Central European Public Administration Review (E-Journal)
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Selflessness: An International Comparative Analysis of a Much-Needed Public Value
Full text linkThe purpose of this paper is to investigate how selflessness is to be measured and how it is to be explained. Adopting an innovative approach to measure selflessness, we assess its prevalence in different regions across the world. We also investigate the factors that explain its emergence and how they interact in predicting it. The level of selflessness differs significantly across the world. Considering the factors predicting it, we find that the likelihood of an individual exhibiting selflessness largely depends on the region they live in. Workplace also plays a crucial role – in OECD countries, working in the public sector increases the propensity for selflessness, but it has the opposite effect in Africa.The research design involves a multivariate analysis of data from the World Values Survey using both straight-forward regression analyses and binary logistic regression.The main findings show that the impact of factors traditionally considered important, such as religious affiliation and employment in the public, private, or not-for-profit sectors, varies across regions. These region-specific interaction effects are seen, for instance, in the influence of one’s workplace on their propensity for selflessness. Public sector employees are significantly more likely to be selfless than their private sector counterparts. However, while working in the public sector increases the likelihood of being selfless in OECD countries, this relationship is reversed in Africa.In previous academic studies, little attention was paid to such interaction effects and the impacts of religious affiliation, public sector employment, gender, etc. were assumed to be stable all over the world. This study shows otherwise.As per practical implications, the results of our analyses suggest that research on values needs to be contextualized. This is particularly important when research aims at offering advice to practitioners. Our investigation has shown that the same factors that enhance selflessness in one part of the world may decrease its presence in other regions. A one-size-fits-all approach is therefore not adequate
Local Leadership During the Territorial Amalgamation Process – The Case of Latvia
Full text linkPurpose: The article aims to present evidence of the role of the mayors in the territorial amalgamation process, focusing on their relationship with voters and other stakeholders and on the transformation processes experienced by local governments. Given their status as the highest-ranking officials enjoying voters’ and deputies’ support, mayors play an essential role in either implementing or, on the contrary, impeding local government reforms. As they have the power, knowledge, and expertise to influence the implementation of local government reforms, it becomes essential to evaluate their role.Design: The article examines the role of mayors in local government reforms, particularly in the context of the recent territorial amalgamation reforms in Latvia. Through a literature review and analysis of results from the recent amalgamation, the article explores the complex relationships that mayors have with other stakeholders and the transformation processes within their respective local governments.Findings: The study highlights the importance of mayors in providing effective leadership during reform initiatives and the potential implications for their reputation and electoral outcomes. The results show that mayors primarily use media, public consultations, public letters, and even the possibility of resignation to influence the territorial amalgamation process.Academic contribution to the field: While there has been research on territorial amalgamation, the role of the mayor is often overlooked, especially in a top-down initiated process where, despite its features, the mayor still possesses the tools to shape the course of the territorial amalgamation process. The article presents the reform experience in Latvia as a small state.Value: This research provides valuable insights into the role of mayors in the territorial amalgamation process in Latvia and its implications for local government reform. The findings contribute to the existing literature by comprehensively analysing the mayor’s influence on the reform agenda and implementation strategies.
