AERolul administraiei publice locale n dezvoltarea durabil a comunitii. Studiu de caz: judeul Vlcea

Sustenabilitate i Schimbare OrganizaionalAE

THE ROLE OF LOCAL PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY CASE STUDY: VLCEA COUNTYCamelia Marin, Isabella Sima 2 and Mihaela Ruxanda31) 2) Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania3) University Of Bucharest, RomaniaE-mail cameliamarin81@yahoo.com; E-mail i_onescu@yahoo.com;E-mail ruxandamihaela@yahoo.com SummaryResearch aims to establish and articulate local government involvement in the sustainable development of the community, more specifically seeks the opinion of the citizens about the problems and possible solutions, both in the short term and long term to ensure sustainability. Facing with absence of empirical studies on this issue, our research interests and originality of this work resides on this aspect. We look forward to analyze to what extent the local administration involves citizens in local development and how important is their opinion in the decision-making process. In order to establish a link between local authorities and citizens involvement, the present paper was addressed in depth. Therefore, this paper revolves around wo related areas: economic analysis and management. Because of the wide area of research, we have proposed a research of the economic and administrative dimensions present in the development of a local community, namely in particular Vlcea County. KeywordsSustainable development, local public administration, local development, public citizen, decision.Clasificare JEL

Se ncadreaz articolul potrivit clasificrii JEL (Journal of Economic Literature) precizndu-se codul categoriei relevante, articolul putndu-se ncadra fie la o singura categorie fie la mai multe, dup caz. Clasificarea JEL poate fi accesat fcnd click aici .IntroductionThe purpose of this work is to identify and to formulate proposals designed to improve the activity of local public administration, but also to assist in the improvement of the activities carried out by this organization, as well as in obtaining full-fledged projects with key role in the economic and social development of the local community. We chose the sphere of public administration for research due to the fact that "the implementation of the new instruments of governance-the overall aims of the policy and rules of the game are determined by a higher level, in consultation with the technical and political levels below, and the specification and implementation of these goals requires continuous monitoring of the diagnosis by networks of partners is based on the exchange of information, relevant, up-to-date quantitative and significant" (Barca et al., 2005, p. 3). Behind each organization and each administration are people. Being a combination of individual and organizational learning in the context of human resources policies (Sutherland Canwell, 2004, pp. 163-168), improving services ensure continuous improvement and "increase" the individual and the organization. As a result, there is a new stage of human civilization, a new way of life superior quality, which involves intensive use of information in all areas of activity, with the involvement of the humans in the position not only by the manufacturer, but also by the consumer, with the economic and social impact particularly important (Petrescu et. al., 2010, pp. 267-285). In the context of the existing practices at european level determines the relationships between related economic and administrative spheres, it is clear that globalization implies a uniformity between the practices of public administration management and conduct of citizens. Local development can be regarded as a process of administrative, social and economic, that produces quantitative and qualitative collections, designed to lead to the lifting of the individual and social well-being in a given area (Matthew, Anghelescu, 2009, pp. 7), originally this was endogenous, rested on the initiative of local actors and not rely on the export of capital and the outside experts (Pucau, 2002, p. 33).In an organizational vision, local development requires that "the institution must constitute a major component both for the identification of existing problems in the local economy, as well as for changing the institutional arrangements. Local communities can take control of their own destiny, when they fail to have at its disposal the necessary resources and information to build your own future "(Blakely, Bradshaw, 2002, p. 68), and in addition to these items is a procedural framework, a local partnership and the existence of a local development strategy (Matthew, 2005, p. 120). The purpose of strategic planning is to assist local communities in the direction of the development of feasible objectives through, and its overall objective is to support a climate of economic health, a climate marked by stability, increase economic well-being and a high quality of living conditions (Banovertz, 2004, p. 2). Research of correlation between involvement in the development of local public administration, on the one hand and the involvement of citizens, on the other hand, was the onset of research to be extended in the future. For example, can be a valuable research and the relationship between public administration and the business environment. The main objective of the work: This paper aims to investigate the management of local public administration and the relationship between it and the citizens.Secondary objectives of the work: an interpretation of the formula for the involvement of citizens in Economic and social development of the County; to determine the extent to which the public administration involved in its development projects and heeding their options.1. The sample under studyTo serve the objectives of this research, the methodological tools employed attend to the requirements of a qualitative study, with a limited use of quantitative data meant to support the arguments and observations drawn throughout the paper. Basically, the research unfolds as a cross-national analysis at the micro-political level centered on local structures of power, citizens and sustainable development, following the deductive approach.

