Evaluating Reforms of Local Public and Social Services in Europe

More Evidence for Better Results

Ivan Koprić, Hellmut Wollmann, Gérard Marcou, Ivan Kopri?, Hellmut Wollmann, Gérard Marcou, Ivan Kopri?, Ivan Kopri?, Ivan Kopri?, Ivan Kopri?, Ivan Koprić

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9783319610900
• eBook ISBN: 9783319610917
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Public Affairs & Administration
• Index: Politics & International Relations

This book explains the increasing demand for evaluation as a result of the increasing frequency of reforms to local services, influenced by the New Public Management doctrine, the severe austerity policy in many European countries, and the wish to increase quality and reduce costs of public services, especially at the local (sub-national) level. Positioned at the interface of local services and evaluation research, it will enable the utilization of evaluation-generated knowledge in evidence-based policy making by focusing on the lessons learned from evaluation of local service delivery. It encompasses local public and social services (including waste, water, public transport, healthcare, education and eldercare) and examines the hypothesis that there is a North-West–South-East divide in Europe in terms of the evaluation of local service reforms. Particular attention is devoted to the explanatory function of evaluation. Providing fresh insight into the functioning of local government machinery in contemporary Europe, this book will appeal in particular to practitioners and students of local government, public economy, public administration and policy.

© The Author(s) 2018

Ivan Koprić, Hellmut Wollmann and Gérard Marcou (eds.)Evaluating Reforms of Local Public and Social Services in EuropeGovernance and Public Managementhttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61091-7_10

Begin Abstract

The Efficiency of Local Service Delivery: The Czech Republic and Slovakia

Jana Soukopová¹ , Beata Mikušová Meričková² and Juraj Nemec¹

(1)

Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic

(2)

Matej Bel University, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia

Jana Soukopová (Corresponding author)

Email: [email protected]

Beata Mikušová Meričková

Email: [email protected]

Juraj Nemec

Email: [email protected]

Jana Soukopová

born 11 March 1975, is Professor Associate of Public Finance and Public Economics at the Faculty of Economics and Administration, Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic. She published over 50 books, book chapters and research articles. Her research activities are focused on the economic analysis, public finance, public utilities and waste management. She has been the main investigator of several R&D projects dealing with efficiency analysis and economic analysis in the area of environment and waste management.

Beata Mikušová Meričková

is Professor of Public Economics and Services at the Faculty of Economics Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia. She has focused her research activities in the areas of public sector, public finances and new approaches to the provision of public services. These activities are documented by several monographs, many research studies and articles published in current academic journals and conference proceedings at home and abroad. Her research activities include cooperation in projects of international and national significance (SRDA, FP7-SSH, Horizont 2020, NISPAcee, COST, NASPAA, Strategy of Slovak Society Development...). Her research is quite extensive and results have focused mainly on the implementation of market tools of management in public sector. The most significant contribution of her research on the theoretical and practical levels includes outlining the recommendations and guidelines in the area of the legislative, institutional, economic and organizational requirements of successful implementation of different forms of partnerships of the public and private sectors in Slovakia.

Juraj Nemec

Ph.D., born 22 November 1960, is Professor of Public Finance and Public Management at the Faculty of Economics and Administration, Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic and at the Faculty of Economics, Matej Bel University Banska Bystrica, Slovakia and, with 34 years experience in teaching in public finance, public sector management, health economics and policy. He published over 400 books, book chapters and scientific articles. He holds several positions in international organisations in the public administration area. He serves also as the senior advisor and has a track record of 20 years professional experience in various transition countries and as a key advisor to the governments of Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

End Abstract

Introduction

The independent Czech and Slovak republics were established as sovereign, democratic unitary states on 1 January 1993, as the result of the division of former Czechoslovakia. The Czech Republic has an area of 78,866 km² and a population of about 10 million, while Slovakia is 49,034 km² in area and has about 5.5 million inhabitants.

The steps taken to achieve local government reforms have not differed much between the Czech Republic and Slovakia, but there are some differences, as shown below (for more see especially Buček and Nemec 2012; Kadečka 2012). Created in 1990, the system of local self-government in both countries is in compliance (aside from very minor considerations) with the principles of the European Charter of Local Self-Government.

Local governments in both countries are fully independent in their capacity to decide about all local matters (if such a decision is not prohibited by law) according to their local needs and conditions. They are entitled to choose the best mode of delivery of local public services. The right to select how to produce and partly also how to finance local public services started to be utilised by municipalities soon after the establishment of local self-government in Czechoslo...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Frontmatter
• Evaluating Reforms of Local Public and Social Services in Europe
• Regulatory Impact Assessment and Sub-national Governments
• Less Plato and More Aristotle: Empirical Evaluation of Public Policies in Local Services
• The Politics of Evaluation in Performance Management Regimes in English Local Government
• Evaluating Personal Social Services in Germany
• Healthcare Marketisation in Spain: The Case of Madrid’s Hospitals
• The Institutionalisation of Performance Scrutiny Regimes and Beyond: The Case of Education and Elderly Care in Sweden
• The Organisation of Local Education in Poland: An Evaluative Approach to the Outsourcing Model
• Reforming Local Service Delivery by Contracting Out? Evaluating the Experience of Danish Road and Park Services
• The Efficiency of Local Service Delivery: The Czech Republic and Slovakia
• Effects of External Agentification in Local Government: A European Comparison of Municipal Waste Management
• The Emergence of Performance Evaluation of Water Services in France
• Evaluation of Delivery Mechanisms in the Water Supply Industry—Evidence from Slovenia
• Apprentice Sorcerers. Evaluating the Programme Theory of Regulatory Governance in Italian Public Utilities
• Evaluation of the Decentralisation Programme in Croatia: Expectations, Problems and Results
• Evaluating the Impact of Decentralisation on Local Public Management Modernisation in Croatia
• Evaluation of an Anti-Monopoly Programme in Hungarian Public Utilities
• Metropolitan Municipality Reform: Rescaling of Municipal Service Delivery in Turkey
• Policy Evaluation Capacity in Greek Local Government: Formal Implementation and Substantial Failures
• Lessons Learned from Successful and Unsuccessful Local Public and Social Service Delivery Reforms
• Backmatter