Remigijus Civinskas

Lietuvos valstybės tarnautojų administraciniai tapatumai: silpnos diskrecijos raiška aptarnaujant piliečius

Studijos parengimą ir leidybą rėmė Lietuvos mokslo taryba (sutarties numeris GER-013/2015.). ISBN 978-609-467-276-7 (internetinis);ISBN 978-9955-34-671-5 (internetinis)

Context as a Factor in Senior Civil Service Reform: Opinions and Attitudes of Senior Executives in Lithuania

Abstract This article analyses the contextual factors and their impact on the planned creation of senior civil service (henceforth, SCS) within the Lithuanian civil service system since 2008. Based on a survey of Lithuanian senior executives’ conducted in 2014 and qualitative semi-structured interviews, the aim of this article is to reveal and explain incentives and obstacles of SCS reform in Lithuania. Empirical research data clarifies attitudes of senior civil servants and their role perceptions. Senior executives’ attitudes towards the establishment of the SCS system were clearly positive. However, the research data reveals that supportive attitudes depend on the perception of the roles of senior executives. Senior civil servants who perceived themselves firstly as actors in policy formation and policy implementers were much more favourable towards the creation of SCS than senior civil servants with other role identities.

Institutional Contexts of the Implementation of Quality Initiatives in the Public Sectors of Finland and Lithuania

Institutional Contexts of the Implementation of Quality Initiatives in the Public Sectors of Finland and Lithuania This article reports the results of research of public service quality reform initiatives in Lithuania and Finland. Research reveals that quality management has been in vogue within the manufacturing sectors of both countries for several decades. The service industries have made heavy investments in this area. There are also major initiatives from the public sector to improve quality. This paper examines and compares the development of reform conceptions and programmes in terms of institutional interest and power positions. It demonstrates that the initiation and progress of reform initiatives were determined by particular unforeseen and accidental circumstances in both countries. On the other hand, it explains why Finnish institutions were ready for a constructive dialogue, and a pilot try-outs option in implementation or reform instruments. Lithuanian institutions, by comparison, are characterized by the creation of new structures and self-seeking interests. Finally, the paper reveals how the instruments of public service quality improvement were implemented in both countries.