 
Analysis of Workaholism and Burnout Among Employees of Administrative Units and Two Selected Banks in Slovenia
Full text linkPurpose: Workaholism and burnout can have detrimental effects on both employees and organisations in both the private and public sectors, and therefore calls for further research. The objective of this survey was to statistically analyse significant differences in the variables of workaholism and burnout (including emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and personal efficiency) between administrative units and two selected banks, among participants employed in managerial and non-managerial positions, and across genders. Additionally, the survey aimed to analyse the correlations between workaholism, emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and personal efficiency. The research involved 621 employees from 58 administrative units and 404 employees from two selected (private) banks in Slovenia.Design/Methodology/Approach: Various methodological approaches were used, including statistical tests such as multivariate and factor analysis, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk tests, the Mann-Whitney U test, and Spearman’s rank-order correlation coefficient.Findings: Survey results revealed no statistically significant differences in the variables of workaholism and burnout between administrative units and the two selected banks, among participants employed in managerial and non-managerial positions, and across genders. However, the research uncovered a strong positive correlation between workaholism and emotional exhaustion, a weak positive correlation between workaholism and depersonalisation, and a slight negative correlation between workaholism and personal efficiency.Originality/Value: The research contributes to the growing awareness of workaholism and burnout, offering organisations valuable insights to address these issues and enhance employee well-being. Furthermore, it adds to the existing literature on workaholism and burnout within the context of Slovenia
Improving Budget Transparency to Achieve Effective and Sustainable Governance
Full text linkPurpose: The sustainable development concept implies the involvement of citizens in the budgetary process. Since the Covid-19 pandemic and its consequences have confirmed the importance of citizens’ involvement also in the future, the purpose of the paper is to assess the level of interest in budgetary issues as well as the reasons for budget transparency stagnation as reported for Slovenia by the Open Budget Index (OBI).Design/methodology/approach: The study relies on a combination of desk research and survey carried out among employees directly or indirectly connected to public finance issues in public sector organisations. The statistical analysis is based on 251 fully completed surveys.Findings: The results confirm the lack of political will as the main obstacle to budget transparency and the stagnation reported by the Open Budget Index for the past years, suggesting that the stronger the interest in budget transparency expressed by the respondents, the more likely they see political will as an important barrier.Academic contribution to the field: The findings of the paper contribute to the isolation and potential further development of the factors that influence the transparency of the central budget.Originality: The paper is a pioneer attempt to study central budget transparency in Slovenia, offering results that can be compared to other EU countries
 
Government Responses to COVID-19: A Comparative Analysis of Visegrad Countries
Full text linkPurpose: The purpose of this study is to compare government responses and the challenges faced by public authorities in the Visegrad/V4 countries during the Covid-19 outbreak.
Design/Methodology/Approach: The study is based on a comparative analysis method. In this study, we analysed government responses through literature review and data obtained from various databases. The data used in the study were collected from ourworldindata.org, OECD, WHO, World Bank, Eurostat databases, CoronaNET dataset and Covid-19 Government Response Tracker.
Findings: The Visegrad countries did well during the initial phase of the Covid-19 pandemic. Compared to many other countries in Europe or in the world, they had less cases and lower death rates. What made them successful was timely and decisive reactions and harsh measures to curb Covid-19. They all implemented Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions strictly. Mandatory mask wearing, trust in the government and people’s tendency to obey the rules all helped V4 members in the fight against Covid-19. However, in two countries (Poland and Hungary) of the V4 Group, democracy was in decline during the outbreak.
Practical Implications: The study shows that pandemics spread rapidly and affect many countries within a short time. They have a significant impact on public health, the economy, and social and political structures of the countries. In order to reduce or prevent their effects, the governments must provide a timely response. Timing is a key success factor in the fight against the pandemics and helps minimise the consequences thereof.
Originality/Value: The study aims to contribute a detailed and comparative analysis of government responses and challenges of V4 countries in the fight against Covid-19 in the initial stage of the outbreak
Local Policies in the Fight Against the Covid-19 Pandemic: Ankara and Rome Municipal Councils’ Decisions
Full text linkPurpose and methodology: This study examines how the COVID-19 pandemic is included in municipal councils’ decisions and investigates the local policies developed through these decisions. Ankara and Rome Municipalities were selected as study samples. Turkey and Italy are both unitary states and their local government structures are similar because their local government systems are part of the Franco group, as defined by Hesse and Sharpe. Both cities have gained the status of metropolitan cities under the legal regulations adopted in recent years. For this reason, Ankara and Rome present similarities in terms of both the areas they serve and the responsibilities of being the capital. The decisions of their municipal councils were reviewed from March to December 2020. The decisions were analysed within the framework of the relevant commissions and application areas, and the local policies implemented in the fight against COVID-19 were put forward.
