For B&H citizens, the most common associations when referring to public administration are the counters in public institutions, such as those of municipal authorities, and the obtaining of various official documents.
Scene One: You need a specific document. Then the following steps are required: Go to Counter No. 2, then to Room 15 to obtain a signature, then to Room 27 to get a stamp, and, for this document to become valid, you also need to be issued with a specific certificate from the Court, where you must also make your way through several counters and offices.
Scene Two: You need a specific document. You go to the nearest public service institution, apply for a document and pick up the requested document at the same counter in a day or two. To submit your request and pick up the relevant document in this scenario, you need only a few minutes.
Public administration reform implies a change from scene one to scene two. It also implies that the number of people employed in the administration be reduced, and that those who do work do their job more efficiently.
Accordingly, the amount of money required to pay for administration is reduced, while the money saved can be directed towards education, healthcare, the social sector and so on, in order to further improve the quality of services provided in these sectors.
Obtaining documents is however not the only public administration segment, though it is the most visible to the population. Public administration reform also means improvement of work with the aim of reducing corruption in various agencies. Improvement of the work of various inspection bodies is also one of the major goals of this reform. Even police reform, which has been discussed a lot in previous years, can be considered a part of public administration reform in the broader sense, as its main objective is to increase the safety of the lives and properties of all BiH citizens. This is a basic prerequisite to normal life.
Public administration reform should also assist entrepreneurs to raise the competitiveness of their products to a higher level. Accordingly, the work of the Indirect Taxation Authority is being improved through the introduction of an information technology system, as is the work of the Veterinary Office, the Plant Protection Authority, Metrology Institute, and other similar administrative bodies that guarantee that BiH products meet European quality standards.
