ABSTRACT
Neo-Weberianism is a modern direction of public administration reform, the expression of which, to varying degrees, is increasingly being observed in various states. This direction is particularly relevant in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. An analysis of the administration of the COVID-19 pandemic shows that coherence between vertically integrated management, a professional civil service, and the influence of civil society and communities on public decision-making is at the heart of neo-Weberianism, and becomes particularly important in the event of an emergency of this nature. Many countries choose similar or identical anti-crisis measures to combat the threat of a pandemic. However, differences in applying the principles of neo-Weberian governance can also be observed between countries. The authors of this article selected three Central European countries (EU member states) – Poland (large), Hungary (medium), and Lithuania (small) – for a more detailed analysis of pandemic management. In Poland, in order to manage the pandemic and its financial consequences in perspective, redundancies or pay cuts to some civil servants and other public sector employees in public sector organizations were modeled. Hungary had the strictest anti-pandemic quarantine of the three countries selected for analysis, and at first glance it seems that the country opted for a strict traditional hierarchical governance model for the COVID-19 crisis, but on closer inspection we see that the Hungarian government used population surveys and tried to take into account citizens’ views on the deadlines for overcoming the pandemic. In Lithuania, by coordinating strict pandemic quarantine, the aim was to ensure the provision of high-quality information to the population. © 2022 Mykolas Riomeris University. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
This article analyzes the practice of organizing remote work in the Ukrainian civil service during the quarantine brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers describe the modes and peculiarities of organizing remote work, and the differences in modes of organizing remote work in government agencies at different levels of jurisdiction are shown. Civil servants’ self-assessments of efficiency, work quality, and administrative discipline levels after the transition to remote work are examined. A comparison of attitudes towards the peculiarities of remote work among individuals of different ages, experience levels, and genders and among those performing different tasks is carried out. This article identifies problems that need to be addressed within the framework of implementing remote work. Five main trends in organizing remote work are outlined: the promotion of learning and self-development;the promotion of IT tools in the civil service;an awareness of the importance of communication and interaction;the development of non-financial incentives for teams;and the adaptability of employees to new working conditions in the face of moderate resistance to change. © 2021 Mykolas Riomeris University. All rights reserved.