Slovenia is regarded today as a free country and consolidated democracy, with some problems with corruption, independent media, and independent judiciary. Since its independence in 1991, Slovenia has put in place democratic institutions of state organization, undergone major capital rearrangements, and achieved both of the starting objectives of new international involvement by entering the EU and NATO. On January 1st, 2007, Slovenia was the first among former socialist countries to take on the common European currency. Slovenia has been subject to highly varying assessments during the construction of its democratic political system; it has been acknowledged as “a ripe democracy,” complete democracy,” or, alternatively, “apparent” or “virtual democracy.” The move negative assessments of the Slovenian political system are related to the persistence of authoritarian behavior patterns and manipulation of democratic institutions that have found its way into the structures of political parties. This book follows the Slovenian evolution from the second-smallest Yugoslav republic to one of the most successful post-communist countries in Central Europe.

Thirteen years after independence from the former Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia, Slovenia has become one of the most advanced transition economies in Central and Eastern Europe and will become a member of the EU in May 2004. This publication examines the country's recent political and socio-economic history, its transition to a market economy and the challenges that lie ahead. It includes contributions from Slovenia's president, a former vice prime minister, the current and previous ministers of finance, the minister of European Affairs, the current and former governors of the Bank of Slovenia, as well as from leading development scholars in Slovenia and abroad.

The book provides an innovatory internationally comparative causal analysis of the variation in political and economic outcomes of post-communist transformations after the first decade, using multi-value qualitative comparative analysis and TOSMANA software. This analysis includes a critical revision of received dichotomies (e.g. on gradualism versus "shock therapy") about post-communist transformation, a discussion of the counterfactual scripts of post-communist transformation, and contributes to current debates on the varieties of post-communist capitalism. This conceptual framework is applied in case studies of the transformation in the Baltic States, with special consideration given to the possibility of alternatives to the Lithuanian way and the challenges of populism in this country's politics. Book jacket.

This book examines Slovenia's transition from a collection of provinces in the south of the Habsburg Empire, to a republic within Yugoslavia, to an independent state. It also analyses political and economic developments since 1991.

What are public health services? Countries across Europe understand what they are or what they should include differently. This study describes the experiences of nine countries detailing the ways they have opted to organize and finance public health services and train and employ their public health workforce. It covers England France Germany Italy the Netherlands Slovenia Sweden Poland and the Republic of Moldova and aims to give insights into current practice that will support decision-makers in their efforts to strengthen public health capacities and services. Each country chapter captures the historical background of public health services and the context in which they operate; sets out the main organizational structures; assesses the sources of public health financing and how it is allocated; explains the training and employment of the public health workforce; and analyses existing frameworks for quality and performance assessment. The study reveals a wide range of experience and variation across Europe and clearly illustrates two fundamentally different approaches to public health services: integration with curative health services (as in Slovenia or Sweden) or organization and provision through a separate parallel structure (Republic of Moldova). The case studies explore the context that explain this divergence and its implications. This study is the result of close collaboration between the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and the WHO Regional Office for Europe Division of Health Systems and Public Health. It accompanies two other Observatory publications Organization and financing of public health services in Europe and The role of public health organizations in addressing public health problems in Europe: the case of obesity alcohol and antimicrobial resistance (both forthcoming).

After Slovenia's independence in 1991 from Yugoslavia, the introduction of local government was one of the most challenging tasks in the new country, as it meant a radical change from the socialist municipal system to the classical European type of local government. Simona Kukovič and Miro Haček offer a comprehensive analysis of the functioning of local government from historical, normative, systemic, and dynamic perspectives. The authors analyze the historical-normative foundations of the existence of local government and, building on this, examine the functional dynamics of the central organs of local government. In particular, they analyze the position of local mayors in terms of role and the powers assigned to the mayor by law, leadership characteristics, the evolution of eligibility, and relations with other local actors. This is followed by an analysis of the municipal council, in which Kukovič and Haček outline the function and responsibilities and highlight some features of the inner workings of this collective decision-making body. The authors devote special attention and a wealth of empirical data to local democracy, which is particularly vibrant, somewhat peculiar, and undoubtedly one of the strongest elements of Slovenia's still relatively fragile democracy. The book thus provides a holistic and thorough overview of local government, which in three decades has become an important part of the political system and, in practice, an important vehicle of local development within Slovenia.

