Master's thesis topics - Administration-Public Sector Governance

Aristovnik Aleksander PhD

Economic Analysis of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence in the Public Sector (Impact of AI and automation on public administration productivity and efficiency, cost-benefit analysis of AI and digital solutions, economic effects of generative AI, impact of digitalization on administrative costs, efficiency of digital public services, etc.)
Economic Aspects of Public Sector Readiness for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation (Costs and benefits of organizational AI readiness, investment in digital and AI skills, relationship between AI readiness and organizational efficiency, economic effects of AI adoption, returns on digital investments, cross-country comparison of public administration readiness, etc.)
Efficiency, Productivity and Quality in the Public Sector (Measuring the efficiency of public organizations and services, application of DEA and other efficiency analysis methods, determinants of public sector productivity, relationship between public expenditure and service quality, international comparisons of public sector efficiency, etc.)
Economic Evaluation of Public Policies and Public Administration Reforms (Cost-benefit analysis of public policies, cost-effectiveness analysis, evaluation of policy alternatives, economic effects of public administration reforms, deregulation and reduction of administrative burdens, impact of reforms on competitiveness and economic development, etc.)
Economic Analysis of European Union Policies (Economic effects of selected EU policies, EU Single Market and economic development, economic effects of European regulation, EU fiscal and economic policy, EU digital policy, European green transition, economic effects of EU enlargement, etc.)
EU Cohesion Policy, Regional Development and European Funds (Economic effects of cohesion policy, efficiency of EU fund spending, impact of European projects on regional development, regional disparities in the EU, evaluation of development programmes, effectiveness of the Recovery and Resilience Facility and other EU instruments, etc.
Public Finance, Fiscal Policy and Demographic Challenges (Fiscal sustainability, impact of population ageing on public expenditure, economic effects of pension reforms, tax policy and public revenues, EU fiscal rules, public debt and budget deficits, digitalization of public financial management, etc.
Economic Analysis of Public Procurement, Integrity and Corruption Risks (Economic costs of corruption, competition and efficiency in public procurement, impact of corruption risks on public spending, economic effects of integrity measures, use of data and AI for detecting irregularities, EU policies on public procurement and integrity, etc.)
Economic Effects of the EU Green and Digital Transitions (Costs and benefits of the green transition, economic effects of EU climate policies, public investment and renewable energy, green public procurement, digital transformation of the European economy and public sector, regulation of AI and digital markets, EU competitiveness in the digital economy, etc.
Current Economic Challenges in the Public Sector and EU Policies – Topics by Agreement with Students (Other current topics in public sector economics, public finance, public policy, EU policies, digitalization and AI, labour markets, demographic change, sustainable development, crisis management and European integration, etc.)

Buzeti Jernej PhD

Sickness absenteeism and presenteeism in the public sector
Leadership styles in public administration
Burnout
Digital (techno) stress and its impacts
Concrete proposals by the students for the final master theses are also possible. However, the content must be appropriate.

INFORMATION: For mentoring opportunities please directly contact professor dr. Jernej Buzeti via email.

Durnik Mitja PhD

The impact of artificial intelligence on the design of public policies
Regulation and evaluation of health policies
Public policies and crisis management
Specifics of the public policy process at the EU level and the influence of the international community on policy design
Public policies and the issue of control in modern societies
Globalization and its impact on public policies
Marginalized groups and the design of public policies: contemporary migrations, the Roma issue, etc.
Public policies and the challenges of the current school system
International development dilemmas and the design of modern public policies
Public policies and policy changes in selected countries: a comparative perspective

Franca Valentina PhD

Limitation of the autonomy of social partners in collective bargaining in the public sector
Overlooking Educational Qualifications in Public Sector Employment
Digitalization of trade unions
Employer association as an employer (case study, legal and/or HR aspects)
The Impact of the Green Transition on Employment Relations
Legal Options for Regulating Relations with Digital Nomads
Algorithms in employment relationships
Other topics by prior agreement

Hristovski Dimitar PhD

Limitation of the autonomy of social partners in collective bargaining in the public sector
Legal aspects of young people’s entry into the labor market
Employer association as an employer (case study, legal and/or HR aspects)

