Ugdymo mokslų, teisės ir žmogaus gerovės institutas / Institute of Educational Sciences, Law and Human Welfare

The concept of co-governance is understood as a way to build trust in government and to increase public involvement. It should lead to improvements of public services and solve wicked problems related to service provision. However, the idea of co-governance itself requires the sharing and devolution of decisionmaking power, which becomes challenging in relation to the public sector's role, their willingness to retain control, and at the same time – seeking to engage citizens. Although the aim of national strategies in Lithuania is to involve NGOs more actively in service provision, this can be challenging given the diverse characteristics, capacities, and expectations of stakeholders. Furthermore, municipalities are responsible for ensuring the provision of social services and are under pressure to guarantee their availability and quality. The case study of Marijampolė municipality was chosen as an example for analysis because it has one of the highest demands for social services in Lithuania and experience of transferring service provision to NGOs. In this context, this study aims to analyse the shifting boundary between the state and civil society in the context of public service provision. To achieve this aim, the following tasks have been set: 1. Examine the theoretical assumptions and changes in cooperation between the public sector and NGOs. 2. Identify the current cooperation between NGOs and the Marijampolė municipality in the field of service provision. 3. Provide scientific insights into the conditions necessary for co-governance of social services. The case study was conducted in several stages. First, the scientific literature, legal acts and other documents related to the research problem were analysed. Then, a qualitative study was conducted, including interviews and focus groups with representatives of the Marijampolė municipality and NGOs.

This chapter examines how educational leadership mediates cultural continuity, professional voice, and innovation in the context of local education reform. It argues that innovation does not arise from structural reform alone but emerges through relational processes that sustain trust, cultural continuity, and professional meaning. The study focuses on an ongoing structural reorganisation in one Lithuanian municipality, where multiple educational institutions—including early childhood settings—have been merged into a single administrative structure. This restructuring represents a distinctive case of system-level innovation at the municipal level. In this chapter, innovation is examined as emerging through leadership practices and professional coordination during consolidation. The chapter forms part of a broader research project investigating education network reform across two Lithuanian municipalities, with specific attention here given to the consolidation of pre-school institutions. The core research question is: how can leadership support culturally grounded and emotionally sustainable innovation during institutional consolidation? Drawing on theories of distributed leadership (Spillane, 2006) and organisational culture (Schein, 2010), the chapter presents empirical insights from a mixed-methods study involving surveys, focus groups, and interviews with educators and administrative staff. The findings indicate that inclusive leadership practices and respect for local cultural identity can transform reform processes into opportunities for organisational and pedagogical innovation. The chapter contributes to international debates on educational change by demonstrating how systemic reform—when locally embedded and relationally enacted—can activate professional agency and trust as key mechanisms through which structural reform becomes sustainable educational innovation.

Healthcare systems face ongoing challenges that require reforms to enhance innovation, accessibility, and efficiency. Lithuania’s healthcare reform aims to enhance equity, quality, and sustainability by reorganising its service network. However, implementation has revealed unintended effects, including “network compression”, where large hospitals absorb services from smaller regional facilities, deepening regional inequality and limiting accessibil-ity for rural populations. A qualitative research method with 22 informants was employed. Healthcare professionals are reporting growing fatigue, increased administrative burdens, and a decline in empathy in patient care. These outcomes highlight how efficiency-oriented poli-cies can unintentionally depersonalise services and marginalise regional healthcare providers. Based on interviews with healthcare professionals, this study examines how reforms trans-form everyday clinical practices and local service delivery. The findings underscore the need to balance efficiency-driven reforms with empathy, professional autonomy, and equitable access to healthcare.

Constructive co-operation between municipal administrations and independ-ent public service providers, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs), establishes favourable conditions for the development and dissemination of best practices in the delivery of high-quality social services. This research aimed to assess the development and effectiveness of co-operation between a municipal administration and NGOs in delivering social services, using Marijampolė municipality as a case study. A qualitative empirical approach, comprising interviews and focus group discussions, was employed. The Stakeholder Relationship Manage-ment Maturity (SRMM) model was used to evaluate the level of co-operation. The municipal-ity chosen for the present analysis is distinguished by a substantial presence of NGOs actively delivering services. The research findings indicate that, according to the SRMM model, the maturity of co-operation between municipal administrations and NGOs in providing social services is primarily at the procedural level, whereas relational aspects are evident within the process standardisation dimension. To foster mature co-operation, it is recommended that participants within the co-operation network establish a shared vision regarding the future of social service provision and the role of NGOs. The findings of the empirical research under-score the necessity for participants in a co-operation network to cultivate competencies essen-tial for sustaining and enhancing co-operation (e.g. communication and conflict resolution) and highlight the importance of establishing a unified culture of co-operation.

Gairės parengtos integruojant pagal tyrimo paslaugos sutartį Nr. VP-S-181 parengtą ataskaitą „Mokyklų tinklo plėtojimo Šakių rajono ir Marijampolės savivaldybėse sprendinių analizė ir įvertinimas“. Paslaugos vykdytojas Algimantas Venckus.

Gairės parengtos integruojant pagal tyrimo paslaugos sutartį Nr. VP-S-181 parengtą ataskaitą „Mokyklų tinklo plėtojimo Šakių rajono ir Marijampolės savivaldybėse sprendinių analizė ir įvertinimas“. Paslaugos vykdytojas Algimantas Venckus.

