Public Integrity, Economic Freedom and Governance Performance. A Comparative Study for the EU Member States and Acceding Countries

The studies concerning the impact of corruption on the effectiveness of governance are numerous, valorising profound approaches, based on criteria and standards related to good governance, organizational behaviour. The concepts and mechanisms specific for econometrics and statistics provide the quantitative support for qualitative analyses, substantiating public policies, in view to assure effectiveness in performance measurement. For EU Member States and acceding countries, the level of development and social organization determines specific ethical behaviours. In this context, the current paper aims a comparative economic and social evaluation of the correlations between corruption, performance and economic freedom in the states mentioned, following the various significant stages of the EU enlargement. The working hypotheses turn into consideration the following issues: Corruption holds national specific character and the statistic, econometric or sociologic analyses reveal that it is stable during time. The climate of economic freedom and the intensity of corruption influence powerfully the economic performance. The EU membership, “seniority” in EU, regional context determine different attitudes and perceptions on the corruption phenomena. For the newer EU states or the acceding countries, the strategies of integrity have mimetic character and the National Integrity Systems have structured powerful connections aimed at determining an action focused on public integrity. In the analyses achieved, the EU is approached globally, at least from statistic point of view, and the conclusions aim situations specific to the groups of states that have been or will be the beneficiaries of the EU enlargement. The quantitative analyses use both own results of the researches carried out by the authors and public results of World Bank or Heritage Foundation, as well as results of authorities responsible for national statistics. The paper uses the theoretical framework described by authors in other papers with similar topic. For the current paper, the distinction consists in the correlation of the analyses with the stages of the Eu enlargement

Enhancing the efficiency of local government in the context of reducing the administrative expenditures

The concerns on enhancing the efficiency of public administration, in particular the local government, are moreover present in the concerns of local authorities and specialised literature. Those concerns become more important taking into consideration the conditions of the actual economic crisis. Approached concurrently with public sector performance, enhancing the efficiency may have various resources. Among those resources it is worth to mention “better regulation” concerning public administration and reducing the administrative expenditures. Those two resources are not disjunctive, they are characterised by direct link and determination. Structured on three chapters, the paper focuses on a model aimed to determine the impact of reducing the administrative expenditures on the efficiency of local public services. This model inscribes in the efforts aiming to measure the efficiency in the public sector, efforts visible in the specialised literature.efficiency,administrative expenditures

Socio-indicators related to social perception of reforms in the public health system.The romanian case

The paper approaches the social perception of the reform in the public health system through statistic modelling and analyses. Based upon the general framework of the European and international activities on improving the public health policies, the structure of the first part of the paper comprises the description of the health security models, analyses for Central and Eastern European countries, SWOT analysis on the health system in Romania. The socio indicators are empirically described, taking into consideration the measurement of the medical staff opinion on the quality of the reform process.models of public health systems, social perception, socio indicators, empirical analysis

The Impact of Reducing the Administrative Costs on the Efficiency in the Public Sector

The goal of the paper is to evaluate the impact of reducing the administrative costs on the efficiency in the public sector. Within the general framework provided by the specialised literature, the proposed methodology uses the classical model of a function of production, thus describing the factors of influence of the administrative costs on production and productivity in the public sector. The theoretical results are empirical exemplified for a local service of public utility. Adapting the theoretical model to the empirical situation is grounded on statistic methods of analysis and regression. The interpretation of results inscribes in the economic framework specific for public economics. The results aim both the novel model of analysis and the concrete evaluation of the economic impact of reducing the administrative expenditure in the public sector. At the same time, the general topic of reducing the administrative costs is extended towards the public sector. The most relevant conclusion refers to the capacity of the classical economic models in developing the public sectoradministrative costs,efficiency, productivity, public sector

The impact of reducing the administrative costs on the efficiency in the public sector

The goal of the paper is to evaluate the impact of reducing the administrative costs on the efficiency in the public sector. Within the general framework provided by the specialised literature, the proposed methodology uses the classical model of a function of production, thus describing the factors of influence of the administrative costs on production and productivity in the public sector. The theoretical results are empirical exemplified for a local service of public utility. Adapting the theoretical model to the empirical situation is grounded on statistic methods of analysis and regression. The interpretation of results inscribes in the economic framework specific for public economics. The results aim both the novel model of analysis and the concrete evaluation of the economic impact of reducing the administrative expenditure in the public sector. At the same time, the general topic of reducing the administrative costs is extended towards the public sector. The most relevant conclusion refers to the capacity of the classical economic models in developing the public sector

Enhancing the capacity for innovation of public administration. An exploratory study on e-Governance, ICT, knowledge management in Romania

Beyond the role of public sector as driver of innovation in the economy, for the time being, we witness the necessity of boosting innovation in the public sector itself, in view to improve productivity, efficiency, as well as to enhance the creation of public value. The new concept concerning the capacity for innovation of public administration reflects the synergy between the traditional instruments of administrative innovation (planning, strategy etc.) and the modern ones (ICT, e-governance, knowledge management in public administration). The current paper is accomplishing an empirical analysis through operationalization of a conceptual model on the capacity for innovation of public administration. Thus, the paper analyses e-Governance, ICT and knowledge management in the Romanian Prefect institutions by identification, analysis and evaluation of the factors contributing to the improvement of public service quality, effectiveness, efficiency, transparency and citizen participation, strengthening trust and legality

Socio-indicators related to social perception of reforms in the public health system.The romanian case

The paper approaches the social perception of the reform in the public health system through statistic modelling and analyses. Based upon the general framework of the European and international activities on improving the public health policies, the structure of the first part of the paper comprises the description of the health security models, analyses for Central and Eastern European countries, SWOT analysis on the health system in Romania. The socio indicators are empirically described, taking into consideration the measurement of the medical staff opinion on the quality of the reform process

The Impact of Reducing the Administrative Costs on the Efficiency in the Public Sector

The goal of the paper is to evaluate the impact of reducing the administrative costs on the efficiency in the public sector. Within the general framework provided by the specialised literature, the proposed methodology uses the classical model of a function of production, thus describing the factors of influence of the administrative costs on production and productivity in the public sector. The theoretical results are empirical exemplified for a local service of public utility. Adapting the theoretical model to the empirical situation is grounded on statistic methods of analysis and regression. The interpretation of results inscribes in the economic framework specific for public economics. The results aim both the novel model of analysis and the concrete evaluation of the economic impact of reducing the administrative expenditure in the public sector. At the same time, the general topic of reducing the administrative costs is extended towards the public sector. The most relevant conclusion refers to the capacity of the classical economic models in developing the public secto

Social Innovation in the Local Public Sector: A Cross-Regional Approach for Romania

Social innovation could be understood as “new ideas (products, service and models) that, simultaneously meet needs and create new social relationships or collaboration” (Murray et al., 2010). For the local public sector, the social innovation gains endemic characteristics, connected to better use of local resources and human resources, as well as those concerning interregional or even cross-regional cooperation. For the time being, Romania undergoes a complex process of shifting to regional organization, which essentially involves important changes with genuine characteristics of social innovation. The most obvious aspects of social innovation are expressed by administrative innovation or systemic innovation. Of course, the innovation in the public services or processes for public service delivery becomes visible through citizen orientation, involvement of new material and financial resources. In this context, the current paper aims to emphasise the main characteristics of social innovation, determined by regionalization and administrative re-organizations. The cross-regional approach comprises interregional comparative studies and it highlights the instruments for evaluation of social innovation and their application in view to substantiate the comparative studies concerning the impact of social innovation. The research methodology comprises bibliographic syntheses, comparative studies as well as socio-innovative empirical researches