The option for a small-n analysis is justified by the intentions that inspired the selection of the topic and the case-oriented approach. Inferences about the involvement of citizens in local development demand an in-depth analysis of numerous subjects in order to uncover strengths, weaknesses and possible solutions to endemic problems, as well as relevant answers to contemporary debates. The rapidly changing realities and the interdependences between local societies lead to similar issues, but different responses. Such a focused reserch allows an intensive examination of a phenomenon, the role of the local public administration on sustainable developemnt, which raises questions in terms of its impacts on the quality of life of the citizens. Without aiming at grand generalizations, the use of the method permits the evaluation of particular sequences of events and variations on this aspect.

Despite the shortcomings, the present research aims at developing a coherent argument based on empirical observation derived from a variety of sources at hand. The methods chosen are qualitative content analysis and secondary analysis of official statistics and data collected from our own research. The primary and secondary sources consist, at large, of official documents, specialized literature, mass media outputs and virtual outputs. Regarding the first bulk of sources, the questionnaire is the most significant tool of measurement.

A large number of respondents are students at reduced frequency and the polls we have applied during the programme period short enough to be able to respond to a poll more broadly. And another part of the respondents are students from the school day, as a result we have applied the questionnaires during breaks between courses.At the beginning of the questionnaire we placed a question mark, we wanted to obtain information on age, sex, occupation and residence, i.e., whether the persons concerned reside in Vlcea County, and also whether they are urban or rural. We applied the questionnaire to a number of 250 people, of which 130 of urban and rural of 120. We opted for persons who have at least secondary education, as we said above, the subjects are students in the form of reduced educational frequency, but also of the day, afternoon, teachers, employees of the public sector but also private. I opted for respondents less than 19 years, i.e., to be people who have the necessary knowledge of the role in the development of local administration.We cannot say that this poll is representative of the statistical point of view, we consider that it is rather an investigation of opinion of citizens with regard to the relationship between the Administration and citizens in local economic development, and management promoted by the representatives of the public administration. Recalling that the questions have been brought to the attention of the two categories of respondents, a part of the urban area and another in the countryside, it is very difficult, the perception of the two categories of persons from one place, so we will analyse for each question in part the perception of citizens in cities and those in rural areas.Nevertheless, the methodological choices have produced thought-provoking outcomes, which are to be given credit when assessing sustainable development at local level, in general. The challenges concerning the validity of the conclusions are related to the potential errors presented in the data obtained through the questionnaire and the danger posed by bias, which can hardly be reduced to the minimum under these circumstances.

2. Interpretation of the results obtained and the formulation of the theoryLocal economic development is seen by theorists and practitioners, as one of the most important ways to decrease poverty. The key players of a community must work together to reach an agreement and to take effective decisions to make the economy grow, in fact the aim is to create opportunities of income for many people, especially for the poor. It is aimed at creating jobs, the local economy grow. Each locality has a range of financial resources, they come for the most part of local taxes paid by businesses and individuals. So, each benefits from local economic policies, and these taxes fund the expenses of local public administration, as a result paid services which benefit during their activities.Thus, local economic development is the result of the collective actions of the local public sector, private sector and local community (Succeeded, Iftimoaie, 2008, p. 26). Local development is the process aimed at identifying, mobilizing and coordinating the use of local resources (often undervalued and not used to its full potential) in order to achieve positive changes, integrated economic and social development, in an effort to protect the environment. Yet, through a series of joint actions aimed at local economic development, which involves the development of services, human resource development and financial communities, increasing the number of companies paying taxes, the integration of economic and social development at the level of local communities, social stability within local communities and improving the General conditions of the environment of local communities. Under this system, the local public administration is the authority of the local administrative autonomy and which also aims to take initiatives in local economic development. Below we present research results and their interpretation. For many citizens, local government is the most tangible form of Government, and is also the level of contact with the Government that have most frequently in everyday life (Lilac, 2005, p. 183). This is valid both for the individual who has chosen a residence and entrepeneur looking for a location for your business.The first part of the research highlights the appreciation given by the relationship between citizens and local government. More than half of citizens States that their relationship with the local administration is neither good nor bad, but. 27% of respondents said they are in good and very good relationship with local government, and 21% assessed as bad or very bad relationship between them and the local administration, as can be seen in the chart below.Figure 1- The relationship between urban citizens and local government

Source: Data collected and processed by authors in Excel format on the basis of 250 respondents to the questionnaireFigure 2 - Relationship between rural citizens and local government

