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The concept of smart public governance (SPG) is gaining attention among researchers, policymakers, and practitioners around the world, especially in response to the modernisation of public administration through emerging technologies in both local (smart city) and national (smart government) levels. Spurred by the noticeable lack of understanding of the SPG concept, the paper aims to comprehensively examine the SPG research by considering the characteristic differences between the smart city and smart government concepts. Bibliometric analysis is based on the Scopus database, containing 775 documents published in the last two decades and facilitated by several established and innovative bibliometric approaches. The results reveal the growth of SPG research over time. Despite the smart city concept being the dominant focus in the SPG research, the smart government concept has been becoming more relevant in recent years, as indicated by some prominent documents published in reputable journals like Government Information Quarterly. Moreover, Anglo-Saxon countries are chiefly engaged in SPG research. However, New Zealand and South Korea are identified as countries with a stronger focus on the smart government concept. The results show the smart city concept is connected with several smart-related initiatives (e.g., smart transportation, smart living, smart energy, etc.), while the smart government concept is primarily associated with smart (de)regulation and smart grid. The findings may add to the understanding of the future development of SPG research, on both local and national levels.

The Covid-19 pandemic has transformed our society, with administrative procedures - as relationships between public authorities and citizens and businesses - being no exception. Still, the innovative digitalisation of such procedures means the 58 administrative units across Slovenia have been able to develop a responsive administrative system. Using normative, descriptive and statistical research methods, the article identifies the relevant drivers and barriers, like user demands leading to a more responsive service, the lack of legal bases, and the top-down approach discouraging progress. Correlation analysis shows that digitalisation also holds important positive implications for the principles of good governance. Moreover, larger administrative units are more likely to achieve a higher degree of digitalisation and hence better public governance. The findings are useful for designing evidence-based public policies to properly respond to pandemic-associated challenges. Pandemija Covida-19 je preoblikovala našo družbo, vključno z upravnimi postopki kot razmerji med oblastmi ter državljani in podjetji. Prek njihove inovativne digitalizacije pa je v 58 upravnih enotah v Sloveniji prišlo do razvoja odzivnega upravnega sistema. Z uporabo normativne, deskriptivne in statistične raziskovalne metode so opredeljeni dejavniki in ovire na področju, med prvimi zlasti zahteve strank, med drugimi pa manko pravnih podlag in z vrha vodene organizacije. Rezultati korelacijske matrike kažejo, da ima digitalizacija tudi pomembne pozitivne učinke na načela dobrega upravljanja. Nadalje večje enote lažje uvajajo višjo stopnjo digitalizacije in s tem boljše javno upravljanje. Ugotovitve so uporabne za oblikovanje na dokazih temelječih javnih politik za ustrezen odziv na pandemijo. Soavtorji: Lan Umek, Dejan Ravšelj, Aleksander Aristovnik. Bibliografija: str. 667-669. Abstract ; Povzetek: Vpliv covida-19 na digitalizacijo upravnih postopkov : izkušnje slovenskih upravnih enot.

Based on the notorious fact of our era digitalisation, this paper is focused on the probability of relations between the notions of law and digital era government (DEG), as they are found in the scientific literature. Out of the total of 3917 articles that were identified in the Scopus database as relevant in DEG research, 77 of them were further considered due to their connectedness between legal notions and notions of DEG. Results show a very modest presence of law in DEG literature. Based on this, the paper confirms Collingridge’s dilemma of control and gives answers on the cross-disciplinary interconnection of law and IT, how digital dimensions and technology are addressed in the law, and whether the latter pursues modernisation or just reflects existing public governance principles. However, results based on a literature review may not be always aligned with the practical effects of digitalisation in society.

