Participatory budgeting and good economy – the ways to a “new” democracy

Participatory budgeting is and aid to good economy and can restore the trust of citizens in politics. However, although a powerful tool, it is not a magic wand and also hinges on political will. The key prerequisite is for citizens to realize that they can and should take part in political decision making, with the…

“Ineffective municipalities and cities shouldn’t necessarily be abolished, but functional mergers are a must”

Should counties be abolished, is there a need to reduce the number of cities and municipalities and why is decentralization such a frequent buzzword? How can the power of local political bosses be curbed and the quality of governing common goods and public services increased? Are election results important for the results of LOTUS and…

As many as 1.473.218 Croatian citizens living „in the dark“

Although the inhabitants of Rijeka can boast living in the most transparent city in Croatia, with the Varaždin county in the lead among the twenty counties and Belica taking the first place among municipalities, on the whole, every third citizen of Croatia lives “in the dark” – show the results of the LOTUS openness and…

How to avoid corruption and clientelism in governing public goods?

Zagreb, 26.07.2013 - Zagrepèani su olakšanje od velikih vruæina potražili uz gradske fontane. foto FaH/ Denis CERIÆ /dc

Although water is a common good, water services in Croatia are governed authoritatively and hierarchically, with the debate on a new model of governance still limited to „a choice“ between two supposed alternatives: either privatization, or status quo in terms of an ineffective, corruptive and clientelistic mode of resource governance. Instead, the reform of governing…

Government downsizing state administration offices

epa03693597 Participants compete in the European Individual Chess Championship in Legnica, Poland, 09 May 3012. About 300 participants are competing for the title and 100,000 euro prize money until 17 May. EPA/MACIEJ KULCZYNSKI POLAND OUT

The government on Thursday sent to parliament a bill of amendments to the state administration law under which the current 20 state administration offices would be reorganised into five. Public Administration Minister Arsen Bauk said the five offices would each cover several counties and that the law was being aligned with a 2012 Constitution Court…

Whose government is the most transparent one? LOTUS 2011/12 Research Results

epa03642358 A Chinese technician debugs a row of video surveillance cameras for pubilc safety which are assembled on a pole in the Qingdao city, eastern China's Shandong province, 27 March 2013. China's public safety budget reaches at 128.989 billion yuan (Euros 16.227 billion) in 2013, up some nine per cent compared to last year, according to the Ministry of Finance. EPA/WU HONG

From September 2011 to February 2012, GONG conducted the second round of research focused on transparency and openness of local and regional self-government. The research was carried out in cooperation with the Association of Cities of the Republic of Croatia, including each of the 576 units of local and regional self-government. The aim was to…