Download Office of the Government of the Czech Republic Administrative

Decentralization
of Public Services
The Czech Example
Jan Kravčík
Department of Legislative Framework
and State Development
Úřad vlády České republiky
Office of the Governement of the Czech Republic
Office of the Government of the Czech Republic
Before the reform
• 1948 – 1989: Legislation enacted the ruling role of the
Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
• All public administration centralized under the central
government administration.
• Locally, the administration was carried out by National
Committees (3 levels: regional, district, municipal)
which were under strict control of the state and ruled
by members of the communist party.
Office of the Government of the Czech Republic
Administrative Reform
1990 – Crucial transformation steps:
• Act on Municipalities: National Committees abolished,
municipalities created, territorial division didn’t change.
• New Municipal and District Offices
• Act on Capital City of Prague: based on historical
tradition, the capital gets own special legislation
1997 – Legislation about new administrative division
• 13 regions created + Prague as special region
Office of the Government of the Czech Republic
Public Administration Reform
After the first steps made in decentralization in 1990s, vast reform of
public administration was launched in 2000 with 3 main goals:
Democratization
• Engage citizens in their very own affairs
• Create and support active civil society
• Supply the national politics with new politicians from local level
Decentralization
• Shift from central planning
• Transfer of powers to local level
• Reduction of state administration
Depoliticization
• Legal protection of local civil servants from political influence
Office of the Government of the Czech Republic
Public Administration Reform
Reform carried out by the Ministry of Interior
Stage 1: Power shift (2000)
• The first step was to establish regional authorities and
prepare or update necessary legislation
• New budgetary rules: the regions will inherit previously
state-owned property, will receive substantial share of
the taxes collected on their territory, can collect their
own fees etc.
• New delegation of powers – Joint Model
Office of the Government of the Czech Republic
Administrative Division 2000
AUSTRIA
• 13 self-governing regions + capital city of Prague
• 6,248 municipalities (cities, townships, communes)
• Approximately 75,000 local civil cervants + employees
Public Administration Reform
Stage 2: Deeper decentralization (2002)
• Further decentralization and deconcentration
of administrative procedures.
• District offices abolished and their powers moved to
regional and municipal local governments (only two
levels of local government).
• Local governments possess two types of powers:
– Independent powers (their own business)
– Delegated powers (duties carried out on behalf of state)
Office of the Government of the Czech Republic
Delegation of Powers
Joint model of Public Administration:
Some powers of state are outsourced to the
regions and municipalities which provide
services to the citizens on behalf of state.
Which model of decentralization to choose was a much
debated issue in the Czech Parliament in 1990s.
At the end, Members of Parliament – most of them mayors –
opted for more complicated joint model that gave them more
power but also more responsibilities.
Office of the Government of the Czech Republic
With great power comes
great responsibility.
Voltaire
Office of the Government of the Czech Republic
The Joint Model
Czech local governments carry out most of the
administrative duties towards the citizen:
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Basic and advanced education
Water, waste and environment management
Roads and transport management
Social services and welfare benefits
Issuance of IDs, trade licenses, driver’s licences…
The system has high demands on local civil servants – they are
in the front line of contact with citizens.
Office of the Government of the Czech Republic
Czech Administration Today
1) State Civil Service (ministries + agencies)
approximately 17,000 state civil servants
2) 14 territorial self-governing units (regions)
3) 6,248 municipalities of three levels:
I. Regular Municipalities
II. Municipalities with authorized office
III. Municipality with extended powers
approximately 75,000 local civil servants
Office of the Government of the Czech Republic
How to handle 6,248 municipalites?
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High level decentralization and democratization
602 cities/towns, 192 townships
4,867 municipalities with population < 1,000
3,522 municipalities with population < 500
467 municipalities with population < 100
2 municipalities have only 18 inhabitants
Difficulties with coordination and financing
Office of the Government of the Czech Republic
Public Administration Issues
Public Administration Issues
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Democratization led to deep decentralization
Unsustainable financing of the joint model
Historical resistance to central planning
Need for administrative burden reduction
Ever increasing demands of public
Lack of unified standards of services
Need for greater political stability
Efforts for change blocked by local governments
Office of the Government of the Czech Republic
New Strategic Framework
• Fragmented municipalities resist any effort to be
joined, instead they divide in referendums.
• Politicians come from regional and municipal level
and block the proposals for change in Parliament.
• 2014: Strategic Framework for Public Administration
Development 2014–2020.
• New strategy focuses on simplification and
modernization of processes rather than adjustment
or radical change of inconvenient system.
Office of the Government of the Czech Republic
Lessons Learned
• Decentralization is essential for democratization
• Democratic processes can be learned only in
practice (negotiations, consultations, elections), not
in theory – we are learning still...
• Balance between central and local gvt is crucial.
• Avoid fragmentation: too small units are politically,
financially and administratively unsustainable.
• Step lightly, supervise, evaluate, adjust and enjoy!
Office of the Government of the Czech Republic
“Bureaucracy is not an obstacle
to democracy but an inevitable
complement to it.”
Joseph Alois Schumpeter (1883–1950)
Austrian economist and political scientist
Born in Triesch/Třešť, Czech Republic
Office of the Government of the Czech Republic
‫شكرا على االهتمام‬
Thank you for your attention
Jan Kravčík
[email protected]
tel. +420 777 923 311
Úřad vlády České republiky
Office of the Governement of the Czech Republic