Local Government and Public Service Reform Initiative THE VICIOUS CIRCLE: WEAK STATE INSTITUTIONS, UNREMEDIED ABUSE AND DISTRUST Reports from Armenia, Bulgaria, Georgia and Poland EDITED BY EDWIN REKOSH LGI FELLOWSHIP SERIES Local Government and Public Service Reform Initiative PUBLIC INTEREST LAW INITIATIVE THE VICIOUS CIRCLE: WEAK STATE INSTITUTIONS, UNREMEDIED ABUSE AND DISTRUST Reports from Armenia, Bulgaria, Georgia and Poland EDITED BY EDWIN REKOSH LGI Fellowship Series OPEN SOCIETY INSTITUTE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SERVICE REFORM INITIATIVE Address Nádor utca 11 H-1051 Budapest, Hungary Mailing Address P.O. Box 519 H-1357 Budapest, Hungary Telephone (36-1) 327-3100 Fax (36-1) 327-3105 E-mail [email protected] Web Site http://lgi.osi.hu/ First published in 2005 by Local Government and Public Service Reform Initiative, Open Society Institute–Budapest © OSI/LGI and Public Interest Law Initiative, 2005 All rights reserved. TM and Copyright © 2005 Open Society Institute OPEN SOCIETY INSTITUTE ISSN: 1586 4499 ISBN: 963 9419 79 6 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Copies of the book can be ordered by e-mail or post from OSI. Copyeditor: Meghan Simpson Cover photo: © Béla Ilovszky Printed in Budapest, Hungary, February 2005. Design & Layout by Createch Ltd. Contents Acknowledgements ..............................................................................................................11 Edwin Rekosh The Vicious Circle: Weak State Institutions, Unremedied Abuse, and Distrust Introduction .........................................................................................................................15 1. The Context .......................................................................................15 2. Administrative Abuses Defined ...........................................................15 3. Beyond Benefits .................................................................................17 4. Remedies to Administrative Abuse .....................................................18 4.1 Internal Remedies ......................................................................19 4.2 External Remedies ......................................................................19 4.3 Preventive Remedies ...................................................................20 5. Study Findings on Public Perceptions .................................................20 6. Study Recommendations on Improving Remedies ..............................21 7. Conclusion .........................................................................................22 Notes ........................................................................................................23 Bibliography .............................................................................................24 Araksya Margaryan Administrative Remedies for Abuses in Local Government: Armenia ..................................25 1. Introduction .......................................................................................27 1.1 General Objectives .....................................................................27 1.2 Methodology .............................................................................28 1.3 Administrative–Territorial Background of Armenia ....................28 2. Public Perceptions and Participation ...................................................30 2.1 Public Perception of Local Governance ......................................30 2.1.1 Public Participation in Decision-Making .........................31 2.1.2 Voter Turnout ..................................................................35 2.2 Client Satisfaction with Public Services ......................................35 2.2.1 Service Delivery and Level of Satisfaction ........................35 2.3 Administrative Control of Local Governmental Bodies ..............39 2.3.1 Transparency and Access to Information ..........................39 2.3.2 Openness and Transparency: Local Budgets, Fees, and Financing .........................................................41 5 3. Remedies and Abuses .........................................................................42 3.1 Administrative Remedies for Specific Administrative Abuses ......42 3.2 Creating a Framework Against Abuse .........................................43 3.3 Equal Access to Justice ...............................................................43 3.4 Transparency, Openness, and Fairness: Good Governance and the Exercise of Authority ........................46 3.4.1 Media and Other Sources of Information ........................46 3.4.2 Openness and Fairness .....................................................46 3.4.3 Continuity and Change in the Composition of a Local Representative Body ........................................47 3.4.4 Accountability as a Remedy .............................................47 3.5 Correlations among Data Categories and Conclusions ...............48 3.5.1 Administrative Performance, Service Delivery, and Citizen Participation .................................................48 4. Options and Recommendations .........................................................49 4.1 Public Policy Considerations ......................................................49 4.2 Recommendations .....................................................................50 4.3 Conclusions ...............................................................................51 Notes ........................................................................................................52 Bibliography .............................................................................................52 Appendix 1 ...............................................................................................54 Stanka Delcheva Administrative Remedies for Abuses in Local Government: Bulgaria ...................................57 Legal Texts and Acronyms ........................................................................59 1. Introduction .......................................................................................59 1.1 General Objectives ....................................................................59 1.2 Historical Background of State and Local Administrations ........60 1.3 Methodology and Analytical Framework ....................................62 2. Governance and Public Perceptions ....................................................65 2.1 Data on “Public Trust” ...............................................................66 2.1.1 Public Trust in Institutions ..............................................66 2.1.2 Level of Electoral Participation in Presidential, Parliamentary, and Local Elections ...................................68 2.2 “Client Satisfaction” with Administrative and Public Services Provided by Local Authorities ....................................................69 2.2.1 Service Delivery: Organization of Administrative Service ............................69 2.2.2 Service Delivery: Access to Administrative Services .........70 2.2.3 Quality of Performance: Evaluation of Quality of Service Delivery ........................70 2.2.4 Quality of Performance: Usefulness and Sufficiency of Information Provided on Service Delivery ..................75 6 LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SERVICE REFORM INITIATIVE 2.3 Administrative Control by the State over Local Government Work ...........................................................76 2.3.1 Internal Mechanisms for Hierarchical Control and Accountability ...........................................................76 2.3.2 Internal Rules, Instructions, and Guidelines for Work .....77 2.3.3 Staff Training in Municipal Administrations ....................78 2.3.4 Performance Appraisal of Municipal Administration Employees .......................................................................79 2.3.5 Liability in Case of Abuse of Official Position ..................80 2.3.6 Conduct and Ethical Codes: Best Practices for Task Performance and the Prevention of Conflicts of Interest ....81 2.3.7 Administrative and Financial Control in Local Government Work ...........................................................81 2.3.8 Order of Appeal of Administrative Acts: Refusal to Deliver a Service or Poor Service .....................82 2.3.9 Financial Control of Local Government Work by External Mechanisms ..................................................83 2.4 Judicial Control .........................................................................84 2.4.1 Bodies and Procedures .....................................................84 2.4.2 Access to Court Appeal Procedures: Fees and Financing ..........................................................85 2.5 Citizen Control ..........................................................................86 2.5.1 Transparency in the Performance of Local Administrations’ Activities ...............................................86 2.5.1.1 Access to Public Information .............................86 2.5.1.2 Publicity of Reports on the Work of Local Authorities and of Municipal Council Meetings ..87 2.5.1.3 Mechanisms for Feedback from Citizens ...........87 2.5.1.4 Service Delivery: Projects and Programs ............87 2.5.1.5 Ombudsman .....................................................89