rss_2.0Sciendo RSS Feed for Central European Journal of Public Policyhttps://sciendo.com/journal/CEJPPhttps://www.sciendo.comhttps://sciendo-parsed.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/647136d32b88470fbea16237/cover-image.jpghttps://sciendo.com/journal/CEJPP140216https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2024-0004<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Participatory budgeting was introduced in Latin America in 1989, and within 10 years, this innovation spread all over the world. At the same time, researchers outside Latin America showed a growing interest in the issue, resulting in more diversified research. A few scholars have already tried to provide comprehensive literature reviews; however, these efforts have had a narrow focus or have appeared as embedded parts of analyses of specific issues. This article aims to (1) identify recent worldwide research trends in participatory budgeting, (2) identify the most popular issues addressed by international research and (3) suggest avenues and subfields of further research. We employed bibliometric techniques to analyse articles published in journals that were indexed and abstracted in the Web of Science database from 2001 to 2020.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2024-00042024-06-14T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2024-0005<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Fostering a learning culture is crucial for aid and development organisations to address the complexities and uncertainties in their operating environments. This case study examines the World Bank’s learning processes in lending projects, focusing on the Albanian health financing reforms from 1994 to 2022. Using the Learning in Lending conceptual framework developed by the World Bank’s Independent Evaluation Group, the qualitative analysis of World Bank documents and reports offers valuable insights into the dynamics of learning processes in health projects. The findings illustrate a feedback loop process encompassing three distinct steps and reveal three types of learning: learning into lending, learning while lending, and learning from lending. By shedding light on the intricacies of the World Bank’s learning processes in health lending projects, this study not only deepens our understanding of how the organisation learns from its experience but also highlights the shortcomings and limitations of the process. Moreover, it emphasises the dual value of learning for multilateral and aid organisations, such as the World Bank, namely improving project results and addressing challenging developmental issues.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2024-00052024-06-14T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2024-0003<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <sec><title style='display:none'>OBJECTIVES</title><p>With the global population ageing, concerns about the incidence, prevalence and prevention of elder abuse have become increasingly pertinent. This study presents a narrative review of empirical research, investigating the elder abuse prevention implemented in public health policies in three selected countries. The narrative review aims to enrich academic critical discussion about the theme and provide insights for policymakers and professional practitioners working towards elder abuse prevention across different regions.</p></sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>METHODS</title><p>Searches in the electronic database CINAHL, Medline, PsycINFO and Web of Science databases were performed to identify and synthesise studies reporting on research aimed at investigating elder abuse prevention. The studies that handle on all prevention levels, had to be published in a peer-reviewed journal, report on empirical research, and are available in full text in Portuguese, Slovak, English or Norwegian and published within a ten-year period (2012 to 2022) were included. A total of 981 studies were retrieved, of which 13 papers met the inclusion criteria for this narrative review.</p></sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>RESULTS</title><p>The evidence indicated that proactive approach within primordial and primary prevention, interdisciplinary cooperation within primary and secondary prevention, and education for healthcare professionals within all forms of prevention were implemented to various extent as elder abuse prevention in Brazil, Norway and Slovakia.</p></sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>CONCLUSIONS</title><p>There is a need to further enhance public awareness of elder abuse through campaigns and advocacy programs; additionally, the routine screening and assessments by healthcare providers for early detection and intervention in suspected abuse cases require improvement; and also, legal and health policy measures must be updated regularly. Elder abuse prevention should be a collective undertaking involving community leaders, healthcare providers, and governmental and non-governmental organisations.</p></sec> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2024-00032024-04-26T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2024-0002<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Google Trends, despite its controversial nature for some authors, can be considered an illustrative tool in exploring the political inclinations of a given audience. In the current European Union context, understanding the views and opinions of the public is of paramount importance. Through the analysis of search trends, Google Trends can provide valuable insights into the popularity of political parties in the context of the European Union along with other jurisdictions and how these trends change over time. Furthermore, by incorporating fractal dimensions and ARFIMA (Autoregressive Fractionally Integrated Moving Average) analysis into the data obtained, it is possible to reveal previously non-evident relationships, thereby providing a more comprehensive understanding of the audience‘s political leanings and their interest in specific political parties. The aim of this exploratory study is to assess the potential of ARFIMA, applied to Google Trends data, in characterizing political parties. Preliminary results indicate that this apparatus can be useful for that purpose.