The emergence of digital technologies has profoundly affected and transformed almost every aspect of societal relations. These impacts have also reached public administration, including its governance. Digital technologies’ rise has paved the way for the surfacing of a new public governance model called the Digital Era Governance (DEG) model (often referred to as e-government, digital government, e-governance, or digital governance) in which digital technologies play a central role. Therefore, the main aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive and in-depth examination of DEG research over the past two decades. Bibliometric analysis is based on the Scopus database that contains 9175 documents published between 2001 and 2020. In this context, several established and innovative bibliometric approaches are applied. The results reveal the growth of DEG research over the last two decades, especially in recent years, as accelerated by several of the most relevant documents published in reputable journals such as Government Information Quarterly. Most DEG research has been conducted in Anglo-Saxon countries, as confirmed while examining the most relevant authors’ affiliations and collaborations. The results also indicate that DEG has advanced from conventional public services to citizen-oriented e-services by including citizens’ participation and, most recently, even to smart services by facilitating emerging and disruptive technologies. The findings add to the stock of scientific knowledge and support the evidence-based policymaking needed to successfully pursue a sustainable future. Nasl. z nasl. zaslona. Opis vira z dne 25. 4. 2022. Ostali avtorji Lan Umek, Ljupčo Todorovski, Aleksander Aristovnik. Članek št. 126. Bibliografija: str. 24-27. Abstract. Javna agencija za raziskovalno dejavnost Republike Slovenije (ARRS), P5-0093, J5-1789 Javna agencija za raziskovalno dejavnost Republike Slovenije (ARRS), P5-0093, J5-2560

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly reshaped administrative relations and put emphasis on the digital transformation of public administration that is urgently needed to support a sustainable recovery from the pandemic crisis and future sustainable development in the post-pandemic era. This paper presents a comparative study on the ways the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic impacted general administrative authorities on the local level with respect to various aspects of their functioning and digitalization in five European countries. With a sample of 926 respondents from the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Romania, and Slovenia, the study shows that the pandemic-imposed changes are very similar in these countries. The results reveal that, except for Germany, the biggest problems of pandemic-related regulations are their obscurity. For all countries under study, parties to the procedures are shown to be the main driver of digitalization and not the public administration itself, generally lagging behind in this sense. Nevertheless, the pandemic has also created several potential opportunities, whereby public managers, especially in Germany, have acknowledged the importance of digitalization right after the protection of health, as confirmed by the wider use of ICT equipment, particularly in Germany and the Czech Republic. Moreover, Germany and Romania exhibit the greatest potential to accelerate digitalization. Finally, the critical factors influencing accelerated digitalization after the pandemic are also identified. The paper's evidence-based findings could prove useful while formulating recommendations for the sustainable practices of public administrations during this and any future pandemic crisis.

Public administration and public governance play a crucial role in society today by ensuring that social needs are met. Due to the constantly changing environment, public governance models have transformed many times, creating differences in public governance practices among public administration institutions, with combinations of contradictory structures and principles that coexist. Accordingly, this paper aims to provide an overview of different public governance models, extract quantifiable elements based on models’ principles and examine the extent of layering of different governance models at different levels of public administration in the specific case of the Slovenian administration. Thus, the main focus is on identifying the differences in characteristics of public governance practices between state administration and local self-government. The results show state administration institutions are more strongly characterised by the Neo-Weberian model’s principles. In contrast, local self-government institutions are more oriented to managerial public governance and Digital-Era Governance practices. Public managers may regard the results as additional resources for democratic and efficient governing. At the same time, they may provide policymakers with in-depth insights to consider while determining the trajectories of future public administration reforms.

The Covid-19 pandemic has transformed our society, with administrative procedures - as relationships between public authorities and citizens and businesses - being no exception. Still, the innovative digitalisation of such procedures means the 58 administrative units across Slovenia have been able to develop a responsive administrative system. Using normative, descriptive and statistical research methods, the article identifies the relevant drivers and barriers, like user demands leading to a more responsive service, the lack of legal bases, and the top-down approach discouraging progress. Correlation analysis shows that digitalisation also holds important positive implications for the principles of good governance. Moreover, larger administrative units are more likely to achieve a higher degree of digitalisation and hence better public governance. The findings are useful for designing evidence-based public policies to properly respond to pandemic-associated challenges. Pandemija Covida-19 je preoblikovala našo družbo, vključno z upravnimi postopki kot razmerji med oblastmi ter državljani in podjetji. Prek njihove inovativne digitalizacije pa je v 58 upravnih enotah v Sloveniji prišlo do razvoja odzivnega upravnega sistema. Z uporabo normativne, deskriptivne in statistične raziskovalne metode so opredeljeni dejavniki in ovire na področju, med prvimi zlasti zahteve strank, med drugimi pa manko pravnih podlag in z vrha vodene organizacije. Rezultati korelacijske matrike kažejo, da ima digitalizacija tudi pomembne pozitivne učinke na načela dobrega upravljanja. Nadalje večje enote lažje uvajajo višjo stopnjo digitalizacije in s tem boljše javno upravljanje. Ugotovitve so uporabne za oblikovanje na dokazih temelječih javnih politik za ustrezen odziv na pandemijo.

