Despite the drastic political changes in some Central European countries, local governments are still in the focus of public sector reforms in the broader region. Decentralisation has many faces: countries follow different patterns by sub-regions and in a single country also the devolution methods are transforming with time. This note will examine the recent reform waves in the East European region. Read more... (Gábor Péteri)

After its accession to the European Union on 1^st January 2007, one of the most important objectives of Romania has been the convergence with the rest of EU members not only in nominal terms, but also in real ones: competitiveness, wealth, poverty reduction, institutional capacity. Almost ten years after EU accession, we can say that significant progress has been realized in many areas, but in terms of institutional capacity Romania is facing the opposite of convergence: the divergence. Read more... (Victor Giosan)

Why the EU can be a force for positive change in the Western Balkans and reverse the crisis
British campaigners working to convince their compatriots to vote in favor of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union recently unveiled a new poster in support of their cause. The poster reads simply, “Albania, Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey are joining the EU. Seriously.” Read more... (Vita Terauda)

On the 18^th of March, EU leaders met with their Turkish counterpart, Prime Minister of Turkey at that time, Ahmed Davutoğlu. „This is a historic day. We today realized that Turkey and the EU have the same destiny, the same challenges, and the same future.” Read more... (Petra Agnes Kanyuk)

With the onset of the Greek financial crisis in 2009, many aspects of the country’s administrative structure, financial practices and service provision system came under heavy scrutiny, both within Greece and around the world. The necessity of seeking financial assistance from various lenders naturally meant that the country experienced a decrease in its autonomy in relation to the running of its own internal affairs and, for the sake of its long term well-being and in order to receive necessary funds, had to make painful and drastic changes with regards to the structure and operation of the state. Read more... (Daniel Haitas)

In Asian countries, contracting out public services to Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) has been recognized as usual practice to support government function. This study found that their contractual agreement with the government strikes the nature of NGO as self-governing institutions, non-profit orientation, and independency. Read more... (Dodik Setiawan Nur Heriyanto)