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2024-00022024-04-14T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2024-0001<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>This study aims to analyze the development of research themes in the public–private partnership (PPP) project policy strategy for broadband infrastructure from 2000 to 2021 and identify the most popular research topics. Systematic literature review (SLR) of 927 Google Scholar and Scopus publications, followed by bibliometric analysis, co-occurrence keywords, and in-depth qualitative approaches with content analysis, was performed. Articles are classified based on the source of publication, year of publication, country of origin, journal ranking, and research theme. This study finds that previous studies discussed the development of policy strategies and regulatory theory. Most articles were published in journals indexed under Q1, while only one was published under Q4. This study highlights the importance of government initiatives in developing broadband infrastructure through PPPs. The findings show that the policy strategy, legal framework, and regulations influence the success of PPP schemes. Private sector involvement can reduce costs and provide access to resources and expertise the public sector may still need to gain. This study suggests that policymakers encourage the participation of the private sector in broadband infrastructure projects and provide incentives for them, such as public funding. This study benefits governments or policymakers who intend to implement the PPP scheme to deliver public services.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2024-00012024-03-28T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2023-0013<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>This paper aims to elaborate on the dilemmas Hungarian courts face when they appear in the forefront of policy implementation. Firstly, what kind of (legal) sources and documents should the court involve in in its legal interpretation? Secondly, what are the trade-offs between offering effective remedy sanctions and respecting the differences between branches of law and the division of power? For purpose of this analysis, we turn to the example of school segregation lawsuits between 2007 and 2022. In terms of equal and equitable education, the regulatory frameworks in the CEE Countries are harmonized to the EU standards and are strongly based on the anti-discrimination approach. In theory, policy programs and documents could be used as a source of facts, as well as a source of information regarding legislative goals and policy context. In theory, courts should aim to opt for sanctions with the most potential to achieve effective remedy. If this leads to specific policy-type sanctions, within the bounds of the parties’ actions courts should be able to decide so. However, courts tend to refrain from such sources and decisions. In the context of democratic backsliding the possibilities of such activism are somewhat unclear. Issues around the independence of the judiciary, the attitude of the executive branch towards certain social policy issues, and the practice of overwriting by amendment on part of the National Assembly supermajority may discourage courts and judges from policy-sensitive or innovative adjudication of cases with social policy relevance.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2023-00132023-10-14T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2023-0011<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>In recent years, gender inequality has been considered the main characteristic of insufficient gross domestic product (GDP) growth. This paper discusses the evolution of GDP per capita in 21 countries of the European Union between 2015 and 2019. Using panel regression, we investigated the change in GDP per capita through five variables. The analysis results showed that female employment rate is the most statistically significant and positive variable on GDP. Gender Equality Index also appeared to be an essential variable. The second part of our analysis consisted of an explanatory spatial data analysis of all variables to examine the spatial dimension of the variables. To explain spatial econometrics, we used selected methods, namely, choropleth maps, Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA) cluster analysis, Moran‘s scatter plots, and Moran‘s I statistics. Based on the visualization of choropleth maps, GDP per capita did not change during the observed period, even though the values of the explanatory variables changed. For GDP per capita, the same applies in the case of LISA cluster analysis. At the end of the monitored period, the countries were included in the same cluster as at the beginning. When plotting Moran‘s scatter plot, it was found that GDP per capita did not tend to have positive or negative spatial autocorrelation or no spatial autocorrelation. Moran‘s I statistic showed that GDP per capita values were not randomly dispersed; they were grouped according to a specific formula into clusters.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2023-00112023-10-14T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2023-0009<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Open Science paradigm involves transformations throughout the entire cycle of scientific research. Decision-makers play the key role of paradigm change facilitators. Consequently, the promotion of Open Science requires a political commitment.</p> <p>Even though Open Science movement emerged at the international level back in 2002, its principles are being implemented quite slowly in the Republic of Moldova.</p> <p>Thus, the current study aims to analyze the importance and benefits of Open Science policy implementation, the strategic priorities of the Republic of Moldova on Open Science, barriers in transition to Open Science in the Republic of Moldova, and identification of the key actors in development, adoption, and implementation of Open Science policies in the Republic of Moldova.</p> <p>The study employed a mixed method: survey among members of the scientific community (quantitative data collection) and semi-structured interviews of the key informants in Open Science policies and practices (qualitative data collection).</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2023-00092023-10-14T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2023-0012<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The aims of this article were to discuss the position of Czech nurses in the country's health care system, to assess their role in the preventive care and health literacy (HL) promotion and to define main factors, which may negatively impact their involvement in preventive care. We checked by the questionnaire, what is the position of nurses working in the primary care in the Czech health system, how nurses perceive their role in the preventive care and which factors influence their involvement. The expert opinion method was used to discover main barriers limiting the role of primary care nurses in prevention and HL promotion. A total of 204 nurses participated between May and June 2022 in an online survey. The survey was completed by interviews with five experts. Our main finding is that nurses are willing to be proactive in prevention and HL; however, their autonomy and responsibilities in these areas remain rather low. The main factors influencing the involvement of nurses in preventive care are the type of practice, age of nurses, and the administrative burden. The expert interviews propose that nurses are overloaded and that, in many cases, they do not really know their responsibilities in the field of preventive care. The core policy lesson derived from our research is that appropriate definition of roles and responsibilities of nurses and their related empowerment might represent critical measures towards increasing health system resilience and sustainability.