Local Government Development
in Croatia – Problems and Values
Values
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The public sphere is characterized by certain
fundamental values: democratic, political,
legal and economic
The public administration system must adapt
to the basic values of the whole society, all
citizens and other social factors
Democratic political values
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Legitimacy - public authorities can only decide on
matters for which they have legal jurisdiction
Accountability - The administrative body is
answerable for its actions to another administrative,
legislative or judicial authorities
Responsiveness to the citizens’ needs and interests
Openness to public scrutiny - administration is
available for outside scrutiny
Transparency - When examined closely, it can be
‘seen through’ for the purpose of supervision
Legal values
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The rule of law
Protection of human rights
Fair and correct administrative procedures
Legal responsibility of public administration
Judicial control over public administration
Impartiality and equality
Social values
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Social justice
Social sensibility
Solidarity
Social welfare
Charity
Assistance to the citizens
Economic values
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Efficiency and effectiveness - a managerial
value consisting in essence of maintaining a
good ratio between resources employed and
results attained
Entrepreneurship
Competitiveness
Those values have been reasserted within
the doctrine of new public management
New public management
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Characterised by orientation towards
economy, efficiency and effectiveness and
an effort to impose the values and
techniques of private sector management
into the public
Influential since the 1980s
Values of local government
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Local government should primarily ensure
the realisation of democratic political values
(participation, availability of offices, political
influence of local population, responsibility
for the situation in the local community...)
Social problems
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Social stratification as a result of the process
of transition
Impoverishment of the significant part of the
population due to economic crisis
Cutting down the costs of the state welfare
system
Economic problems
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Irrational management of the local units
Centralisation v. decentralisation
Lack of funds
The rule of law
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If we are not committed to the principle of the
rule of law, there is no protection of civil
rights, rights to local self-government and
minority rights
Vocabulary practice
Read the text and find English terms for the following:
 Odgovornost izabranim predstavnicima građana
 Javni uvid
 Nepristranost
 Poduzetništvo
 Konkurentnost
 Osiromašenje značajnog broja građana
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Accountability to the elected representatives
of the citizens
Public scrutiny
Impartiality
Entrepreneurship
Competitiveness
Impoverishment of the significant part of the
population
Translate the following paragraph:
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The main legal values are the rule of law,
legality, protection of human rights, fair and
correct administrative procedures, legal
responsibility of public administration
(material, criminal and disciplinary), judicial
control over public administration, legal
safety, impartiality, equality and others.
Answer the following questions:
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How can political administrative system gain
legitimacy in a society?
Which doctrine reasserted the importance of
economic values?
What should local government primarily
ensure?
How can capacity of the local institutions to
solve local public issues increase?
Translate into English:
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Za učinkovito funkcioniranje lokalne
samouprave, potrebno je osigurati
sudjelovanje građana u provođenju vlasti,
povećati utjecaj lokalnog stanovništva i raditi
na podizanju svijesti o zajedničkoj
odgovornosti za situaciju u lokalnoj zajednici.
Thank you for your attention!