IntroductionThis study was prompted by the rapid acceleration of AI capabilities in the trans former era since 2018 and the concurrent regulatory shift that elevated legal accountability and public governance to central policy and research priorities. It contributes by treating 2018–2025 as a distinct governance regime in which transformer-enabled capability scaling and foundation models shifted AI gov ernance debates toward enforceable accountability architectures.MethodsThe study maps the regulation–accountability–public governance nexus as an operational problem: which accountability forums dominate, which regulatory instruments anchor in the field, and which public-administration mechanisms remain underdeveloped. Using multiple queries in the Web of Science Core Collection, validated with Scopus, and analyzed with Bibliometrix and complementary science-mapping techniques, the study examines publication trends, influen tial contributors and outlets, collaboration networks, and citation and thematic structures.ResultsPublication output increases sharply after 2022, aligning with major regulatory milestones such as the EU AI Act. Results show a strong European concentration, with European actors serving as central hubs in collaboration networks and indicate that 2018–2021 publications form a foundational intel lectual core. The field is anchored in legally oriented concepts (law, transparency, governance, accountability, data protection), while themes such as legitimacy, institutional logics, and rights operationalization remain underdeveloped.DiscussionDespite growing interdisciplinarity, thematic fragmentation persists, highlighting the need for stronger integration across legal scholarship, public administration, and tech nical AI research, and providing a focused basis for future research and policy agendas.

Purpose – This study validates a multi-criteria decision-support framework for assessing organisational readiness for Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption in public administration, with a specific focus on municipal administration. Validation ensures that the results are conceptually sound, credible, reliable, and robust. Research methodology – The framework integrates the Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) and Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) approaches into a hierarchical readiness structure, operationalised through the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Expert judgments were aggregated using pairwise comparisons to derive criteria’ weights and support group decision-making. Validation combined expert assessment of conceptual coherence, completeness, clarity, interpretability, scale suitability, and practical utility with robust- ness testing across different Multi-Criteria Decision-Making methods (MCDM). Findings – Voluntariness of use, behavioural intention to use AI, social influence, innovation and readiness for change, skills and expertise, data, and leadership represent central AI-readiness conditions. Expert validation supports the relevance and usability of the proposed hierarchy for AI-readiness assessment. Rankings across alternative MCDM methods showed strong convergence, indicating stable assessment outcomes despite differences in aggregation logic. Research limitations – The framework was validated using three empirical organisational cases in public administration, along with five synthetically constructed readiness profiles for methodological testing, which may limit the generalisability of the findings. Practical implications – The framework helps administrations diagnose AI-readiness gaps, benchmark organisational capabilities, and prioritise improvement measures related to AI adoption. Originality/Value – The study contributes to a validated AI-readiness assessment framework that integrates structured expert judgment with multi-method robustness testing in the context of public administration.

The age distribution of Europe's workforce has shifted towards older workers over the past few decades, a process expected to accelerate in the years ahead. This demographic trend presents significant challenges to productivity and economic growth, particularly in the EU-27, where workforce aging is projected to reduce growth in total factor productivity. This paper studies the effect of workforce aging on productivity, identifies the main transmission channels, and examines policies that could mitigate its effects. The main research question is whether the utilization of artificial intelligence is offsetting the negative impact of workforce ageing on total factor productivity. The study employs a mixed-methods approach, including quantitative analysis of Eurostat labor market data and qualitative insights derived from interviews with managers. The results of the empirical analysis suggest that AI adoption positively affects productivity, even in the context of a demographic shift associated with ageing workforce. Findings also indicate that AI can partially offset the productivity decline by automating repetitive tasks, enabling older workers to focus on higher-value activities, and facilitating continuous learning through advanced training systems. Additionally, policies aimed at reskilling older workers, promoting intergenerational knowledge transfer, and investing in AI infrastructure could further ameliorate the effects of workforce aging. To sum up, the implications of the study are that artificial intelligence utilization contributes to productivity enhancements, therefore there is a need for introducing policies that promote its adoption, as well as reskilling and upskilling of workforce to be able to follow the trends.