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2023-00122023-10-14T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2023-0008<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Local authorities’ financial resources should be commensurate with the competences provided for by the law. However, in most countries, representatives of local self-governments claim that their total revenues are insufficient to deliver allocated tasks at a standard scale and level of quality. Such statements are somewhat problematic, especially in less-developed countries, where cost-center accounting is not used and service standards are not defined. This paper analyzes the relationship between the costs of delegated competences and the resources provided to cover these costs in Slovakia. We found that Slovak municipalities (with some exceptions) do not know the exact costs of delegated competences, and that the state does not cover the total costs of delegated competences, which contradicts the Slovak constitution. Our short comparison in the discussion shows that the Czech situation is very similar, suggesting that the problem might be common for all post-Soviet countries.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2023-00082023-10-14T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2023-0007<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>When analysing centralised public procurement models and solutions from the public administration point of view, attention needs to be paid to the specific features of public procurement as well as the institutional characteristics of the major central procurement organisations. In this paper, central procurement organisations in 11 European countries were compared based on interviews according to their activities, market positions and institutional characteristics. We shall address the issue of efficiency and stability of organisational structures by comparing the practice of the Central and Eastern European (CEE) and non-CEE European Countries. This comparison analyses the differences of the countries’ centralised public procurement structures and reveals the diversity of analytic criteria, underlining that the legal regulatory background to public procurement is not necessarily predominant in determining specific features and characteristics. The stability and market-oriented characteristics of a centralised public procurement system have an impact on the innovativeness of central purchasing bodies (CPBs) and on the development of their service provider nature, which should be taken into account by the CEE countries with a less-developed public procurement culture.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2023-00072023-08-22T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2023-0006<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Scholars and practitioners have, for many decades, sought to address management issues related to public sector policies. This study examines the academic research on this sector focused on these topics by conducting an automated computer analysis of 17,928 documents indexed in Scopus and published between 1950 and 2021. Six clusters were identified within this literature: economic growth during crises, reforms for the future, human relations, successful practices, partnerships and public banking services. This study thus systematises the lessons learned over the past decades, thereby contributing to governments’ ability to design public policies to meet future challenges and providing tools for dealing with the current coronavirus disease-19 pandemic.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2023-00062023-08-22T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2023-0003<abstract> <title style='display:none'>ABSTRACT</title> <p>Eastern European post-communist countries inherited pervasive corruption after the breakup of the USSR. Public trust was the crucial factor in tackling corruption and democracy building in these countries. This article takes Armenia as a case to study the antecedents and evolution of trust in Eastern European post-communist countries that went through a government coup in the 21st century. By comparing the corruption situation in Armenia before and after the Velvet Revolution 2018, we scrutinise how trust was and is critical to combating corruption and democracy building. We argue that in transition governments, one can distinguish two sources of creating public trust. The first wave generates when the government is newly established, and people trust the leader and his persona. Arguably, in this stage, the level of trust generated is based on expectations. The second wave of trust comes with the government’s actual performance, measured partly based on corruption perception.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2023-00032023-06-01T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2023-0005<abstract> <title style='display:none'>ABSTRACT</title> <p>This article applies a systematic literature-based approach to select, analyze, and categorize publications appearing on public sector management (PSM) reforms in Eastern European (EE) and former Soviet Union (FSU) countries. Findings of the literature review reveal the complexity of reformation in the region and point to the multilayered character of the reform processes, including design of the reform content, implementation, and evaluation of achieved results. The analysis, also shows that the reforms’ results are uneven and somewhat controversial. This article contributes by systematizing literature on transforming PSM in EE and FSU countries; analyzing the trajectories of the dominant reforms and finding overlooked topics; providing avenues for future research; and by contextually covering twenty-eight countries that experienced economic transition and significant societal transformations.