PurposeThe current Covid-19 crisis research focuses especially on epidemiologic and macro-level socioeconomic aspects. It only marginally covers impacts on local budgets. Our intention is to enrich the existing limited debate on this dimension.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses a qualitative research approach and is based on secondary research and information available in restrictive regulations of national governments, data published by governmental bodies, international statistics and media articles published before 30 June 2020. The authors also conducted six non-structured online interviews with the leading question: “How do you see the current and future impacts of the pandemic on local public finance?”FindingsAvailable information on Czechia and Slovakia indicates that the level of municipal fiscal imbalance as the result of the Covid-19 crisis is not proportional to the situation on the central level, and municipal financial resources are not commensurate with their responsibilities as outlined by the constitution and the law. Because the reaction of the central government in both countries to this situation has been inadequate, municipalities will face problems with service delivery in some areas, especially in culture and sport.Originality/valueThe authors enrich the growing debate about the current Covid-19 crisis and its consequences and focus on local government finance in two selected countries from Central and Eastern Europe.

In many cases the introduction of performance evaluation, performance management and performance financing schemes do not produce the expected results and even create perverse effects. The risks connected with their improper implementation are much higher in developing and transition countries, where the public sector is over-politicized, policy and management capacities are inadequate and resources and experience are limited or often almost absent.Our study provides basic selected data on the use of benchmarking in public administration bodies in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The findings are clear. In spite of its high potential, benchmarking is not used regularly and properly either in Slovakia or in Czechia. Subjective barriers of its implementation, for example lack of accountability, the rent seeking attitudes of elected politicians and ineffective public services schemes might be most important limits. The situation is slowly improving, but the progress will be naturally limited by territorial fragmentation.

After 1989, all Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries implemented large-scale health care reforms. The changes differ among CEE countries, depending very much on the specific conditions present at the start of and during the processes. However, there are some common issues—most notably, the introduction of several market-based instruments, including introducing health insurance financing systems to replace general taxation-based models, privatization and the introduction of private payments and co-payments. Much was expected as the outcome of the changes. However, recent evidence indicates that many expectations from the ‘marketization’ of health care were not fulfilled. Such failures confirm that the transformation processes in CEE countries cannot be based just on the simple transfer of western good practice. The success of the implementation of new approaches has been a function of the effective combination of western and local expertise and the respecting of the specific local environment. One must be able to predict (as much as possible) the impact of new mechanisms in specific transitional conditions. The inability to do this has come at great cost to the citizens of the region.

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Sustainability of health financing is a critical issue for all countries, especially now in the COVID-19 period. The final level of achievements of critical public health goals is connected not only with the efforts of the people involved, but also with the availability of funding to cover the costs of the actions needed. One of the “internal sources” providing more resources to cover public health care costs is effective public procurement in the health care sector. According to existing scientific literature, a low rate of competition represents one important factor that has a direct negative impact on the efficiency of public procurement. The aim of our article is to examine the degree of competitiveness of public procurement in the Czech and Slovak health care systems and its impact on the final price of a contract. The research fully attested the findings of those studies carried out so far – the higher the number of tenderers, the lower the final price, even in the Czech and Slovak health sectors. However, the average number of tenderers is only around two and in the Czech Republic for more than half of the tenders only one bid was submitted.