Educational network reorganizations in Lithuania, particularly in regional municipalities, have become necessary due to declining student numbers, migration trends, and the need to optimize public resources. Nevertheless, such reforms raise serious questions regarding social justice and equal access to educational services in different territories. This issue is particularly relevant in areas with decreasing population density, growing proportions of socially at-risk groups, and declining availability of public transportation and other services. The aim of this study is to comprehensively evaluate the challenges of social justice and educational accessibility during the reorganization of the educational network, based on secondary quantitative data analysis. The study used various statistical and administrative data collected from the Ministry of Education, Science, and Sport, the Lithuanian Department of Statistics, regional municipal administrations, and other public institutions. Analyzed indicators include dynamics of student numbers, changes in the structure of educational networks, travel distances to the nearest educational institutions, distribution of teachers and other staff, socio-economic indicators, and population density in different territories. Methodologically, the study involves descriptive statistics, correlation and regression analyses, as well as territorial analysis using geographic information system (GIS) data. This allows identifying which municipalities and localities are most affected by network reorganization in terms of social justice and accessibility. The research data revealed that in regions with low student density and a high number of socially at-risk residents, reorganization often results in decreased service accessibility, longer travel times to educational institutions, and narrower educational service offerings. Meanwhile, in urban centers, the impact of reorganization often manifests in less significant changes, as more alternatives and infrastructural capacities remain available. The study emphasizes that the success of educational network reorganizations depends not only on financial efficiency or infrastructural solutions but also on creating socially just policies. Ensuring social justice requires data-driven planning and sensitivity to territorial and social specifics. It is essential to consider regional differences during reforms to prevent network reorganization from becoming an additional factor deepening social exclusion. These research results provide practical insights for both national policymakers and municipal administrations to develop solutions that combine financial efficiency with social justice and ensure equal educational opportunities for all children, regardless of their place of residence.

The restructuring of educational institution networks often leads to significant organizational changes that directly impact employees’ professional well-being and their sense of belonging to the organization. In the studied Lithuanian municipality, a preschool education reform was implemented, merging ten independent kindergartens into one centralized institution to optimize resources and ensure higher quality of education. However, such structural reforms pose challenges for employees’ identity, motivation, and emotional well-being. The aim of this study is to explore how employees perceive the culture of the new organization after reorganization and whether a sense of identity from the previous divisions persists. The study seeks to identify connections between maintaining identity, sense of belonging, community spirit, and employees’ motivation and emotional well-being. A multi-level methodology is applied: document analysis (municipal decisions, reorganization plans, internal institutional documents), secondary statistical data analysis (staff turnover, demographic data, organizational structure), and a quantitative employee survey. The survey questions focus on the clarity of organizational values, opportunities to participate in decision-making, the level of interdepartmental collaboration, and emotional attachment to the organization. Initial results show that employees experience changes differently: some feel more integrated into the new organization, while others still strongly identify with their former divisions. It was observed that employees who lost their sense of previous division identity are more likely to experience emotional stress and decreased job satisfaction. The study’s findings highlight the importance of addressing not only structural and financial aspects during reorganizations but also the “soft” dimensions of the organization, such as culture and employees’ emotional well-being. This becomes crucial for ensuring successful implementation of reorganization and long-term staff engagement.

Educational network reorganization in the regions is becoming increasingly relevant as municipalities strive to adapt to declining student numbers and use public resources more efficiently. Marijampolė and Šakiai municipalities in Lithuania are undertaking ambitious reorganizations of their educational networks, including both school and preschool institution reforms. In the context of political decision-making, it is crucial to understand the criteria guiding local authorities in carrying out reforms and the social and institutional impacts they foresee. The aim of this study is to investigate the principles political decision-makers follow when reorganizing the educational network, the strategies they use to manage resistance, and how they assess the long-term impacts of reforms. The study applies document analysis (municipal council decisions, reorganization documents), secondary statistical data analysis (student numbers, financial indicators, staff structure), and qualitative interviews with municipal leaders. The analysis is based on a public policy implementation evaluation model, encompassing dimensions such as effectiveness, efficiency, impact, sustainability, and equity. Results reveal that political leaders often need to balance economic arguments with social consequences. One of the biggest challenges is community resistance, teachers’ adaptation difficulties, and maintaining education quality in declining regions. The findings show that political decisions often balance between the need to save funds and the desire to preserve social cohesion in communities. Leaders identify the most frequent challenges as strong community resistance, teachers’ fears about job security, and difficulties in maintaining service quality in remote areas. Politicians emphasize that success depends on transparent communication, data-driven decision-making, and a long-term strategic vision. The study’s findings may be useful for developing strategies that reconcile financial sustainability with social responsibility, aiming for long-term and socially sensitive outcomes in educational reforms.

In Lithuania, the year 2024 has been identified as a pivotal moment for healthcare reform, which encompasses two primary objectives: implementing a proactive public health policy and enhancing the accessibility, quality, and efficiency of healthcare through the restructuring of the service delivery network. This reform is essential for remote regions, where demographic shifts have modified service requirements. Certain services, such as midwifery, have diminished, while others, including elderly nursing care, require reestablishment. Adapting to these reforms has disrupted competencies, underscoring their importance as a critical area for regional development, particularly in enhancing new resources. By analysing the public health reform in Lithuania through the lens of remote regions, it becomes possible to identify specific strategies and practices that can be applied both nationally and internationally. The study aims to highlight shifts in the emerging needs of healthcare personnel's competencies in remote regional areas, particularly during the national healthcare system's structural transformations, and their capacity to achieve the reform goal of delivering top-quality health services based on transformative competencies. The study uses qualitative interviews to identify the competencies health professionals lack following the establishment of new Primary Health Care Centres. The study revealed that while clinical and professional competencies related to legal and clinical responsibilities are easier to adopt from a technical standpoint, competencies like leadership, collaboration, and patient involvement pose greater challenges, leading to community stress. The acquisition of these competencies requires long-term investment in staff development, emotional support, and clear change management. Moreover, the new structure of health centers and newly introduced work processes may increase employees’ emotional exhaustion, stress, or even the risk of burnout if adequate support or training is not provided.