Source: Data collected and processed by authors in Excel format on the basis of 250 respondents to the questionnaireThe power of local administration, is represented by the citizen. Communication, as a function of management of each organization, plays an important role between the Administration and citizens, in fact the communication allows the creation of links between people, between institutions and between institutions and people, like invisible bridges of informational, basically. In assessing the views of citizens on board, it is very important the communication, as well as the proximity to the citizens are listening to the authorities and the extent to which community issues are resolved. So, the receptiveness of local administration to the needs of the citizens is essential to improving the capacity of local administrations. This requires an orientation towards the needs of clients and accepting the fact that often the provision of services is not at the level expected. In contemporary society, communication is the most effective method by which you can improve the performance of local public administration in the interest of the citizen and that it can to make known the objectives, strategies and basic principles of economic development, social and cultural needs of local communities, to ensure sustainability. The proper functioning of the communication process to facilitate the work of the Administration and has a strong impact on the behaviour of public servants, efficiency and expediency in the interactions with the various categories of citizens. Orientation towards the needs of citizens is a mixture of friendly behavior on the part of officials of the Government and the need to guide the citizen as client requests, even when it is known that the citizen does not wish to apply for licenses with true, opinions and other complex documentation (Ptulea, 1997, p. 19). Improving the provision of services is not an isolated process. Strengthening the participation of citizens, the fight against corruption and to improve the management and administration skills are elements present continuously in the process of improving the provision of services.Thus the third part of the research highlights the extent to which citizens are consulted on decisions to be taken in the town where they live. The majority of the respondents, in fact, 85% of them in urban areas say they have not been consulted or have not been able to see in small or very small extent. The difference of 15% say they have largely been consulted or very large extent by the authorities in projects aimed at economic and social development of the locality in which they live. In rural areas the percentage of those who have not been consulted by the authorities is somewhere to 79 percent of those polled. However, overall was a lack of communication between local representatives and citizens, which is just opposite to the representatives of the city which we applied the interview.Figure 3 - The extent to which citizens are consulted on decisions relating to place of living

Source: Data collected and processed by authors in Excel format on the basis of 250 respondents to the questionnaireFigure 4 - The extent to which citizens are consulted on decisions relating to place of living

Source: Data collected and processed by authors in Excel format on the basis of 250 respondents to the questionnaireThe third part of the questionnaire reveals the extent to which citizens would be interested to be part of a local development association, to discuss various topics relating to the interests of citizens in relation to the development of the locality in which I live. Thus, the results of the questionnaires show that urban, 3% of respondents say they are not interested to be part of such an association, 9% say they are interested in very little, and most say they want to a large extent or even in very large part of these associations. In rural areas, it appears that only 30% of citizens say they are interested in, and the rest of citizens say they are not interested at all or are interested in little or very little.Figure 5 - The extent to which citizens are interested in participating in a local development association

Source: Data collected and processed by authors in Excel format on the basis of 250 respondents to the questionnaireThe Administration should aim at ensuring good individual in the context of the general good and cannot exist without citizens being set up to serve them. Democracy requires the participation of citizens in the life of society. In the absence of participation of the Government to monopolize power and solely its own interests and sustain. Precisely for this reason, citizens have a duty to remind them that they are at all times, our Government and their representatives (Alexander, 1996, p. 16). As citizens of a society are more proficient and more active the democracy is stronger.Major changes must be noted on the relationship of public administration citizen after 1990. This shift is not due only to the administrative authority, (though it should not be denied to any citizen input), it was learned on the fly which are the rights and duties in a democratic society.The essence of democracy is rule by and for people. As the years go, the more we are seeing a raving statist more democratic. This means that democracy is not only the right to choose the leadership and people being a partnership between the people and the leaders who have invested their trust. In democracies around the world, the population plays an important role in daily governance and public administration should encourage and facilitate this role. The problem is that the majority of the population in Romania-is just beginning to realize the full power offered by democracy. Democracy implies "support and development of civic institutions and participatory processes, which facilitates the construction, maintenance and development of democratic identities" (Kjaer, 2010, pp. 12-13).Regardless of what the point of view I tackle this problem, the people holding absolute political power. The electoral procedures, calling on citizens to exercise political power through its representatives that put the foundations for the functioning of the political system, the State being set up to exercise such power delegated to the exercise of circumscribed social objectives of general interest (Muraru, 1995, p. 5).Bodies and institutions at the local level know best the needs of the community, they must adopt decisions on local issues. Servants of the Management Board must have a vision of the realities of administrative system, but at the same time and a high capacity for analysis and synthesis of information from local government and/or citizens.Resolving situations of administrative-territorial unit by decisions of the central administrative bodies, superior, involves the risk of inadequate solutions, because of knowledge, not good enough by those organs, problems relating to local self-government.It is very important to the ranking of the execution of decisions, from the lower tier, and solving the problems of interest to local communities should be made on the initiative of local administration. The citizen cannot be indifferent to the social and economic context in which it lives, as well as the manner in which local government, as a public service, it is concerned with improving it. I also think that the Romanian administrative system must give priority to making conditions assuming the responsibilities relating to the development of settlements, as well as of all the public services of local interest, in particular by emphasizing decentralization and the transfer of management responsibilities on the part of the plan in the plan, and on the other hand, the public administration to citizens.Figure 6 - The extent to which citizens are interested in participating in a local development association

