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Aleksandras Patapas, Alvydas Raipa, Vainius Smalskys

 Governance Modernisation: Structure and Development

Abstract

At the turn of the 21st century public management gained substantial experience in modernising the public sector; new theoretical paradigms, concepts and models of public governance were developed; feasible opportunities for testing their sustainability in practice occured. The most important writings of researchers of the evolution of modern public governance have revealed that the problem of modernising public institutions can be defined by the structural dimension of values characteristic of certain cyclic sequence (challenges of globalisation, the necessity of changes in government, governance reforms, modernisation of public sector activity, innovative ideology and the practise of innovativeness) which are intended to make governance more efficient. The modernisation of public governance is acquiring more qualitative experiences in developing the modernisation strategies, policy programmes and projects; in improving structural and functional operation of organisations; in expanding the opportunities for intersectoral integration; in combining the trends of governance centralisation and decentralisation; in implementing modern forms of performance management; and, in infixing the principles of the results-oriented behaviour and new forms of responsibility and control over post-bureaucratic activities.

Michal Kubát

 Giovanni Sartori: empirický a angažovaný politolog v přespříliš empirické a pramálo angažované politické vědě,

Abstract

This article analyzes the work of Giovanni Sartori – in no doubt a political science legend – with regard to its distinctiveness in contrast to the mainstream of contemporary comparative politics. As this article argues, both Sartori’s life and work are full of paradoxes. A giant of political science whose work is widely acknowledged, Sartori stands somewhat outside of current methodological trends in the discipline he helped to shape. Founder of Italian political science and one of its most visible representatives and political columnists, Sartori also failed to influence the politics of Rome. Neither were his recommendations ever adopted in Italy. This article studies these paradoxes and seeks to explain them. The focus is on Sartori’s theoretical and methodological approach to politics and political science as articulated not only in his scholarly works but also in essays and commentaries.

Oldřrich Krpec

 Problémy současné demokracie: selhání aktérů nebo logika fungování systému?

Abstract

This study is a contribution to the discussion of democratic political system functioning. Text focuses on perceived problems of contemporary democratic system in processing satisfactory outputs consistent with a democratic ideal. The study presents political economy approach to this issue. The main goal is to offer possible answer to the question if presumed problems of political system are the outcome of failures of individual actors to behave rationally and predictably. Or are they rather determined by a number of discussed features of the system which to some extent shapes the logic of action of individual actors. The concepts used in the construction of simple model are costs of decision making, bounded rationality, role set, the approach of logic of collective action and for illustration of some features also the basics of game theory. The most important topics under discussion are the tensions between public and particular interests, efficiency of process and security of actors and costs of information and potential costs of rational ignoration.

Vilém Novotný

 Dva hlavní přístupy ke studiu policy work v komparativní perspektivě

Abstract

Policy work labels new distinct stream of scholarship in public policy that tries to capture transformations of policy analysis´ practice. Due to shifts in meaning and ambiguity of this new umbrella term there is a question of understanding to this new stream of research. The article argues it is possible by closer examination of different complementary policy work research approaches within this stream. They influence not only perception of public policy but also discourse on their practice. Its aim is to get acquainted with the issue of policy work through two contemporary main approaches. After short contextualization in development of policy work research there are presented, in comparative perspective, short characteristics, main concepts, conceptual embeddings, and relation to policy analysis of the policy work approach (Colebatch), the policy analytical capacity approach (Howlett). At the end there is clear summary of essential findings and sketched delimitation of the policy work as a stream of research.

Tomas Renner

 Spolková republika Německo na přelomu tisíciletí: Erhardova formovaná společnost nebo výsledek Dutschkeho úspěšného pochodu institucemi?

Abstract

The author of this paper presents two societal concepts of post-world war Federal Republic of Germany. The idea of formed society started in the intellectual circle of the federal chancellor Ludwig Erhard. It had its roots in the experience of economic and political downfall of the Weimar republic and the apocaliptic war that followed. The idea of the long march through institutions was formulated by leaders of the student protest movement who saw itas the only way to change the society from within after the failure of the marxist revolution in western Europe. Although both concepts lost their appeal in the course of history, they still remain an important contribution to the modernisation process of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Martina Urbanová

 Malá města Středočeského kraje jako aktéři meziobecní spolupráce.

Abstract

Small towns are the natural centers of rural areas and have a role to play in rural development. Their development potential applied mainly in cooperation with other municipalities - within micro-regions and other regional bodies. This paper focuses on the Central Bohemia Region, where the consequences of the process manifested metropolisation and considerable fragmentation of the settlement structure (in comparison with other regions, the Central Bohemia Region has the highest proportion of the population living in municipalities with up to 1999 inhabitants). Meaning metropolisation process lies in its potential impact on the ability of small towns to fulfill the role of peripheral center of rural areas. This paper will focus on ways of exploring the role of small towns in regional development. The focus of paper represents two basic questions. (1) To what extent are the same small town in the Central Region with micro-centers and other regional bodies. (2) What about the interrelations between representations of small towns with management the intermunicipal cooperation.

Michel Perottino

 JÍRŮ, Jaroslav (2014). De Gaulle. Praha: Prostor, 424 stran, 48 stran příloh. ISBN 978-80-7260-307-7.

Roman Hájek

 COLEMAN, Stephen (2013). How Voters Feel. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 267 s. ISBN 978-1-107-01460‑2.

Marián Sekerák

 PAJTINKA, Erik (2013). Slovník diplomacie. 1. vyd. Bratislava: Pamiko, 169 s. ISBN 978‑80‑85660‑08‑1.

Karel Höfer

 DANČIŠIN, Vladimír (2013). Metódy prerozdeľovania mandátov v pomernom volebnom systéme. Prešov: Filozofická fakulta Prešovskej univerzity v Prešove. 1. vydání, 189 s. Acta universitatis philosophicae Universitatis Prešoviensis, č. 157/2013. ISBN 978-80-555-0787-3.