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1. Exploring the Application of AI in the Public Sector: The Case of Estonia and Lessons for Georgia

Author:
Salome Abramishvili
Publication Date:
08-2024
Content Type:
Commentary and Analysis
Institution:
Georgian Foundation for Strategic International Studies -GFSIS
Abstract:
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming societies globally, offering unprecedented opportunities across sectors. The integration of AI into the public sector promises enhanced service delivery, efficiency, and significant decision-making improvements. Nations worldwide recognize AI’s strategic importance and are adopting National AI Strategies (NASs) to guide its development and deployment. This paper explores AI’s evolution and impact in the public sector, focusing on applications and strategic frameworks using Estonia as an example—a pioneer in AI governance within the EU. Estonia’s approach serves as a model for Georgia, a country with post-Soviet roots and EU integration aspirations. By examining Estonia’s National AI Strategy and its implementation, this paper identifies key lessons and recommendations for Georgia to develop its tailored strategy.
Topic:
Science and Technology, Public Sector, and Artificial Intelligence
Political Geography:
Europe, Estonia, and Georgia

2. Public enterprises and public administration– outlawed management and citizens’ attempts to curtail it

Author:
Nemanja Nenadic
Publication Date:
07-2022
Content Type:
Case Study
Institution:
Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP)
Abstract:
How citizens can point out irregularities in the work of public enterprises and public utility companies, which operate in a very non-transparent manner in Serbia, read in the case study written by the Program Director of Transparency Serbia, Nemanja Nenadić. Public enterprises and public utility companies in Serbia make a significant share of the country’s economy (23% capital of Serbia’s economy), and they employ over 165 thousand people. Therefore, it is not a surprise that they are at the same time one of the main strongholds of party control over public sector and corruption. As Serbia was gradually passing the regulations that rendered uncontrolled recruitment to civil service and local administration more difficult, public enterprises were getting more attractive for partisan staffing, expecting sure votes in the elections in return. For the purposes of electoral campaigns or political promotion, the use of public enterprises’ resources is sometimes so obvious that there are even reactions from state authorities, not just angry citizens. Partisan and other forms of unnecessary employment also make use of frequent amendments to internal organisation and job systematisation acts. Other forms of abuse in public enterprises, which come in handy to party and other abusive purposes, reflect in redundant or rigged public procurement procedures, as well as numerous situations when money is spent without even conducting procurement procedures. Not too seldom, public enterprises, being more flexible in expenditures that typical budget beneficiaries, assist the work of “suitable“ media through advertising, or, through alleged commercial sponsorship and “corporate social responsibility“ do covert budget financing, which is not visible in the final balances. It is important to say that, when regards state-owned enterprises at various levels, it is actually several types of economic operators. The number of state-owned enterprises used to be several thousand. Most of them were sold or went bankrupt during the last decade of the previous century and the first decade of the current century. The state has retained ownership in some companies competing in the market, either because nobody wanted to buy them, due to the lack of commercial (or political) interest or waiting for a good opportunity to sell. Besides commercial enterprises, which are state-owned though they needn’t be, there are also public undertakings (in a narrower sense of the word) the operations of which are regulated by a specific law. Those are companies performing the so-called “activities of common interest“, so the state is ready to maintain their existence even when they generate losses. Also, there many public enterprises that are monopolies and prominently dominant in the market, which enables their profitability. Some of them are organised as “public“ or “public utilities“, and others are shareholders’ companies or limited liability companies, which may lead to their sale. Currently there are 34 such companies at the central level, AP Vojvodina being the founder of three, while there are about 700 local public companies. The attempt to entirely hide the operations of many state-owned companies from the public, by amending the Law on Free Access to Information of Public importance planned in 2018 and 2019, with awkward justification, was prevented by the brisk response of domestic civil society and opinion of SIGMA’s experts going in the same direction.
Topic:
Public Sector, Transparency, Social Roles, and Civil Services
Political Geography:
Europe and Serbia

