visiting heads of state and government, designated sites and National Special Security Events has become more complex with the evolution of conventional and non-conventional weapons and technology. In meeting new challenges, the Secret Service will continue to provide progressive training, devise and implement sound security plans, measures, equipment and systems to ensure the safety of individuals, sites and events under Secret Service protection. The Secret Service’s unique investigative and protective mission is sustained by a strong, multi-tiered infrastructure of science, technology and information systems; administrative, professional and technical expertise; and management systems and processes.
More...The Case of the Implementation of the Local Directive on Advertising (RLP)
The 5th French Republic was established aft er a period of parliamentary instability of the 4th Republic. It emerged from the concept of Charles de Gaulle, who presented its main ideas in his speech in Bayeux in 1946. As researchers indicate, the Constitution of the 5th Republic of 1958 met a wave of criticism after it came into force. For some it meant the introduction of the authoritarian political system in the state; others saw it as a system that will stabilize the situation in France and will prompt its development. It must also be noted that, although the French constitution has been amended a few times, its structure has never been questioned – even when some politicians changed their political stance and electorate. It is also worth pointing out that the critics of the existing political system focus on the excessive centralization of power in the executive bodies and on the minor role of public opinion in the formation of state ss policy. It should be noted here that until the constitutional reform of 2008, only the executive branch had initiated a referendum.
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W zakładach karnych tworzy się i wdraża do realizacji innowacyjne, autorskie programy readaptacji społecznej skazanych. Jednym z takich programów jest „Wewnętrzny Ośrodek Outplacementu w warunkach oddziału penitencjarnego”, realizowany w Zakładzie Karnym w Nowym Sączu. Program ten stwarza osadzonym możliwość uczestniczenia w rożnego rodzaju działaniach polegających na aktywizacji zawodowej, zdobywania umiejętności poruszania się po rynku pracy wykorzystując w tym celu narzędzie, jakim jest komputer i internet, a także uzyskania nowych kwalifikacji zawodowych, które mogą im pomoc w chwili opuszczenia więzienia.
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