Administrative competencies of civil servants in Lithuanian state institutions

Abstract

Public attention to the administrative competencies of civil servants in state institutions remains unabated. These capacities have been and continue to be appraised both by the residents of Lithuania, particularly those who have encountered the authorities while solving their private issues, and by foreign experts or observers. Frequently we hear negative appraisals. Are these competencies really low? One cannot answer this in a straightforward way because the managerial competence is decided by many factors. Changes arising out of the public administration reforms also affect civil servants. Whether they speed these reforms up or not depends not only on their value orientations but also on their administrative competencies. This dependence is understandable; however, one must bear in mind that after the reinstitution of Lithuanian independence, the human resources of the Lithuanian civil service were gradually adapted (both quantitatively and qualitatively) to new tasks without verifying their competencies, attitudes or values. Preparedness of the state to join the European Union administrative space was appraised on the basis of whether necessary laws and regulations had been adapted and whether appropriate management structures had been formed. Today we see that this is not sufficient to ensure efficient functioning of the institutions that have been created and whose activities have been provided the legal basis. [...]