The application and utilization of Artificial Intelligence (AI) have increased recently in all organizations, including those in the public sector. From an organizational perspective, AI utilization should generate both economic and social gains. In this context, it is necessary to address the automation-augmentation paradox. Namely, this paradox stems from the question of whether AI replaces humans in performing tasks (i.e., automation) or whether the application of AI necessitates an increase in AI-human interactions (i.e., augmentation). The starting point of the research is the POSDCORB framework, which delineates the core functions of a manager and offers a classical perspective on their administrative responsibilities. AI shall increasingly transform the POSDCORB framework by streamlining management functions and enhancing decision-making accuracy. The main research question is what can be automated using AI for management functions, and what requires augmentation between AI and humans for these functions? To assess AI's impact on POSDCORB managerial functions in public sector organizations, the study uses both qualitative and quantitative data sources, enhancing validity through data triangulation. The research findings indicate that AI's impact varies across management functions, with public managers particularly preferring augmentation for strategic planning tasks, coordination, reporting, and potential dynamic financial adjustments. Finally, public managers' report ongoing tension due to a tendency to switch between automation and augmentation as tasks evolve.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly transforming the public sector, although the willingness of organizations to adopt such technologies varies widely. Existing models, such as the technology–organization–environment (TOE) model, highlight systemic drivers and barriers but overlook the individual-level factors that are also critical to successful adoption. To address this gap, we propose a decision model that combines the TOE model with the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) and combines the dimensions of technology, organization, environment, and individual readiness. The model was developed using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and supports group decision-making by combining the pairwise comparison matrices of multiple experts into a consolidated priority structure. Specifically, many expert judgments were used to create a group matrix for the four main categories and four additional group matrices for the criteria within each category. This structured approach allows for a systematic assessment of whether a public sector organization is ready for AI adoption. The results show the importance of both systemic factors (such as data, technology, innovation, and readiness for change) and individual factors (such as social influence and voluntariness of use). The final model provides a comprehensive and practical decision-making tool for public sector organizations to assess readiness, identify gaps, and guide the strategic adoption of AI.

The paper focuses on the principal-agent relationship in water and wastewater management in Slovenia after the reorganization of public enterprises which occurred in the period from 2007 to 2009 due to the adoption of the Public-Private Partnership Act in 2006. The aim of the paper is to present the differences between the perspectives of principals (i.e. municipalities) and agents (i.e. public utility providers) on how the provision of local public utility services has changed as the result of the reorganization process. The research was conducted by means of primary data collection through two self-prepared, structured online questionnaires. The following three research questions were formulated: (1) "What are the outcomes of the reorganization process?"; (2) "What drives the complete municipal ownership of public enterprises?"; (3) "What are the advantages of the reorganization process?". The findings reveal a rise in complete public ownership within local public utility services. Results also identify similar motives between municipalities and public utilities for full municipal ownership, which are closely connected to the advantages of the reorganization process. Driving factors and benefits are related to increased control and economics of rationality and efficiency, although there are some differences in perceived advantages between municipalities and public utilities.

The paper at hand analyses the principal-agent relationship, where comparative perspective between principals’ (municipalities) and agents’ (public utility providers) in the field of water and wastewater management is scrutinized. The goal of the paper is twofold: firstly, to present empirical results validating principal-agent relationships that emerged due to the reorganization process of public enterprises; secondly, to highlight the similarities and differences between the perspectives of principals and agents regarding motives, advantages and disadvantages, and price-setting in relation to the reorganization process. The empirical research is based on the primary data collected through two self-prepared and structured online questionnaires—one for municipalities, and the other for public utility providers. The results reveal similarities between public enterprises and municipalities in motivating factors for full municipal ownership. However, differences are seen among the advantages of the reorganization process. Price-setting by public utilities is recognized as a motivating mechanism for agents.

The paper is based on the use of evidence to scrutinise the effect of the Public-Private Partnership Act on the local public utility providers, where the context of the water and wastewater sector in Slovenia serves as an example. The Act affected the legal status of public enterprises, where solely public ownership was prescribed, and therefore demanded the reorganisation of existing public enterprises. The paper aims to evaluate the reorganisation process and the trend of remunicipalisation, the motives of reorganisation (political, pragmatic or transformative) and the advantages and disadvantages of the reorganisation process. A detailed, structured online questionnaire was designed and pretested for primary data collection to reach these aims. The questionnaire was sent to the Slovenian local public utility providers in water and wastewater management. The data was collated from 2018 to 2020. It was used in the analysis to provide evidence about the outcomes of the reorganisation process. The results show that new legislation contributed to increased public ownership in local public utility provision. The results also reveal that pragmatic motivating factors contributed to increased municipal buying out of private investors from (public) enterprises. The reorganisation process led municipalities into remunicipalisation, meaning that full municipal ownership and control increased.

