3017 Openess and Transparency of Public Administration
Content
- Openness and transparency as a part of good public governance
- Notion and meaning of openness and transparency; connection thereof to other principles of contemporary administration (e.g. rule of law, participation, accountability)
- Portal e-democracy and administration online
- Public administration and media
- Public administration and social networks
- Public consultation/engagement(notice-and-comment in regulatory processes: significance, regulation, procedures, practice
- Transparency of lobbying in public administration and the legislative footprint
- Regulatory Impact Analysis globally and locally
- Access to public information: significance and legal grounds, international context
- Restrictions to access of public information (e.g. personal data protection or tax secrecy) and test of public interest
- Role of the Information commissioner regarding control of public administration
- Procedural regulation of access to information and judicial review: Slovenia and comparative overview in the EU
Objectives and competences
Objectives
- The aim of this course is to study all aspects of openness and transparency as one of the basic principles of modern public administration and sound public governance. Students learn about the importance of openness and transparency in public administration in a modern democratic society. Special attention will be devoted to various aspects of public consultation in regulatory process and access to public information as well as other forms of public activities of administrative agencies (portal e-democracy, etc.)
- Public participation in the process of drafting and adopting policies is studied in depth. In this context, the student acquires the knowledge about managing the processes of public participation in the preparation of regulations and other similar materials. Public participation is set in the general context of procedures for preparing and adopting public policies.
- Special attention is devoted to the access to public information – the constitutional framework, the framework of the European Convention on Human Rights, procedural aspects, exceptions from free access etc. Students get familiar with the role and operation of the Information Commissioner. Special attention is given to proactive publication of public information and the online appearance of public administration.
- Besides the two above mentioned key aspects, relationship of administration to the media, in particular approaches, e.g. in social media.
- Students also get acquainted with the meaning and the issues of lobbying in public administration and legislative footprint.
Competences
- in-depth understanding of theoretical concepts in the field of good governance/administration,
- in-depth knowing and understanding of context, procedures and institutions regarding public consultation and access to public information,
- in-depth understanding of theoretical concepts in the field of administrative science and the ability to transfer this knowledge into practice,
- ability of the critical analysis, evaluation and synthesis of complex ideas in solving the most complex problems in public administration through testing, improving and developing known solutions and the creation of new ones, both at the national and international levels,
- ability of scientific problem analysis, the evaluation of various theoretical standpoints and critical analysis of administrative systems and of administrative-legal institutions,
- ability to understand and upgrade administrative-theoretical knowledge with a focus on the status and functional definition of governance in public administration.