3. Cybersecurity culture in the public and private sector area in the Central European region

Author:
Borta Górka-Winter
Publication Date:
12-2022
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Nowa Polityka Wschodnia
Institution:
Faculty of Political Science and International Studies, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń
Abstract:
Cyber security is a growing problem associated with everything a citizen or organisation does in cyberspace. The problem thus outlined fits into a multifaceted programme that can be addressed through cyber security management. The analysis in the article compares the level of cyber security awareness among the staff of public institutions and the private sector in four Central European countries, namely Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. Public institutions are by nature open, decentralised and rich in a wide range of data about the state, society, economy, economics and research and innovation. For this reason, they are often exposed to serious cyber threats. This study examines the relationship between cyber security culture and the urgent need for preventive action against possible cyber threats. The main thesis of the study is that an adequate understanding of cyber security culture and improved awareness among employees about digital threats is key to achieving cyber security growth. The research illustrates breaches in so-called digital hygiene, which are caused by a lack of knowledge, skills and errors in employee behaviour. Following a survey of staff employed in both public and private organisations, an identification of key cyber security risk factors is made. Increasing staff competencies can help improve cyber resilience.
Topic:
Cybersecurity, Public Sector, Innovation, Private Sector, Management, and Organizational Culture
Political Geography:
Europe, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Central Europe, and Slovakia

4. The Institutional Context of Humanitarian Helping in Contemporary Italy

Author:
Adriano Profeta, Lisa Ann Richey, and Maha Rafi Atal
Publication Date:
05-2021
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Centre for Business and Development Studies (CBDS), Copenhagen Business School
Abstract:
Italy was itself a recipient of foreign aid and has now become a donor engaged in multiple forms of humanitarian helping abroad and at home. The institutional context of humanitarian helping in Italy is constituted by a moving constellation of relationships between the state, the church, and the nonprofit sector. As we see the changing institutional context for Italian nonprofits with decreasing public solidarity, negative discursive framing, and the need to diversify fund-raising channels, Italian businesses are being sought out for partnerships between profit and nonprofit actors (De Marchi and Martinez 2020). As in other donor countries, there has been a weakening of public trust in the traditional aid sector of Italian nonprofits combined with recently decreasing national funding for humanitarian helping abroad. These trends have led to an increasing need for nonprofits to pivot their fund-raising campaigns toward individuals and social networks such as Facebook (De Carli, 2019c). Today, the interface for “helping” brings together government legislation, state bodies, for-profit organizations, nonprofit organizations, the church, and individuals. To begin to understand the interface of humanitarian helping and the trends in Italy today, this working paper documents and explains the history of Italian cooperation for development and humanitarian helping. The next section will explore changes in perceptions of non-state helping and doing good. The third section will turn to government-based helping in contemporary Italy to understand the formal structures shaping humanitarianism and international development. The fourth section examines the institutional organization of the contemporary development cooperation system that links actors in helping interventions. Within this, we examine the public funding trends for development helping. Section five then examines the private funding available. Finally we conclude with some reflections on what this institutional context suggests for the mix of public and private helping abroad.
Topic:
Development, Humanitarian Aid, Foreign Aid, Public Sector, Private Sector, Non-profits, and Public-Private Partnership
Political Geography:
Europe and Italy

5. Cybersecurity in the Western Balkans: A Guide to Public-Private Partnerships

Author:
Franziska Klopfer and Irina Rizmal
Publication Date:
03-2021
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF)
Abstract:
This Guide is designed to support Western Balkan governments and non-state actors that are planning to establish cybersecurity Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) as part of their public–private cooperation. Drawing on international best practice, and referencing the region’s distinctive cultural, economic, and social context, it highlights options for establishing suitable cooperation frameworks and methods for overcoming obstacles. Chapter 1 of this Guide defines and sets out the main concepts and principles that underpin the guidance on planning, establishing, and maintaining a cybersecurity PPP. Chapter 2 provides practical, advice on how to plan, set up, and run a cybersecurity PPP in the specific context of the Western Balkans. Chapter 3 presents various types of cybersecurity PPPs and offers concrete examples from the Western Balkans and other parts of the world. A second text entitled “Legal and policy frameworks in Western Balkan economies on PPPs in cybersecurity” provides a succinct overview of the frameworks already in place in the Western Balkan economies.
Topic:
Security, Cybersecurity, Public Sector, Private Sector, and Public-Private Partnership
Political Geography:
Europe and Balkans

6. Where are We on the European Map? Comparing Public Service Motivation in Central and Eastern Europe with Neighboring Countries