Editor Biography: Frane Adam, Prof. Dr., at the University of Ljubljana and Head (Director) of private, non-profit research organization (IRSA) is dealing recently mainly with project management, mentorship for doctoral students and publications. More on his international publications and received citations can be found in Scopus, Web of Science or Google Scholar. His research interest lies at the intersection of political and economic sociology and social studies of science and technology. He wrote extensively on two topics, comparative analysis of innovation performance and knowledge transfer as well as on the elite change and democracy in Eastern Europe. Book Description: This book analyzes the characteristics and outcomes of the transition process in Slovenia, a relatively young and independent country, from different perspectives. It presents its main achievements as well as its current dilemmas and challenges, among them the causes for systemic dysfunctions, political instability and weak social integration. It is a collection of readings from various scientific disciplines and professions, as well as from different generations of researchers. The approach to the analysis is multidisciplinary and comparative. It combines the fields of sociology, history, geography, political science, law, economics, environmental studies as well as their subfields and intersections. It is an interdisciplinary work in the true sense of the word, based on previous studies and discussions of the status and trends of social development in Slovenia. It should be stressed that the Slovenian authors summarize and critically evaluate the findings, and interpretations of international authors (authors who observe Slovenian society from an external perspective) and who concentrated on a certain aspect of social dynamics follow. It presents the post-transitional challenges in the field of RD and I, rule of law, civil society, human capital and problems with the employment of graduates, the role of meritocratic principles in selection of candidates for leading positions, structural budget deficits and problems with indebtedness. Also, aspects of sustainable regional development, which are all aspects of the future society, are elaborated upon. The compendium is divided into four parts. First is the introductory part, which is followed by the legal-political aspect. The third section covers the socio-economic part, and finally the environmental aspect and sustainable development including organic farming and tourism is presented in the fourth section. The authors believe that this book will provoke interest both with social scientists who deal with Eastern European studies, as well as with those who are particularly interested in Slovenia, its history, and in particular, its political, economic, cultural and ecological developments since its independence. The volume will also be interesting for think-tanks who are seeking economic and political information about the current situation and trends in Slovenia, journalists and students of history, anthropology or sociology of Eastern Europe as well as experts of Slavic studies. Target Audience: -Social scientists and researchers from humanities specialized for Eastern European Studies -Journalists and think-tanks who are seeking economic and political information about the current situation and trends in Slovenia -Students studying history, anthropology or sociology of Eastern Europe -Expert for Slavic studies

Governance discourse centers on an "ideal type" of modern statehood that exhibits full internal and external sovereignty and a legitimate monopoly on the use of force. Yet modern statehood is an anomaly, both historically and within the contemporary international system, while the condition of "limited statehood," wherein countries lack the capacity to implement central decisions and monopolize force, is the norm. Limited statehood, argue the authors in this provocative collection, is in fact a fundamental form of governance, immune to the forces of economic and political modernization. Challenging common assumptions about sovereign states and the evolution of modern statehood, particularly the dominant paradigms supported by international relations theorists, development agencies, and international organizations, this volume explores strategies for effective and legitimate governance within a framework of weak and ineffective state institutions. Approaching the problem from the perspectives of political science, history, and law, contributors explore the factors that contribute to successful governance under conditions of limited statehood. These include the involvement of nonstate actors and nonhierarchical modes of political influence. Empirical chapters analyze security governance by nonstate actors, the contribution of public-private partnerships to promote the United Nations Millennium Goals, the role of business in environmental governance, and the problems of Western state-building efforts, among other issues. Recognizing these forms of governance as legitimate, the contributors clarify the complexities of a system the developed world must negotiate in the coming century.

The first of the Yugoslav successor states to successfully build a democratic system and to enter the European Union, Slovenia stands as a model for democratic transition. This ground-breaking volume analyzes the challenges confronting the post-Communist government and evaluates the strategies adopted in refashioning its value system. Sabrina P. Ramet and Danica Fink-Hafner have assembled a team of outstanding specialists to analyze various aspects of the country’s transformation from socialism to democracy. The editors note that while a great deal has been written on political and economic questions, relatively little attention has been paid to the transformation and transmission of values and norms in Eastern Europe over the past fifteen years. Slovenia’s experience, reflected in these pages, demonstrates how a small country has created the preconditions necessary to the construction of a civic, democratic culture. Six values are emphasized as central to this project: tolerance, equality, church-state separation, respect for democratic procedure and the rule of law, human rights, and civic-mindedness. The volume editors join the other contributors in discussing the way in which Slovenia has set out to build democracy, the ways in which values are transmitted, the role of the media in a free society, the structure of educational systems, and other questions which are of concern not just to Slovenes, but to everyone who aspires to live in an open, democratic society.