Source: Data collected and processed by authors in Excel format on the basis of 250 respondents to the questionnaireAlthough overall the citizens want to participate in local decision-making, we note a disability in local public administration to be available to citizens, as it results from the questionnaire. Note also that the existing gap between the Administration and the administered is very high and thus confirming the authority of vlcene. Democracy implies "support and development of civic institutions and participatory processes, which facilitates the construction, maintenance and development of democratic identities" (Kjaer, 2010, pp. 12-13).In view of the fact that the Vlcea County has a network of advanced education and literacy is quite high academic should be advising students to orient in particular to those areas that require work force. It takes a measure in respect of the implementation of a strategy for employment of labor force experienced less than five years and even without experience to draw upon the young people with medium and superior training and which today you cannot assert locally and thus the phenomenon of emigration, appears to be stopped, since for us as the County is an investment loss. Vlcea County in the future, should capitalize on the potential, realise their own forces on the development of and assume the roles they can play at the national level. It is important for this county to set up the offer of products and services, to identify customers, markets, competitors and allies, to make known Trump sites, objectives and development plans. The fruit of these efforts is multiple: Ensuring transparent and plans related to the development the medium and long term, associated package priority projects; Strengthening the partnership between local actors and the private sector; Develop instrumentation management for local authorities; A special issue, worthy of heeded the formulation of projects and the preparation of documentation for the requests for co-financing referred to European funds. It is necessary to draw up a package of funding requests for priority projects, in view of the enormous losses involved lack of projects prepared for the years immediately ahead.

Attention, in this regard should be paid to the rural environment. Considering that in rural areas there is specialized in project management, a fact acknowledged even by the representatives of local authorities, which makes a rather large number of localities to lose funding because of the nentocmirii acts in the best conditions. To that end in the county level, there should be a person who has specialized in a number of up to 10 town halls which give advice in this area. 3. Local development measuresFor the mobilization of local resources and energy it takes a vision shared by development, identification of roles, there is a need for cities to assume appropriate development plans and potential roles for which they are capable.Economic relaunch and accelerate sustainable development is another worthy goal to be achieved by the Government. As a first step, Vlcea county level must take into account infrastructure improvements. It is aimed at creating the necessary infrastructure to support the business environment and supporting the development of SMEs, the development of strong entrepreneurship, rural development and agriculture. As can be seen in the presentation above is recognized locally that infrastructure is a problem. Representatives of the authorities in urban areas say they have accessed the funding in this area and that the infrastructure is half the problem solved. However, representatives of the local rural complain that lack of funds from local budgets, and in terms of accessing funds, say that tap the reluctance both of County leadership to support and the lack of support. Thus, a measure that would have to carry out regional and district authorities would be to support projects in rural areas through regular and effective coordination of projects with funding from the structural funds or other EU funds available. It is also very important to the development of selective potential existing industry to promote the County's new, innovative industries and branches with high productivity. However, the construction of infrastructures and flexible, able to support the development of profitable business for both the entrepreneurs and the community. They would constitute a real "nursery" of successful businesses that take advantage of the various facilities (financial, legal, etc.).ConclusionsReflection in the field of sustainable development is still evolving. Any modern urban community, every region and every country must assimilate and promote a strategic vision for its future development. Starting at european level and at local level, we observe how to undertake a series of measures and propose solutions which support each community. This scientific approach emerges that public administration has an important role in decision-making at the community level. This is a pawn in mediating the relationship between human and economic, social, ecological, etc. Sustainable development seeks and tries to find a theoretical framework for taking decisions on a local community, region or country in any situation where is a type of man/environment, whether it's environmental, economic or social. However, as can be seen without the involvement of the citizens we cannot say that administrative decisions are beneficial to society. After analyzing the situation of local and county authority, we noticed a full involvement of local authorities in sustainable development, and the development prospects of their medium and long term. In conclusion, we can say that the proposed strategic objectives for each area of development are not in contradiction with each other, and more, shall assist each other and contribute to the attainment of the common vision on the future of the settlements in the territory of the County: making positive changes, integrated economic and social development, in an effort to protect the environment.Bibliography Alexandru I., Structuri Mecanisme si Institutii Administrative, Editura Sylvi, Bucureti, 1996

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Persoana de contact, Camelia Marin cameliamarin81@yahoo.com

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