The article of V.V. Lobanov «Modernization of public administration: problems and solutions» was published in the magazine «Public and municipal governance» (2010, № 2, c. 136-145). 

Annotation of the article is given below:

The article analyzes the key theoretical and practical issues of modernization of public administration and civil service in the Russian Federation, describes peculiarities of reform , which prevent development of public institutions, looks upon three scenarios of reforms, suggests a new model of public administration, including five key development elements. Particular attention is given to institutional, organizational and human resources issues. Comparative analysis with foreign countries (USA, Republic of South Africa, Great Britain) is performed. The author suggests some ways of the existing problems solution cum Russian and foreign experience.

Experts of the sector “Municipal finances and inter-budgetary relations” of the Institute for Urban Economy have published in the magazine “Head of budget Institution” a series of articles devoted budgeting of services and perspectives of reforming the network of public (municipal) agencies. Open access to the articles is available.

We present for your attention the article of Yulia Chalaya “Organizational and legal framework of improving public (municipal) services quality”.

Today “Rossiyskaya Gazeta” publishes the document, which will bring to revolution in interrelation of a state and a citizen. This is the Law “On public and municipal services delivery”.
The law stipulates that all public authorities – federal, regional and municipal, as well as non-budgetary funds – should provide electronic delivery of services.
Some services will be provided free of charge, some on a paying basis. Information on services and prices will be available at the integrated portal of public and municipal services, as well as at portals of the corresponding public authorities.
It is also envisaged that public authorities can delegate delivery of public and municipal services to multifunctional service centers, which will operate as “one-stop shop”. It means that the applicant will make inquiry only once. And even if the requested service requires several additional documents from different authorities, the multifunctional service center should proceed with all extra inquiries itself and provide the final information to the applicant. Eventually, it will become possible not only to apply for public service through Internet, but also to pay it remotely in electronic form. To this effect the integrated electronic card will be introduced.

The text of the article is available here: http://www.rg.ru/2010/07/30/gosuslugi.html

Administration of the Rostov oblast has become one of the winners of the fifth federal competition of the best regional projects on administrative reform conducted by the RF Ministry of Economic Development in July 2010 and will obtain 5 million rubles from the federal budget, that is the ceiling amount of the competition. 

Funds will be allocated to create a consolidated information system within multifunctional service centers, which will allow to obtain public service at any municipality of the Rostov oblast where MFSCs operate.

Earlier Maxim Parshin, Deputy Director of Department for State Regulation in Economy of the RF Ministry of Economic Development mentioned that the Rostov oblast is one of the leaders of implementing the administrative reform in Russia. The oblast was one of the first among 16 RF regions, which commenced development of infrastructure for qualitative delivery of services to population. Today MfSCs operate in 10 municipalities: Rostov-on-Don, Shakhty, Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, Novocherkassk, Volgodonsk, Taganrog, Azov, Bataisk, Oktybrsky and Salsk rayons.

Dear colleagues!

The World Bank with support of the RF Ministry of Economic Development and the Astrakhan oblast administration will organize the seminar for representatives of regional executive authorities of all SFD and NCFD regions on the problems of efficient public services delivery.

The interregional seminar “Improvement of public services delivery in South Russia” is planned for September 29-30, 2010 in Astrakhan.

The seminar is targeted at knowledge-sharing and strengthening the capacity of SFD and NCFD regional administrations in the area of e-services delivery and MfSCs development.

During the seminar representatives from the relevant government units managing implementation of the administrative reform will be familiarised with the best practice of the Russian regions and the international expertise related to improvement of public services delivery system.

More detailed information is available in Information letter . The registration form is available here.

Transfer to electronic bidding procedures under arrangement of government order will reduce corruption. Seminar-meeting of representatives of Federal Antimonopoly Service, Prosecutor's Office, courts and financial control services of the Southern and North-Caucasian federal districts took place on July 28-29 in Nalchik. The participants exchanged their experience in the area of application of the law on arrangement of government orders and developed the unified approaches based the changes in antimonopoly legislation.

“Transfer to electronic bidding procedures allows to separate the client from the contractor, as well as widens the range of suppliers known only by numbers. This initially reduces possible collusion and corruption risks, brings to essential economy of budget funds”, - said Deputy Head of Federal Antimonopoly Service Pavel Subbotin in Nalchik. Since July1 the federal state procurement procedures have been changed over to the electronic bidding system, but out of five required trading platforms only three are effective. Starting from the new year all municipalities should introduce the electronic bidding systems.

Pavel Subbotin stressed that the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria has been selected for hosting the two-days seminar because the regional branch of FAS is one of the best in Russia.

On July 27-28 the Center of Staff training and methodological work of the Rostov region administration together with North-Caucasian Academy of Civil Service will conduct training of 60 civil servants from 31 executive authorities of the Rostov region on the issue of filling-up the federal portal of public services ( www.gosuslugi.ru).

A high level of informatization in the region provides for automation of many procedures of services delivery to population. The federal portal of public services contains information on 67 services in the area of social defense of population delivered by public authorities of the Rostov region. In the nearest future the number of services will be increased up to 283.

Today the Rostov region occupies one of the leading positions in Russia in the area of introducing e-government and the first place in the Southern federal district.

Approximately every 10^th citizen of Russia (11%) has experience of interaction with public authorities or services through Internet. According to the survey of Foundation “Public Opinion” conducted in July 2010 26% of population would like to use such opportunity.

The meeting of the Government Commission on regional development took place at the Volgograd region administration. The meeting was conducted by the Chairman of RF Government Vladimir Putin. Heads of federal ministries, Office of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation, heads of the RF regions took part in the meeting. Participants of the meeting discussed the issue of reducing the administrative barriers in construction sector.

Vladimir Putin said that even under the existing legislation many regions managed to establish effective and favourable procedures of interaction with investors, introduce one-stop shops, developed all territorial planning related documents, successfully conduct tenders. However, in the majority of the RF regions situation in construction changes slowly. The Chairman of RF Government gave the example: according to data of the international agencies the relative value of procedures (average indicators) related to getting the construction permit is in 40 times higher in Russia than in OECD countries.

Vladimir Putin gave the task to all regions to develop and introduce the programs of reducing the administrative barriers in construction sector.

Now requirements to territorial planning related documents and the process of their acceptance will be essentially simplified. The appropriate amendments to the Town Planning Code were passed in the first reading in the State Duma.

Electronic card, which will become a kind of a digital passport of a citizen, will ascertain the right of a citizen to obtain various public services. It will be introduced in Russia next year, said the Vice-Prime Minister – Head of Government Office Sergei Sobyanin.

The card will certify the identity of a citizen and fulfil a number of important functions, i.e., policy of obligatory medical insurance, state pension insurance certificate, social card, travel document, etc.

The social-economic forum “Information Society” will be opened in Tver today. More than 2000 people from 70 Russian regions have been registered for participation. Heads of cross sectoral working groups and expert-consulting group of the Council for developing the information society under the RF President, heads and deputy heads of federal authorities and RF regions, mayors of big towns will take part in the forum. Representatives of international organisations and foreign states have been invited to share their experience in the area of information society development and electronic government introduction.

The aim of the forum is to discuss the current status and further development of information society, introduction of electronic government in the Russian Federation, analysis of the national plan for implementing the information society development strategy in the Russian Federation.

It is envisaged to open the exhibition, which will demonstrate to a wide range of visitors the main trends of implementing the information society development strategy in the Russian Federation, particular attention will be given to the projects and decisions aimed at introduction of electronic government in the RF regions.

Additional information on the social-economic forum “Information Society” is available at the web-site:http://www.tver-forum.ru.