The task of every government, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, is to provide services and goods for citizens and to maintain economic order. Therefore, the combination of legislation, the judiciary and administration is inevitable. Moreover, public administrations must transform the way they function by using more information and communication technology in order to remain responsive and efficient. This challenge was further revealed during lockdowns in individual countries, which affected their social and economic development. The solution to that challenge is the implementation of e-government in the public sector. It also increases innovation in governance processes as well as efficiency and effectiveness by offering more participative opportunities to citizens. Hence, a mature level of e-government development also arises. Nevertheless, there are significant differences among the levels of e-government development in the EU-28. The aim of this article is to assess the influence of e-government maturity on government effectiveness and efficiency in the EU-28. In order to obtain empirical results, a two-stage least square regression (2SLS) was applied. The empirical results show that e-government maturity positively and significantly contributes to enhancing government effectiveness and efficiency in the EU-28. In addition, the rule of law plays an important role in each stage regression model. Based on the empirical results, we can conclude that e-government is inevitable and should ensure the proper functioning of public administration during the Covid-19 pandemic. Naloga vlad, zlasti v času pandemije covida-19, je zagotavljati storitve in blago za državljane ter vzdrževati gospodarski red. Pri tem je kombinacija zakonodaje, sodstva in uprave neizogibna. Poleg tega morajo javne uprave, če želijo ostati odzivne in učinkovite, prilagajati svoje delovanje in uporabljati več informacijskih in komunikacijskih tehnologij. Ta izziv se je pokazal zlasti med zaustavitvijo javnega življenja v posameznih državah, ki je vplivala na njihov družbeni in gospodarski razvoj. Rešitev za učinkovito spopadanjem s tem izzivom predstavlja uporaba e-uprave v javnem sektorju. Ta povečuje inovativnost upravljavskih procesov, pa tudi njihovo uspešnost in učinkovitost, saj državljanom ponuja več možnosti sodelovanja. S tem razvoj e-uprave doseže tudi zrelejšo raven. Kljub navedenemu pa še vedno obstajajo velike razlike med stopnjami razvoja e-uprave v EU-28. Cilj tega članka je oceniti vpliv zrelosti e-uprave na učinkovitost in uspešnost upravljanja v EU-28. Za pridobitev empiričnih rezultatov je bila uporabljena dvostopenjska regresijska analiza najmanjših kvadratov (2SLS). Empirični rezultati kažejo, da zrelost e-uprave pozitivno in pomembno prispeva k povečanju uspešnosti in učinkovitosti upravljanja v EU-28. V regresijskem modelu posamezne stopnje ima pomembno vlogo tudi načelo pravne države. Na podlagi empiričnih rezultatov lahko ugotovimo, da je e-uprava neizogibna in bi morala med pandemijo covida-19 zagotavljati pravilno delovanje javne uprave.

Purpose: Administrative barriers to employment pose a problem in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) which have an essential role in the European economy, compared to large ones. The existing rigidity and inflexibility of the labor market have further slowed down their position in creating new jobs. Therefore, the main goal of this paper is to evaluate the current state of administrative barriers to employment for SMEs in Croatia and Slovenia. Design/methodology/approach: Applying descriptive statistics and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) on a survey data for 699 Croatian and 747 Slovenian SMEs. Findings: The empirical results on a sample of about 700 SMEs for both countries expose some differences between them. In respect of administrative barriers to employment for SMEs, the most noticeable problem in Croatia is associated to frequent changes in the regulation, while in Slovenia the most highlighted problem is associated to additional time and unnecessary number of documents. Moreover, the empirical results reveal significant differences concerning the perception of the extent of administrative barriers to employment between different groups of SMEs, whereby not all of the characteristics have the same implications on this perception. Practical Implications: The overall findings are important especially for economic policy makers, who need to consider the specific characteristics and needs of SMEs when preparing legislation. Originality/Value: The combination of primary research and comparative perspective represents the main originality and value of the paper.