Author:
Palina Prysmakova
Publication Date:
01-2020
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Warsaw East European Review (WEER)
Institution:
Centre for East European Studies, University of Warsaw
Abstract:
Despite some similarities within regions, the composition of the public sector differs across the world. This also applies to the working culture of this sector. While recogniz- ing the desire to help others and to improve one’s personal financial situation as essen- tial work motives, all around, the public sector, employees emphasize the importance of these purposes with varying degrees of strength in different areas. Shaped to a large extent by the communist past, the public sector of Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries continues to stand out amongst other countries on the continent. Much has been said about the historical determinants that have shaped the motivation of people from the region. While acknowledging the significance of the former regime, this article aims to analyze the current state of the public sector workforce in CEE and to examine its present distinctions from the private sector. The main research question of this article is what type of motivation drives public sec- tor employees and whether this motivation is different from the private business sector. Thus, the article compares intrinsic and extrinsic work motives of both sectors within the region and contrasts them to other European countries. Being a part of a larger compara- tive research project, this particular piece is devoted to CEE countries from the former Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc, namely, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland, the Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine.
Topic:
Public Sector, Private Sector, Public Service, and Public-Private Partnership
Political Geography:
Europe

7. The Invisible Hand? Critical Information Infrastructures, Commercialisation and National Security

Author:
Riccardo Alcaro, Giampiero Giacomello, and Johan Eriksson
Publication Date:
05-2018
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
The International Spectator
Institution:
Istituto Affari Internazionali
Abstract:
Corporatisation of critical information infrastructure (CII) is rooted in the ‘privatisation wave’ of the 1980s-90s, when the ground was laid for outsourcing public utilities. Despite well-known risks relating to reliability, resilience, and accountability, commitment to efficiency imperatives have driven governments to outsource key public services and infrastructures. A recent illustrative case with enormous implications is the 2017 Swedish ICT scandal, where outsourcing of CII caused major security breaches. With the transfer of the Swedish Transport Agency’s ICT system to IBM and subcontractors, classified data and protected identities were made accessible to non-vetted foreign private employees – sensitive data could thus now be in anyone’s hands. This case clearly demonstrates accountability gaps that can arise in public-private governance of CII.
Topic:
Privatization, Science and Technology, Infrastructure, Public Sector, and Private Sector
Political Geography:
Europe, Sweden, and European Union

8. Mapping Digital Media: German Public Service Broadcasting and Online Activity

Author:
Johannes Weberling
Publication Date:
10-2011
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Open Society Foundations
Abstract:
Few countries support public service broadcasting more enthusiastically than Germany, where the public service broadcasters (PSBs) are seen as more informal, modern, and entertaining than before, without having lost their reputation for quality. The combined budgets of all the PSBs far exceed the combined advertising revenue of private broadcasters. Yet the PSBs face a demographic threat. Around half of their viewers are over 65 years old, while only 5 percent are under 30. If the PSBs are to safeguard their future, they must attract younger audiences. This means developing services online. At the same time, following private-sector complaints, the European Commission decided the license fee was distorting competition. The PSBs responded with a public value test to assess new services. Debate in this context has centered on two crucial questions: whether or not internet portals and online products fall within the remit of public service broadcasting, and whether PSBs should be allowed to compete for advertising with private media. In this paper, Johannes Weberling explains the German search for an equitable balance between public and private media interests online, in the light of European Union concerns over state aid.
Topic:
Science and Technology, Communications, Media, Public Sector, and Digital Policy
Political Geography:
Europe and Germany

9. The Swedish Housing Market Better Allocation via Less Regulation

Author:
Felix Hufner and Jens Lundsgard
Publication Date:
06-2007
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Abstract:
While several sectors in the economy have been deregulated, the Swedish housing market remains distorted, hindering an optimal matching of supply and demand. In the rental market the rent setting framework with its focus on cost-based rents in the public sector prevents a price response, leading to long queues in some regions and vacancies in others. Many Swedes that would have preferred otherwise are driven into the owner-occupied segment, where prices are increasing strongly, and rising above an estimated fundamental value. The supply of new dwellings is made more difficult by an uncompetitive construction industry, coupled with cumbersome planning regulations and few incentives for municipalities to issue more land. On the fiscal side, real estate taxes are below neutral levels, implying an indirect subsidy to housing. This paper presents a review of the recent steps to abolish real estate taxes and also proposes comprehensive reform of regulations in the rental housing sector.
Topic:
Reform, Regulation, Public Sector, and Housing
Political Geography:
Europe, Sweden, and Scandinavia