Findings: According to the analyses, the Ankara Metropolitan Municipal Council intensified its decisions on economic support, social assistance, cleaning, public health, and local diplomacy, while the Rome Metropolitan Municipality’s policies focused on security, education, economic support, social assistance, cleaning, and transportation services. As a result, both municipalities brought their COVID-19 proposals to the agenda of the council. Municipal assemblies played a vital role in helping their countries fight the pandemic as administrative units that provide the legal basis for implementing local policies. Strengthening local assemblies and expanding their mandate and responsibility in times of crisis could also support the success of central government policies. The findings reveal that fast and effective solutions delivered by local governments through local policies successfully curbed the pandemic that had spread around the world.
Practical Implications: The policies implemented by local governments were impressive and complementary to central government policies, providing a valuable guideline for policymakers
The Centrality of Prosocial Values in Work Motivation among Public and Private Sector Employees
Full text linkPurpose: The paper proposes an alternative measure of the importance of prosocial values in the work motivation of public and private sector employees. Hitherto research measures the importance of values by taking them as autonomous entities or using a factorial design, asking employees whether they adhere to a certain value or not. Design/methodology/approach: Based on a psychological theory on values and motivation, the paper argues that it might be preferred to measure the centrality of prosocial values amidst other job motivators in the value system as a whole to assess the degree of prosocial values’ dominance.Findings: The application of such a measure in a longitudinal and international comparative analysis shows that differences in the centrality of prosocial values make the difference between employees in the public and private sectors much more pronounced than usually found in the relevant literature. This finding does not disappear when the research model includes the nature of the job, individual characteristics, and societal features, such as the GDP per capita and the dominance of individualism over collectivism in society.Significance: This research also shows that differences between employees adhering to intrinsic, extrinsic, and prosocial motivations are relative, as almost all employees – irrespective of where they work – assess values of job security and having an interesting job to be the most important work motivators
20th Anniversary Editorial
No full textIn honor of CEPAR's 20th anniversary, we have invited present and past editors to offer some thoughts on the journal's founding and its evolution over two decades of publishing
National Development Banks in Europe – A Contribution to Sustainable Finance
Full text linkPurpose: The paper explains critical changes to investment funding occurred over the past fifteen years in the European Union and explores the added value that National Development Banks create for sustainable finance. The delivery of the European Green Deal and the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic require an unprecedented scale of resources. The need to adopt a new sustainable investment approach and adjust the operation of the financial system has become inevitable. Existing research has underlined the role national development banks play in counter-cyclical measures and promotion of the government’s public policy goals. However, their standing in the sustainable finance landscape has enjoyed less attention so far. The paper, therefore, looks at how the remit of the Banks has evolved and assesses their progress and further development needs in relation to promoting sustainable finance. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research has followed a two-phase design. The first phase has included the examination of the operational setting of National Development Banks and their impact on overcoming market failures and improving access to finance. The second phase concentrated on drawing a comparison between the new regulatory requirements, in particular the European Green Deal, the EU Taxonomy Regulation and the functioning of the National Development Banks. The methodology has included a detailed literature review, desk research, data collection and re-assessment of earlier surveys, which has been used for prescriptive comparative analysis and cluster analysis. Findings: The paper concludes that National Development Banks, despite their common goals and mandates, demonstrate important variations in terms of government involvement in strategic direction and decision-making and the Banks’ actual contribution to national policy goals. The outcome confirms the hypothesis that recent changes to the EU strategic and regulatory framework only require minor amendments to the direction of NDB investments. Their original setup and objectives are already in accordance with the new expectations and they invest mostly in economic sectors that the new taxonomy system classifies as sustainable. Practical Implications/ Originality/Value: This is important for the scholarly discourse on the essential conditions for sustainable finance. Meanwhile, the results provide usable guidance for development banks/funding agencies in Europe, too. The paper offers a solid ground for continued explorations of the European financial sector, whereas the recently adopted Digital Finance Package could further widen the agenda of the research direction