Saulius Pivoras

The Impact of Client Status on Street-Level Bureaucrats’ Identity and Informal Accountability

Combining assumptions from the theory of street-level bureaucracy, sociological theory of identity, and grid-group cultural theory, this article first provides an analytical model and typology of administrative identities of frontline public servants. Then qualitative data analysis is done by drawing upon the observations and interview conducted at the State Tax Inspectorate and the Social Security agencies in Lithuania. Research data show that weak discretion does not narrow the variety of administrative identities. Manifestation of informal accountability of street-level bureaucrats to an individual citizen-client as a constitutive part of an administrative identity most clearly appears in interaction with those clients who are considered socially vulnerable. Informal accountability to citizen-clients is especially limited when it is combined with other identity attitudes, such as rigid manner of rule application and limited empathy toward citizen-clients.

Professional Discretion of Civil Servants in Serving the Customers of Public Employment Intermediation Agency: The Case of Lithuanian Labour Exchange

The aim of this article is to analyze and identify to which extent changes in serving and counselling customers in public employment intermediation agency in Lithuania that is in subdivisions of Lithuanian Labour Exchange under the Ministry of Social Security and Labour, are based on strengthening empowerment of civil servants and development of their professional discretion. It also aims to evaluate civil servants’ expectations related to broader factual usage of professional discretion. The aim of the article is realized analyzing academic literature and data of conducted empirical research, which discover practical usage of professional discretion in the best way when implementing the new customer service model.

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)

Public policy with regard to religious communities in Lithuania and Latvia: instruments of direct subsidies and tax incentives

Siame straipsnyje lyginamuoju požiūriu analizuojamas populiariausių finansinių viesosios politikos instrumentų naudojimas remiant religinių bendruomenių veiklą Lietuvoje ir Latvijoje. Siekiama nustatyti valstybinės paramos sąsajas su postuluojamu religinių bendruomenių indėliu į socialinės ir kultūros politikos tikslų įgyvendinimą. Lietuva religines bendruomenes (pirmiausia tradicines) mato kaip svarbų aktorių socialinėje politikoje, kas yra įrasyta įvairiuose teisės aktuose, kai Latvija panasios pozicijos nėra taip nedviprasmiskai suformulavusi. Lietuva, lyginant su Latvija, issiskiria tuo, kad tradicinėms religinėms bendruomenėms teikia pastovias kasmetines dotacijas, susidedancias is bazinės dalies ir kintamos dalies, kuri savo ruožtu priklauso nuo tikinciųjų skaiciaus. Lietuvoje dotacijos tradicinėms religinėms bendruomenėms yra skiriamos, kaip tai oficialiai įvardijama, maldos namams atstatyti ir kitoms reikmėms. Aiskiau neapibrėžus „kitų reikmių“ tampa neįmanoma tiksliai nustatyti, vertinti, ypac kontroliuoti lėsų naudojimo sąsają su socialinės politikos tikslų įgyvendinimu. Latvijoje pastovių dotacijų religinėms bendruomenėms nėra (isimtis – Agluonos sventvietės islaikymo rėmimas pagal sutartį su Sventuoju sostu), finansinė tiesioginė parama skiriama pagal konkreciai suformuluotus poreikius (konkrecių maldos namų islaikymas ir pan.). Mokestinės lengvatos Lietuvoje ir Latvijoje yra didžiąja dalimi identiskos.

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.