Janez Šušteršič

The rise and decline of gradualism in Slovenia

Slovenia is a typical representative of a gradualist approach to transition. The prevailing view in Slovenia is that the gradualist approach has been the best solution. Contrary to this view, this article claims that the gradualist approach to transition gives positive results in the initial period but gradually reduces the pace of reform and leads to the postponement of some necessary steps, resulting in worsening economic trends. It provides empirical evidence in support of this thesis, indicating (i) gradual worsening of the level of export competitiveness and lagging behind in the restructuring of the Slovenian manufacturing sector, thus slowing down the process of real convergence; (ii) that the most important reason for persistent inflation, which is the major problem of Slovenias nominal convergence, is structural—slow restructuring in tradables and lack of reform in non‐tradables—and is a direct consequence of a slow transition process. The article concludes that the exogenous shock of EU accession, which puts pressure on economic policy, is welcome for the badly needed acceleration of the reform process in Slovenia. Economic policy should use this exogenous shock for the accomplishment of the remaining structural reforms.

Judicial Incentives and Performance at Lower Courts: Evidence from Slovenian Judge-Level Data

Empirical studies of judicial behavior using judge-level data are scarce and almost exclusively focused on higher court judges in the U.S. The majority of disputes in any legal system, however, are adjudicated by lower court judges and conclusions about judicial behavior from one legal system cannot be generalized to other legal systems. This paper draws on unique judge-level data to study judicial performance at lower courts in Slovenia, a post-socialist member state of the European Union struggling with implementation of an effective judicial system. We first examine the determinants of judicial productivity and elucidate the role of a judge’s demographic characteristics, education, experience, salary, promotion concerns, and case specialization. We then explore the possible tradeoff between the quantity and the quality of judicial case resolution, shedding light on the benefits and costs of those legal reform measures that aim to increase judicial productivity in Slovenian lower courts.

Is Europe 2020 Set to Fail? The Cultural Political Economy of the EU Grand Strategies

The European Union (EU) has been continuously rethinking its global position amidst emerging economic and geopolitical challenges and attempting to formulate strategies to increase its competitiveness. However, its long-standing policy implementation deficit is also recognized for its grand strategies, including the initially ambitious Lisbon Strategy. Is Europe 2020 set to fail as well? In this paper, we are arguing that strategic steering is essentially a discursive practice influenced by both semiotic and extra-semiotic factors. Hence, success or failure of a strategy essentially depends on ability to steer the discourse. Niklas Luhmanns social systems theory offers a theoretical framework against which limitations and potentials of strategic steering at the EU level can be analysed. While high levels of rationality and reflection capacities can improve strategic steering, it is limited by the increasing complexity. Recognizing limitations of direct and centralized interventions, we look for analytical and strategic solutions in sophisticated mechanisms of contextual steering: variation, selection and retention of strategic discourses. These mechanisms are integral to the “cultural political economy” approach. In the final part of the paper, we show how cultural political economy can explain the implementation shortcomings of the EU strategies.

Dejavniki Odnosa Državljanov do Strukturnih Reform

Povzetek Članek s statistično analizo javnomnenjskih anket in z vsebinsko analizo referendumske kampanje ugotavlja de-javnike neuspeha vladnega predloga pokojninske reforme. Pokojninska reforma, ki po vsebini nujno pomeni krčenje nekaterih zdajšnjih pravic, je bila v obdobju gospodar-ske krize in v kontekstu splošne vrednotne naravnanosti proti reformam že v izhodišču težko uresničljiva. Podatki javnomnenjskega anketiranja kažejo, da je bila za neuspeh ključna nizka podpora vladi. Podporo referendumu so odrekli politično sredinsko usmerjeni volivci, tisti ki ne podpirajo vladne koalicije, strankarsko neopredeljeni in ljudje s srednješolsko in poklicno izobrazbo. Ti so največji del volilnega telesa, zato noben referendum brez njihove podpore ne more uspeti. V referendumski kampanji so bili najpomembnejši argumenti glede (ne)pravičnosti pred-lagane reforme in (ne)utemeljenosti makroekonomskih razlogov za reformo. Če se torej o strukturnih reformah odloča na referendumu, sta višja podpora vladi, ki reform predlaga, in percepcija, da je reforma kljub nujnosti in neprijetnosti v osnovi pravična, ključna pogoja za njen sprejem.