Klun Maja PhD

Income redistribution and how digital maturity impacts its mechanisms
Analysis of methodologies and their use for determining the green budget
Sustainable budget in light of various aspects of sustainability (economic, social, environmental)
Sustainability reports of public institutions – comparative analysis/methodology analysis/standards application
Digitization and mechanisms of public financing
How to digitize processes in fiscal policy
Assessment of the green budget in the area of revenue (tax revenues, tax expenditures, etc.)
Possibilities of using artificial intelligence in budget analysis (based on objectives, achieving measures, evaluation indicators, etc.)
Student proposals

Kotnik Žiga PhD

Factors influencing municipalities’ readiness to collaborate with universities and the business sector
Measuring the performance of public administration organizations (Efficiency of water resource management in Slovenian municipalities, efficiency of administrative units, etc.)
Determinants of Green Budgeting in Slovenian Municipalities: A Comparative Analysis of Local Public Finances
International mobility and employability of public administration graduates: a comparison of employers’ and students’ perceptions
The impact of public financial resources on achieving sustainable development goals
The feasibility of introducing a universal basic income
Public sector transformation: the effects of artificial intelligence and automation on the efficiency and quality of services in Slovenian administrative units
Comparative analysis of residents’ satisfaction with the environment in slovenian municipalities
Research topics by mutual agreement.

Kovač Polonca PhD

Analysis of procedures and stakeholders in rule-making
Analysis of the development of administrative procedural law (conceptually or through selected institutes, e.g. basic principles of the General Administrative Procedure Act – ZUP)
Analysis of the development of tax procedural law (conceptually or through selected institutes of the Tax Procedure Act
Use of GAPA in public services or non-administrative public matters (education, offenses, etc.)
Procedural aspects of asserting rights/obligations in a selected area (tax assessments, foreigners, building permits, right to access public information and personal data, etc.)
Status and position of parties to the procedure in a selected administrative matters
Analysis of timeliness of selected administrative procedures
Analysis and effectiveness of legal remedies in selected administrative procedures
Inspection control (conceptually or by institutes of the Inspection Act or individual areas of control)
Removal of administrative barriers and alternative dispute resolution methods in administrative matters
Analysis of human rights violations in administrative procedures
Functional and status legal analysis of a selected administrative body/area

INFORMATION: Dear students, if interested to prepare the MSC thesis on the field of administrative reforms, legal regulation of public administration or procedural admin law, you are welcome to contact prof. dr. Polonca Kovač to determine possible areas and topic directly: polonca.kovac@fu.uni-lj.si, particularly to explore comparative aspects of suggested themes.

Kozjek Tatjana PhD

Strategic management of human resources
Employee-friendly working environment
Talent management
Management of ageing employees
Organisational behaviour
Students’ own topic in consultation with the professor

Nikolić Bruno PhD

Topics related to state organization (operation of fundamental state institutions; relationships between fundamental state institutions, etc.)
Topics related to the protection of human rights in Slovenia, the EU, and the Council of Europe
Topics related to the legal system, functioning and administration of the EU
Topics related to the healthcare system with an emphasis on legal aspects
Topics related to the contemporary events in the defined fields

Petkovšek Veronika PhD

Topics in the field of public sector economics by agreement with students

Pevcin Primož PhD

Application of the Balanced Scorecard: case studies
Development of public management theories and ideologies
Challenges of strategic planning in public organizations
Risk and change management in public organizations
Reorganization of the public sector and reduction of public expenditures
Economics of fiscal federalism
Current challenges facing non-profit and non-governmental organizations
Third sector and welfare state
Individually suggested topics (e.g., current socio-economic and business issues, general management related topics, insurance, etc.)

Rakar Iztok PhD

Analysis of the implementation of good governance principles in a selected country
Comparison of local self-government systems
Comparison of public administration systems
Macro-organization of central administration in a selected country – analysis of development over a selected period
Public administration reforms in a selected country
Intermunicipal / cross-border / transboundary cooperation of municipalities in selected countries
Territorial reform of local self-government – analysis of a selected country
Regional administrative structures

Sever Tina PhD

Topics by agreement in the areas of administrative procedures or public procurement

Stanimirović Tatjana PhD

Sustainability reporting in the private sector
Reporting on achieving sustainable development goals in the public sector
Analysis of tax policies

Master's thesis topics for the academic year 2026/2027