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2023-00052023-06-01T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2023-0001<abstract> <title style='display:none'>ABSTRACT</title> <p>The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic crisis is ongoing, and the elderly are still affected by the virus, sometimes with fatal consequences. The political leaders are, inter alia, focussed on protecting citizens, including this vulnerable group. This article aims to describe the response of the Norwegian political leadership, with a focus on the public health measures enacted to protect the elderly during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic crisis in the years 2020 and 2021. This study has a descriptive qualitative research design using thematic-content analysis as a methodology to evaluate data collected from official documents, national statistics and public health documents from Norway. Statistics show that the elderly mortality rate per 100,000 person-weeks during the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was 2.69 in Norway; during the second wave of the pandemic, it was 1.43. The public health measures the Norwegian political leadership instigated were more effective in containing the crisis when compared to other European countries, and this paper investigates the reasons. The results of our study provide public health policy decision-makers with insights into analytical material showing the usefulness of different measures enacted by the Norwegian government. The Norwegian government’s responses to the crisis, such as the public health measures, restrictions, social consequences for vulnerable groups such as the elderly, as well as cross-government and cross-community cooperation, will need further in-depth analysis.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2023-00012023-06-01T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2023-0002<abstract> <title style='display:none'>ABSTRACT</title> <p>A considerable degree of collaboration between civil society organisations (CSOs) and governmental organisations (GOs) occurs in various collaborative areas, such as collaborative platforms, that aim to increase mutual understanding and reach shared solutions to complex social challenges. However, little is known regarding how CSOs relate to and discuss the starting conditions for participating in collaborative platforms. By highlighting the perspectives of CSOs supporting refugees, this article shows that the starting conditions affect whether CSOs decide to participate. Nevertheless, the starting conditions are also essential for their general understanding of the platform’s aim and purpose, thus affecting more than the initial decision to participate or not. A primary barrier to their participation is the political agenda behind the platform and what role CSOs think they should have in society. Consequently, the inclusive ‘whole society approach’ that collaborative platforms intend to create might be out of reach before starting the collaboration.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2023-00022023-06-01T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2023-0004<abstract> <title style='display:none'>ABSTRACT</title> <p>This paper is a configurational analysis that creates a new theoretical elaboration of populist parties in Europe in terms of policy choices. The forms of populism that we can see in contemporary Europe are new, relevant and do not have a theoretical representation in the literature. This paper also provides a clearer understanding of the characteristics of populist and anti-establishment parties in Europe, which can provide valuable insights into likely responses to reformed policy environments. To do so, the paper analyses policy positions connected to the populist literature for 242 parties in Europe in 2014 and 2019 using the Chapell Hill Expert Survey and the PopuList Survey data. Groups of parties with similarly held positions in 2014 and 2019 are identified using cluster analysis to investigate whether differences in positions are defined predominately according to a national, east–west, right–left faction or other criteria. The result highlights that rather than across a classical right–left divide connotation, Europe can be divided into four clusters: right-wing populists, a moderate pro-Europe left, a pro-Europe pro-liberalism centre and an intersectional left based on identity politics. Overall, the moderate left and the centrist liberalism centre are the most common parties across Europe, and the other two factions seem to be born as a reaction to these two. However, the other two factions are growing over the years, especially the populist right-wing in Central and Eastern Europe. This brings to light serious policy implications for the future of the European Union and for considering populism simply as a discursive matter.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cejpp-2023-00042023-06-01T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.1515/cejpp-2016-0017<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title><p> Although textbooks, conference papers, scientific journals and monographs deal with the research aspects of public policy, only little attention is paid to the way it is taught at universities. In this article we aim to explore academic public policy in the Czech Republic - specifically in terms of teaching outputs - using a unique method: an analysis of diploma theses. In the sample there were diploma theses defended within all the full-time Master’s study programmes having “public policy” in their names in the Czech Republic between 1995 and 2013. We conclude that there are two traditions of academic public policy in the Czech Republic, which enriches previous findings in the area and makes them more accurate. The research design and thoroughly described methodology invite other researchers to conduct international comparison of the features of academic public policy. The findings may also illustrate the trajectory made by the newly established discipline of public policy in the past twenty years in the Czech Republic, which may be of great interest to the newly formed international public policy community.</p></abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.1515/cejpp-2016-00172016-02-16T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.1515/cejpp-2016-0015<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title><p> In this paper, public health care administration issues are reviewed and public hospital patients’ views on quality of health care are empirically tested. The purpose is to support the recommendation of new public policies that lead to better performance, if necessary. Hospital patients’ views on service quality were assessed through a questionnaire to estimate a global customer satisfaction measure. We argue that customer satisfaction should be measured through multiple indicators, as a latent variable. Thus, we considered the latent segment models (LSM) approach to assess customer service satisfaction. We found a twosegment latent structure: segment 1, the satisfied, with 48 percent of patients, mostly male and middle-aged patients; and segment 2, the unsatisfied, with 52 percent of patients, mostly female and youngest/oldest patients.</p></abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.1515/cejpp-2016-00152016-02-16T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.1515/cejpp-2016-0010ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.1515/cejpp-2016-00102016-02-16T00:00:00.000+00:00en-us-1