At the height of the migration crisis, around 2.4 million asylum claims were submitted in the European Union Member States. The enormous weight of a massive inflow of migrants and immigration-related threat perceptions prompted Member States to start reintroducing border controls at EU internal borders, which resulted in a 'temporary suspension' of the Schengen agreement on open borders. With the use of zero-sum phenomena and application of public goods theory to asylum policy, the article seeks to explain the influence of a structural limitation of European integration in the form of asymmetric integration of asylum policy on the sustainability of the Schengen agreement on open borders. To eliminate this structural limitation and thus strengthen the sustainability of the Schengen agreement on open borders, the article proposes a fully functioning Common European Asylum System (CEAS) based on a unified asylum system and governed by a centralized EU institution.

Evidence-based decision making is promoted as offering efficiency and effectiveness; however, its uptake has faced barriers such as underdeveloped supporting culture, limited access to evidence, and evidence that is not fully relevant. Smart city conceptualizations offer economic and environmental sustainability and better quality of life through evidence-based policy decision-making. We wondered whether smart city theory and practice has advanced the knowledge of evidence-based decision-making. We searched major databases for literature containing a mention of smart cities, decision-making, and policy. We identified relevant literature from a range of disciplines and supplemented these by following backwards and forwards citations. Evidence-based decision-making was found mostly in literature regarding the theory and practice of smart city operations, and, to lesser extents, the articles regarding policy decisions and tactical decisions. Better decision-making which supported the achievement of city sustainability objectives was reported in some articles; however, we found significant obstacles to the further achievement of city objectives in the areas of underachievement in collaborative decision-making, privileging of big data evidence, and artificial intelligence agents as decision-makers. We assembled a definition of smart city decision-making and developed an agenda of research which will support city governments, theorists, and practitioners in better achieving sustainability through improved decision-making.

The paper investigates the experiences with the re-municipalization trend in Slovenia, which was identified after the adoption of the Public-Private Partnership Act (PPPA) in 2006. Under the new legislation, the reorganization process of public enterprises in Slovenia accured, which led to the changes in their ownership structure. The aim of our research is to identify the outcome of the reorganization process and to identify the experience of re-municipalisation of local public utilities, as the research topic has not yet been the subject of extensive research in Slovenia. The special focus is given on the services related to the water and wastewater management. Besides, research intends to identify the motives for the reorganization process, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of the reorganization process. Methodologically, the paper is based on the primary data collection and analysis through a self-prepared, detailed, structured on-line questionnaire sent to all Slovenian municipalities. The responses were collected in the period 2018–2020. The results show that new legislation contributed to the increased public ownership in local public services provision in the area of water and wastewater management by roughly 10%, as the majority of public enterprises were already fully municipally owned, even before the reorganization process. The results also reveal that the most important motives for increasing full public ownership are management problems in a mixed-ownership enterprise, simpler regulation of the service provider, greater control over the service provider, more opportunities to influence business activities, and greater rationality and efficiency of business activities. The research results also show that the reorganization process brought largely advantages. The biggest advantages are better organization of work, improving the quality of utility provision and that municipality is able to monitor the business activities of the enterprise under the decree. The reorganization process lead municipalities into re-municipalization, meaning that full municipal ownership and control has increased.

Literature focusing on the small states started to emerge after the World War II. This literature has occasionally stressed the relations among the size of the state and governmental interventionism, exemplifying that small states should be more expensive to run. As rather mixed empirical results tend to be delivered on whether small states should have larger governments, and in order to provide additional empirical evidence, this paper at hand explores how the size of a state relates to the size of the government. Specifically, the study intends to address also the question whether smaller states are different in comparison to larger states regarding the structure and volume of government spending. The findings indicate that scale economies effect can be observed only for governmental consumption spending, but we cannot directly empirically confirm scale effects and the notion on the risk- reducing role of the state for governmental transfer spending.

This paper fits into the ex-post migration crisis of 2015-16 dialogue and offers added value through its complex transboundary perspective while bringing in the national perspective of a transboundary crisis. After the largest migration flow, lacking supranational coordination and governance, Slovenia's coping strategy was oriented towards logistical mechanisms to keep up the pressure and move the flow forward. Given the scale of the crisis, such a setting lacked a rapid response at the local level, and the high dimensionality and nonlinear interactions caused pink noise. Using a case study method, the paper argues that crisis management moved backwards and had a decoupled structure. It also calls for a more inclusive multi-level crisis management structure and investment in existing international organizations. Indeed, if the crisis interactions had taken place globally, the crisis would be less dimensional and more linear, thus avoiding pink noise.

