Four topics are covered: the circumstances under which state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are more effective than private firms; the different approaches to modelling public and private firms; the performance of SOEs; and strategies including privatization to limit their more damaging effects. It is argued that ideological or development motives are important in their genesis, but that if efficiency and innovation are key considerations the normative case for their existence is more doubtful. Various types of SOE model are identified, deriving from the variety of circumstances in which they operate, and the theoretical perspective of the modeller. These include the property rights school, the public choice tradition, neoclassical, behavioural and budget maximizing approaches. All models assume the existence of monitoring problems, created by informational asymmetry. The consequences can include high non-pecuniary benefits for managers, a concentration on monitored activities, and lower innovation levels and efficiency than private firms. Curiously this is not necessarily reflected in higher prices or costs. Possible remedial strategies include a change of ownership, a change of objectives, the introduction of incentivecompatible payment schemes, improved performance indicators and privatization.
Many studies analyse factors (such as corruption, competitiveness, transaction costs), which are influencing public procurement efficiency. The purpose of this paper is to find out, what the main factors are in Slovakia that are influencing public procurement efficiency, and based on our analysis, we will also estimate what is the impact of each factor on the efficiency of public procurement in Slovakia.The research for this paper was executed in three stages. We began with a small number of face-to-face in-depth interviews with specialist procurement advisors to contracting authorities. In the second stage, we created draft questionnaires for contracting authorities and for suppliers, and once we tested questionnaires, it was sent to 13,571 suppliers and to 4,300 contracting authorities. In the last stage, we used various types of analyses to examine identified factors.There is significant agreement between suppliers and contractors that the two main factors causing inefficiencies are excessive bureaucracy and corruption or other ethical shortcomings. It is shown that insufficient competition, and the excessive use of the lowest price criterion for selecting winning bids, add further inefficiencies. Savings are greatest when there are between 6 and 8 bidders. E-auctions generally produce larger savings than more traditional methods, but Slovak procurement procedures are costly, compared to most other EU states.This paper contributes to the understanding of what are the core factors which may influence public procurement efficiency. It also provides valuable information for government officials on how to change public procurement rules in order to achieve higher efficiency.
After 1989, the Czech and Slovak health-care systems followed dissimilar policies. Change was faster, more profound and more experimental in the Czech Republic. But after 10 years there are clear similarities in their health status achievements and systemic problems. By showing how a common past and a similar insurance-based finance model interact with commitments to universal access, the common outcomes and problems are explained. It is argued that greater spending, rather than privatization, has improved health-care outcomes since transition began. It is also argued that most of the key problems with the two systems are finance related.
Offering students and performers a concise overview of historical performance, this 1999 book takes into account the many significant developments in the discipline. It addresses practical matters rather than philosophical issues and guides readers towards further investigation and interpretation of the evidence provided, not only in the various early instrumental and vocal treatises, but also in examples from the mainstream repertory. Designed as a parent volume for the series Cambridge Handbooks to the Historical Performance of Music, this book provides an historical basis for artistic decision-making which has as its goal the re-creation of performances as close as possible to the composer's original conception. It relates many of the issues discussed to major works by Bach, Mozart, Berlioz and Brahms, composed c.1700–c.1900, the core period which forms the principal (though not exclusive) focus for the whole series.
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