Educational Services Delivery at a Cross-Road: Towards a Paradigm Shift in State-CSOs Relationships in Central and Eastern Europe

Abstract

Since 1980s, the importance of the third sector has grown steadily. Complementing the changes in state governance, the new functions acquired by the civil society organizations (CSOs) in the field of service delivery have redefined the public-private relationships in an unprecedented way. Belatedly affected by this transformation after the breakdown of communism, the voluntary sector in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) has faced a particularly interesting challenge: grown out of the dissident tradition and redefining its stance towards government during the transition period, it is now tackling the influence of EU multi-annual planning schemes, resulting in a paradigm shift in budgeting matters. This study investigates the structural implications of engagement among public sector institutions and civil society organizations in the delivery of public education in five CEE countries. The present endeavor aims at exploring a new type of dependency between public sector and non-governmental organizations and thus adopts a macro-perspective by analyzing the civil society sector's engagement in education service delivery in the following states: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. Additionally, there will be a reflection on the social transformation stages and the emergence of a new role for the state, as the beneficiary, the financier, the evaluator, and the decision-maker in the provision of outsourced educational services.

Keywords: public service delivery, education, third sector, European Union, funding mechanism, civil society organizations, Romania, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Central and Eastern Europe