The paper analyses the effect of Public Private Partnership Act on the ownership structure of local public utilities’ providers in Slovenia. The Act affected the legal status of public enterprises, where solely public ownership was prescribed, and therefore demanded the reorganization of existing public enterprises. The paper aims to evaluate the reorganization of the existing public enterprises, the motives of reorganization and the advantages and disadvantages of the reorganization under the new legislation. The paper presents results based on the primary data collection through a detailed on-line questionnaire sent to the Slovenian local public utilities’ providers in the area of water and wastewater management, in the period from 2018 till 2020. The collected data is used in the comparative analysis which gives evidence about the final outcomes of the reorganization process. It is evident that policy proposal contributed to the increased public ownership in local public utilities provision.

The migration crisis was and, in some aspects, still is one of the biggest challenges that the European Union (EU) has faced recently. In the crisis peak in 2015/16, most of its member states were affected in different ways. This paper contributes to the ex-post dialog of this transboundary crisis and attempts to present the level of readiness to solve wicked problems and manage a transboundary crisis, looking at the perspective of two countries—Slovenia and Croatia. The paper focuses on the following areas of migration governance: (1) border management, (2) reception policies, (3) migrant protection regimes, and (4) national security, which represented the main issues for transit countries and are embedded in the capacity assessing tool Survey Tool used in the paper. With its set of questions and using a multiple case studies methodology and comparative analysis, the paper’s results show the rather immature level of mass migration capacities at both transit levels studied. In the absence of migration crisis studies, the proposed paper retains its originality and adds value, especially in multi-level systems, in assessing the complexity of the crisis from a national perspective and providing the numerical assessment of crisis management capacity.

This paper fits into the ex-post migration crisis of 2015-16 dialogue and offers added value through its complex transboundary perspective while bringing in the national perspective of a transboundary crisis. After the largest migration flow, lacking supranational coordination and governance, Slovenia’s coping strategy was oriented towards logistical mechanisms to keep up the pressure and move the flow forward. Given the scale of the crisis, such a setting lacked a rapid response at the local level, and the high dimensionality and nonlinear interactions caused pink noise. Using a case study method, the paper argues that crisis management moved backwards and had a decoupled structure. It also calls for a more inclusive multi-level crisis management structure and investment in existing international organizations. Indeed, if the crisis interactions had taken place globally, the crisis would be less dimensional and more linear, thus avoiding pink noise.

This empirical paper focuses on the analysis of economic benefits of European integration processes. A gap exists on the research that addresses the specific benefits of states involved in the economic integration processes. Thus, paper focuses on the analysis of benefits Slovenia has from European economic integration, and benchmark analysis is performed, taking Poland as example. This context serves for the comparison of effects and benefits of economic integration concerning smaller and larger states. Namely, there is an assumption that economic integration should have different state-specific effects, where state size is one of the attributes that significantly channels these effects. The results show that Slovenia benefited much more entering the single market in comparison to Poland. This suggests that single market might serve as an economic shelter for smaller states, and thus generates relatively larger benefits for them in comparison to larger states.

The paper presents a literature review about local public services delivery mechanisms like: in-house provisions, privatization, and inter-municipal cooperation. The aim of this paper is to review the development of the studied field, to find out which delivery mechanism dominates in a certain period of time, and to review which economic research focus dominates in the studied field. Possible effects on the economies of scale, costs reductions, efficiency, and other economic-political-institutional-social factors in the provision of local public services are scrutinized, using a content analysis breakdown. Results show that most studies are country studies and empirical studies in increasing numbers in recent years. The choice of local public services delivery mechanisms are mostly influenced by the size of the local government, the efficiency of service provision, the resources available, and the institutional framework. Politics and market competition also play a role in the decision-making process.

The Great Lockdown has caused severe economic distractions to the majority of world countries, and de-globalization trends have started to increase. Globalization was to an extent beneficial for smaller economies, and it was one of the factors contributing to the rise in the number of countries around the world during the last few decades. According to the perceived larger openness and vulnerability of smaller states, it is thus expected that those countries are hit much harder by the economic contraction, as their outputs are much more volatile in relation to the economic cycles. In this context, the paper intends to investigate the exposure of European states to the current lockdown, where the focus is particularly on assessing the fiscal impacts of the lockdown. The main research question is whether there are any differences regarding the fiscal functions of government between smaller and larger states. This is addressed through the cross-national comparative investigation based on data for 44 European countries; and we specifically assess how fiscal activities of government differentiate among smaller and larger states. The results of the study suggest that the effect of the size of the state does not affect the consumption spending of government, but the size variable matters for the transfer expenditures. This piece of research would like to add to the development of the discipline of small state studies, in particular to the issue of their vulnerability and changing global economic environment.