Citizen-oriented Public Administration in Serbia

Public administration in Serbia faces numerous challenges and difficulties, some of which are reflected in the lack of capacity, but some also in the reluctance of the Government and the administration to adapt to new demands.

The current process of public administration reform in Serbia is conditioned by the process of European integration, and thus the reform process represents the harmonization of legislative framework and public administration functioning in Serbia with European principles and good practice. Accordingly, the emphasis is on developing citizen-oriented public administration, which has become a strategic direction of the Serbian Government. However, even though the latest report of the European Commission gives Serbia a predominantly positive assessment in the area of public administration reform (PAR), it also reveals its concrete deficiencies. In other words, public administration in Serbia faces numerous challenges and difficulties, some of which are reflected in the lack of capacity, but some also in the reluctance of the Government and the administration to adapt to new demands.

This Policy Brief deals with the results of research in the field of primary health care regarding the perception of citizen satisfaction with health services. In order to respect the needs of citizens, and to avoid the potential resistance of employees within the system, it is important that CSOs are involved in the overall reform process, as well as the inclusive approach of the Ministry of Health. Therefore, specific suggestions on how this should be achieved in practice, for both CSOs and the Ministry of Health are presented in the recommendations in this Policy Brief.