Research and development (R&D) investment is widely recognised as one of the crucial elements of generating the competitive advantage of contemporary companies. At the same time, it is also considered to represent one of the key determinants of overall sustainable development. Global competition, which is becoming increasingly harsh and forces companies to provide value-added products, processes and services, constitutes a reason why R&D investment is indispensable in contemporary business operations as they facilitate keeping the companies' position in the market in terms of their competitiveness. The main aim of this paper is therefore to examine the impact of R&D expenditures on corporate performance. Using a multiple regression analysis, two different panel datasets covering Slovenian and world R&D companies are analysed. This gives a unique opportunity to obtain comprehensive and interesting findings, representing the main originality and value of the paper. The empirical results reveal that R&D expenditures are not effective in the short-term period and bring certain benefits in the long-term period. The findings of this paper provide several important theoretical and practical implications.

The main aim of the paper is to provide some new insights of the implications of the COVID- 19 pandemic on digital transformation in higher education by comparing Croatian and Slovenian experiences. Empirical data are derived from the comprehensive global student survey “Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on life of higher education students”, which was carried out online from 5 May 2020 to 15 June 2020 among more than 30, 000 higher education students coming from all around the world. The final sample for Croatia covers 673, while for Slovenia of 1, 043 survey responses. The empirical analysis is facilitated with established statistical techniques for multiple group comparison. The results show that both Croatian and Slovenian students exhibited higher satisfaction in different aspects of academic work and life. However, Slovenian students were more satisfied with the organization of online lectures, responses and support of teaching and support staff, had better access to infrastructure for studying at home and were more confident in using online teaching platforms, while Croatian students found it easier to adapt to the new teaching and learning experience. Policymakers and higher education institutions around the world may benefit from these findings while formulating policy recommendations and strategies to support students during this and any future pandemics.

The paper presents the most comprehensive and large-scale study to date on how students perceive the impacts of the first wave of COVID-19 crisis in early 2020 on various aspects of their lives on a global level. With a sample of 30,383 students from 62 countries, the study reveals that amid the worldwide lockdown and transition to online learning students were most satisfied with the support provided by teaching staff and their universities’ public relations. Still, deficient computer skills and the perception of a higher workload prevented them from perceiving their own improved performance in the new teaching environment. Students were mainly concerned about issues to do with their future professional career and studies, and experienced boredom, anxiety, and frustration. The pandemic has led to the adoption of particular hygienic behaviours (e.g., wearing masks, washing hands) and discouraged certain daily practices (e.g., leaving home, shaking hands). Students were also more satisfied with the role played by hospitals and universities during the epidemic compared to the governments and banks. The findings also show that students with certain socio-demographic characteristics (male, part-time, first-level, applied sciences, a lower living standard, from Africa or Asia) were significantly less satisfied with their academic work/life during the crisis, whereas female, full-time, first-level students and students faced with financial problems were generally affected more by the pandemic in terms of their emotional life and personal circumstances. Key factors influencing students’ satisfaction with the role of their university are also identified. Policymakers and higher education institutions around the world may benefit from these findings while formulating policy recommendations and strategies to support students during this and any future pandemics.

Research and development (R&amp, D) investment is widely recognised as one of the crucial elements of generating the competitive advantage of contemporary companies. At the same time, it is also considered to represent one of the key determinants of overall sustainable development. Global competition, which is becoming increasingly harsh and forces companies to provide value-added products, processes and services, constitutes a reason why R&amp, D investment is indispensable in contemporary business operations as they facilitate keeping the companies&rsquo, position in the market in terms of their competitiveness. The main aim of this paper is therefore to examine the impact of R&amp, D expenditures on corporate performance. Using a multiple regression analysis, two different panel datasets covering Slovenian and world R&amp, D companies are analysed. This gives a unique opportunity to obtain comprehensive and interesting findings, representing the main originality and value of the paper. The empirical results reveal that R&amp, D expenditures are not effective in the short-term period and bring certain benefits in the long-term period. The findings of this paper provide several important theoretical and practical implications.