Simplification and electronisation of administrative procedure in the Visegrad Group countries - a sociological and legal approach

Rozczynski, Beniamin (author)

Purpose: The purpose of the research was to examine the sociological issues related to the biographical experience of a participant in the ad - ministrative procedure in the Visegrad Group countries (the perception of public administration bodies and their organisation, current demands of the public in the field of public administration activities, providing ap - propriate tangible and intangible tools for officials). The secondary goal of the research was to determine the nature, significance, consequences and form of comprehensive modernisation of existing simplifications of the administrative procedure (The author understands the concept of simplification of administrative procedure as “an administrative proce - dure separated from the general administrative procedure and charac - terized by simplification of general normative solutions”). Since the scope of the concept of ”electronisation of administrative procedure” does not fully include the concept of ”simplification of administrative procedure”, the research referred to two areas of the administrative procedure that are complementary to each other (the relationships that occur between them, including by specifying common and separate parts of electronisa - tion of administrative procedure, e.g. in the scope of keeping and making available files of procedure in electronic form). Moreover, solutions were presented in the field of simplification and electronisation of administra - tive procedures in the V4 Group countries, in institutional, subjective and objective terms. Design/Methodology/Approach: The analysis of domestic and foreign le - gal texts was used to implement the research assumptions (general legal regulation of administrative procedure presented by the Codes of Admin - istrative Procedure and COVID-19 regulations in the V4 Group countries). Empirical research using sociological research methods was conducted in connection with the analysis of currently applicable simplifying solu - tions [the author implemented a component of social research using both qualitative methods – individual in-depth interviews with adult residents with biographical experience of being a participant in the administrative procedure (20 adults – 5 from each country of the V4 Group) as well as quantitative methods – online survey with participants of the administrative procedure (120 adults – 30 from each country of the V4 Group)]. In the research, the statistical method was applied to better illustrate the effectiveness of the currently conducted administrative procedure and to answer the hypotheses regarding the legitimacy of the development of the idea of administrative simplification. Findings: The analysis shows that it is not yet possible to speak of an ad - vanced development of administrative procedure in the Visegrad coun - tries. The delay of the public administration in applying solutions that simplify administrative procedure is mainly due to unclear regulations and significant financial outlays needed. The above state of affairs has a negative impact not only on entities participating in the procedure but also on public administration bodies and administrative courts. Practical Implications/Originality/Value: The initiated process of simpli - fying and electronising administrative procedure must always take the form of comprehensive legal solutions that will allow for effective and efficient operation of public administration bodies and enable individuals to exercise their fundamental rights. Therefore, the article presents the latest difficulties related to the administrative procedure and examples of their solution.

• Language: English
• Keywords: electronic communication, digitalisation of public administration, good administration, new technologies, principle of speed of the proceedings, public administration in V4 countries
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FU - Faculty of Administration
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2022
• Number of pages: Str. 123-146, 194-195
• Numbering: Vol. 20, no. 2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-143423
• UDC: 35:004:34
• ISSN on article: 2591-2240
• DOI: 10.17573/cepar.2022.2.06
• COBISS.SI-ID: 132374019
• Publication date in RUL: 20.12.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Central European public administration review
• Publisher: Fakulteta za upravo
• ISSN: 2591-2240
• COBISS.SI-ID: 293849600

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Description: The most restrictive Creative Commons license. This only allows people to download and share the work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Poenostavitev in elektronizacija upravnih postopkov v državah višegrajske skupine – sociološki in pravni pristop

Abstract

Namen: Namen raziskave je bil proučiti sociološka vprašanja, povezana z biografsko izkušnjo udeleženca v upravnem postopku v državah Višegrajske skupine (dojemanje organov javne uprave in njihove organizacije, trenutne zahteve javnosti na področju delovanja javne uprave, zagotavljanje ustreznih materialnih in nematerialnih orodij za uradnike). Sekundarni cilj raziskave je bil opredeliti naravo, pomen, posledice in obliko celovite posodobitve obstoječih poenostavitev upravnega postopka (avtor razume pojem poenostavitve upravnega postopka kot »od splošnega upravnega postopka ločen upravni postopek, za katerega je značilna poenostavitev splošnih normativnih rešitev«). Ker pojem »elektronizacija upravnega postopka« ne vključuje v celoti pojma »poenostavitev upravnega postopka«, se je raziskava nanašala na dve medsebojno dopolnjujoči se področji upravnega postopka (razmerja med njima, tudi z določitvijo skupnih in ločenih korakov elektronizacije upravnega postopka, npr. v okviru vodenja in izdajanja spisov v elektronski obliki). Predstavljene so bile tudi rešitve v okviru poenostavitve in elektronizacije upravnih postopkov v državah skupine V4, in sicer v institucionalnem, subjektivnem in objektivnem smislu. Zasnova/metodologija/pristop: Za uresničitev raziskovalnih predpostavk je bila uporabljena metoda analize domačih in tujih pravnih besedil (splošna pravna ureditev upravnega postopka, ki jo predstavljajo zakoni o upravnem postopku in predpisi, povezani s covidom-19, v državah skupine V4). Empirična raziskava z uporabo socioloških raziskovalnih metod je bila opravljena v povezavi z analizo trenutno izvedenih poenostavitev [avtor v prispevku uporablja tako kvalitativne metode – individualne poglobljene intervjuje z odraslimi prebivalci z biografsko izkušnjo udeleženca upravnega postopka (20 odraslih – po 5 iz vsake države iz skupine V4) kot kvantitativne metode – spletne ankete z udeleženci upravnega postopka (120 odraslih – po 30 iz vsake države iz skupine V4)]. Z uporabo statistične metode je bila učinkoviteje prikazana učinkovitost obstoječega upravnega postopka in podan odgovor na vprašanja o upravičenosti razvoja ideje o upravni poenostavitvi. Ugotovitve: Analiza je pokazala, da v državah V4 o naprednem razvoju upravnega postopka še ni mogoče govoriti. Zamujanje javne uprave pri uporabi rešitev za poenostavitev upravnega postopka je predvsem posledica nejasnih predpisov in potrebnih finančnih izdatkov. Navedeno stanje negativno vpliva ne le na stranke, ki sodelujejo v postopku, temveč tudi na organe javne uprave in upravna sodišča. Vpliv v praksi/izvirnost/vrednost: Proces poenostavitve in elektronizacije upravnega postopka mora vselej temeljiti na celovitih zakonskih rešitvah, ki bodo omogočile učinkovito in uspešno delovanje organov javne uprave, na drugi strani pa posameznikom zagotovile uresničevanje njihovih temeljnih pravic. V prispevku so zato predstavljene aktualne težave, povezane s potekom upravnega postopka, in primeri njihovih rešitev.

• Keywords: elektronsko komuniciranje, digitalizacija javne uprave, dobra uprava, nove tehnologije, načelo hitrosti postopka, javna uprava v državah V4

Projects

• Funder: Other - Other funder or multiple funders
• Funding programme: Simplification and electronisation of administrative procedure
• Project number: 2020/37/N/HS5/01045