Public administration reforms have multiple and diverse objectives, all aimed at improving the efficiency of administrative systems. In addition to the mere implementation of reform policies, they are also about following the fundamental values and demands of society since the essence of reforms is to respond to the increasingly complex needs of citizens. With this in mind, a reorganisation of the Slovenian social work centres (SWCs) was carried out in 2018 to bring these institutions closer to the users, especially by allowing staff more time to work directly with people, by simplifying the management of procedures, and by reducing the administrative burden on staff. The purpose of this doctoral dissertation is to evaluate the reorganisation of the SWCs and draw attention to the differing interests of the specific stakeholders of this reform and, consequently, to the different assessments of its success. Considering the diversity of stakeholders, the research employs an integration of quantitative and qualitative methods, interweaving findings obtained through an online survey, semi-structured interviews, a focus group, an analysis of case law, and a secondary analysis of administrative statistics.
The main finding of the evaluation is that the reorganisation of the SWCs has not achieved the objectives set at the institutional level of public governance for individual groups of stakeholders. In a comparative context, both in terms of the objectives set and the course and effectiveness of the reforms, the reorganisation is comparable to the reforms of the Croatian public administration, yet not to the more successful reforms in Austria. Considering the predominantly legally determined Central European administrative space, the neo-Weberian model appears to be the most suitable public administration model for the SWCs to carry out their tasks as bearers of public authority and thus typical guarantors of the constitutional principles of the rule of law and the welfare state. This doctoral dissertation represents the first comprehensive evaluation of the reorganisation of the SWCs, thus providing a basis for further changes in the operation of the SWCs and an evaluation model for similar types of reforms in Slovenia and the wider Central European administrative space. By linking theoretical bases with practical insights, it ensures the development of the theory of public governance models at a scientific level and an integrated methodological approach for related research, thereby contributing to the development of administrative science as a young and integral multidisciplinary science.
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