Tomáš Jacko, PhD.

Participation in conducting (leading) the most important research projects or art projects over the last six years

VEGA 1/0683/21 - Generational exchange and provision of public services and administration (co-researcher): Public administration and public sector organizations are increasingly faced with the problem of filling suitable vacancies with suitable candidates. This is reflected in a lower capacity of offices and thus an extension of equipment deadlines, a smaller number of provided public services or their lower quality. In the long run, however, this may lead to the collapse of some public administrations or public services. The current debate in the given issue in Slovakia focuses mainly on the impact of wages on interest in working in the public sector. The aim of the presented project is to examine this problem from several points of view, including the discrepancy between the offered job positions and the expectations of public administration graduates and related fields of study, the analysis of relevant policies and the outlook for the future.

VEGA 1/0705/18 - Economics of joint exercise of competencies (co-researcher): The problem caused by the fragmentation of the administration has been dealt with by Slovak administrative science since the mid-1990s. years. From initial considerations about whether and how to fragment through municipalization or amalgamization eliminate, through the search for the optimal size of municipal administrative units to measure efficiency system of territorial self-government. In addition to this debate, however, a number of changes have taken place that allow us to be more courageous in the search for an efficient and economical organization of public administration. E-government enabled provide the right services almost continuously and makes the report ubiquitous. The aim of our project is based on the analysis of economic aspects of the current performance arrangement competences by the municipality (either directly or through joint municipal offices) categories of competencies and related economic standards for individual levels and spatial units news."

VEGA 1/0049/17 - Legal and economic aspects of corruption - causes, consequences, prevention and economic analysis of legislation (co-researcher): The project aims to analyze the social, legal and economic context of corrupt behavior in the Slovak Republic in the broader context of Central Europe. Corruption is not a specific feature of Slovak society. Other countries, but also non-governmental organizations, private companies and, last but not least, sports organizations at national and international level face the same problem. The aim of the project is to analyze the assumptions contributing to corrupt behavior, the economic impact of corruption, but also various tools to prevent this type of behavior. An innovative element of the project is the focus not only on legal aspects, but also on economic and broader societal assumptions and impacts of corruption, including economic analysis of corruption legislation. Another novelty is the focus not only on public administration, but also on corruption in the non-state environment, specifically in the environment of business relations and sports, where corrupt behavior is currently the focus of media attention around the world."

APVV-15-0306 - Cooperative activities of local governments and measuring their efficiency and effectiveness (co-researcher): In the pan-European context, local (self-) government has been extraordinarily strengthened in the last three decades. This was reflected, among other things, in increased pressure on the efficiency and effectiveness of its performance. While in some countries the key players have started to implement territorial consolidation in order to improve the outputs of local (self-) government, the Slovak experience is different. Relevant actors opposed any merger reform, but local government was nevertheless strengthened through the transfer of competencies and fiscal decentralization. These processes have led to an emphasis on expectations of local government and the results of its actions. However, due to the persistently high degree of territorial fragmentation at the local level, most municipalities were able to "survive" only due to the various cooperative forms developed between municipalities as well as between municipalities and other entities. Despite this fact, such cooperative forms are an insufficiently explored area and the same is true in relation to their effectiveness and efficiency. In this context, it is possible to perceive the importance of this project. Its basic goals include: 1) mapping of existing cooperative forms developed at the local level, 2) elaboration of their typology, 3) preparation of methodology for measuring the effectiveness and efficiency of their performance, and 4) formulation of recommendations on their further development for local governments and legislators.

VEGA 1/0965/15 - Performance management in local government and its application in selected municipalities in Slovakia (co-researcher): The main purpose of the project is to bring scientific outputs on the topics of performance management, governance and networks, which will contain not only theoretical aspects of these phenomena, but they will also bring examples of their practical use in the conditions of Slovak self-governments. The presented project omits the indirect approach applied so far in Slovak conditions. It consisted of monitoring "hard" indicators based on operational data of local governments or statistical data. The main benefit of the project is therefore its focus on consumers and producers of these services, whose attitudes will be explored in the form of field research. It will take place in 10 to 15 towns in the Slovak Republic.