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Public Administration

Course developers

Course abstract

The course provides knowledge of public administration in Latvia, rise students' understanding on public and nongovernmental sector, mechanism of their functioning, paying attention to topical researches actualities and sustainable development of these sectors. The course program consists of 3 blocks: the general description of the public administration, the place of local government in the public administration system and the activities and development trends of non-governmental organizations.

Learning outcomes and their assessment

Knowledge of the structure, functioning mechanism and management innovation in Latvia and abroad; knowledge of local government development, organization and activity; knowledge of the conditions for the formation of NGOs, their role in the development of the state and society - 3 tests.
Ability to explain and discuss national and societal trends in a reasoned way and to find solutions to manage social change in the context of sustainable society development; ability to critically assess the various aspects of national and local authorities and NGO activities – homework, seminars.
Capability to self-formulate and critically analyse complex and dynamic problems in the field of organization and public administration, in the context of their professional activities – homework.

Course Content(Calendar)

Lecture topics
1. Public and private as areas of human life.
2. General characteristics of the public administration.
3. The specificities of public organisations.
4. Institutional structure of the public administration of the Republic of Latvia.
5. Policy.
6. Topical issues of the Latvian public administration.
7. The concept and nature of local government.
8. Competence of local governments. Division of functions between the State and local governments. Local government functions: autonomous functions, delegated functions, voluntary initiatives. Rights and obligations of municipalities.
9. Analysis of the organisational structure of municipalities.
10. The economy and budget of the municipality.
11. Nature and characterisation of the non-governmental sector.
12. Sustainability of the public and non-governmental sector.

Topics for seminars
1. Definitions of public administration, their analysis (1 hour).
2. E. Levits. “Legal structure and basic concepts of public and public administration”: analysis of the text, discussion of groups (1 hour).
3. Create document hierarchy scheme of a policy (presentation) (1 hour).
4. Public administration theories, structure of Latvian society management and functioning mechanism (1 hour) - test.
5. Administrative territorial reform in Latvia (1 hour).
6. One-stop agencies – examples of good practice: presentations (2 hours).
7. Municipal development, organisation and activity (1 hour) – test.
8. Assessment of civil society and the non-governmental sector in Latvia (2 hours).
9. Assessment of the potential for introducing new management forms (1 hour).
10. Conditions for the formation of NGOs, their place and their role in the development of the country and society (1 hour) – test.

Requirements for awarding credit points

Formal test. A "passed" evaluation can be obtained by obtaining at least 60 percent of each assessment component.
The evaluation consists of:
• 20 points for the essay – the essay topic is offered by the teacher at the beginning of the semester;
• 40 points for the test – test on the organization of municipal work;
• 40 points for an independently developed and presented assignment – the presentation topic is determined by the teacher at the beginning of the semester.

Description of the organization and tasks of students’ independent work

- independent literature studies on topics to be discussed at seminars;
- preparation of the homework.

Criteria for Evaluating Learning Outcomes

Study course assessment is a formal test, evaluation “passed” consisting of cumulative results from study course assessments.

Compulsory reading

1. Bariss V. Publiskā administrācija. Jelgava: LLU, 2009,111 lpp.
2. Abels M.L. Policy making in the public interest. Text and workbook for local government. New York, London: Routledge, 2018. 122 p.
3. Denhardt B.R. Theories of Public Organization. 6th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2011, 240 p.
4. FredericksonH. G., SmithK. B., Larimer C. W., Licari M. J. The Public Administration Theory Primer.Boulder : Westview Press, 2018, 310 p.
5. Holzer M., Schwester R. Public administration: an introduction. Abingdon, Oxon, New York: Routledge, 2019, 438 p.
6. Lewis D. Management of non-governmental development organizations: an introduction.- London: Routledge, 2001, 242 p.
7. Powell W.W., Steinberg R. (eds.) The nonprofit sector : a research handbook. 2nd ed. - London: Yale University Press, 2006, 659 p.
8. Pūķis M. Pašu valdība, Latvijas pašvaldību pieredze, idejas un nākotnes redzējums. Rīga LU, 2010, 512 lpp.
9. Shafritz J. M., Russell E.W., Borick C. Introducing Public Administration. 8th ed. London and NewYork: Routledge, 2015, 592 p.

Further reading

1. Cropf R.A. The public administration casebook. Boston: Longman, 2012, 108 p.
2. McNabb D.E. Research methods in public administration and nonprofit management : quantitative and qualitative approaches. 2nd ed. - New York: M.E.Sharpe, 2008, 458 p.
3. Ozoliņa Ž., Reinholde I. (red.) Laba pārvaldība. Rīga: Zinātne, 2009.
4. Public administration in Central Europe: ideas as causes of reforms. London, New York: Routledge, 2020, 292 p.
5. The Handbook of Public Administration. (Ed. By B. Guy Peters, J.Pierre). SAGE publications Ltd, 2009, 394 p.
6. Vanags E., Vilka I. Valsts pārvaldes un pašvaldību organizācija..- LU Akadēmiskais apgāds.,2009. 225 lpp.
7. Mocca E. Cities in search of freedom. European municipalities against the Leviathan. Bristol: University press, 2023. 145 p.
8. Ditshego K. Sustainable municipalities through real-time integrated technology. A guide for promoting collaboration and agility. Erfurt: Lambert Academic Publishing, 2023. 84 p.

Periodicals and other sources

1. Administration and Society. ISSN: 0095 - 3997 [Tiešsaiste]. Pieejams: http://aas.sagepub.com/ 2. International Review of Administrative Sciences ISSN: 0033 - 3352 [Tiešsaiste]. Pieejams: http://ras.sagepub.com/ 3. Latvijas Pilsoniskās alianses iknedēļas elektroniskais ziņu izdevums "Nesēdi tumsā". [Tiešsaiste] (Pieejams: www.nvo.lv, eLPA). 4. Logs.Latvijas Pašvaldību savienība sadarbībā ar izdevējfirmu "ASTRA PRINT". 5. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly [Tiešsaiste]. Pieejams: http://nvs.sagepub.com/, SAGE Publications Ltd, London. 6. Voluntas: Official Journal of International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. [Tiešsaiste]. Pieejams: http://www.springerlink.com/content/0957-8765/, SpringerLink.

Notes

Restricted elective study course for the ESAF academic master's study program "Economics" for the specialization "Sustainable territorial development and marketing" and for the professional master's study program "Project Management".