Seminars of Excellence in Political Science held in Tirana this week. These seminars were organised in the framework of the EuroPS – Curriculum Development in Political Science Project, funded by the Erasmus + Program of the European Union and the joint Master in Political Sciences – Integration and Governance (#PoSIG). Lecturers from the European University of Tirana and the Faculty of Social Sciences / University of Tirana co-organized seminars with lecturers from the University of Ljubljana, all partners of the EuroPS project and the PoSIG master. The involved lecturers are academics with a notable experience in teaching and research: Prof. Miro Hacek, head of the Political Science Department at the University of Ljubljana; Assoc. Prof. Simona Kukovic, lecturer in public administration at the University of Ljubljana; Prof. Assoc. Dr. Ervis Iljazaj, Prof. Dr. Arlinda Ymeraj, Dr. Evis Gjebra and Prof. Merita Xhumari from the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tirana.

The particularity of these Seminars of Excellence lies in their preparation as a joint academic effort of lecturers from Albania with their colleagues in Austria and Slovenia during the trainings for capacity building of Western Balkan academic staff in EU countries in 2016. Secondly, these Seminars offer to students of political science and international relations in Tirana the opportunity to learn about contemporary debates in some of the major areas of their studies such as public administration and public policy and local governance. Thirdly, these Seminars are a typical example of how the PoSIG Master’s studies will be organized, where the founding principle is integrated and student-centered teaching and competencies. So teaching is the result not only of the expertise and work of a single lecturer, but of a close co-operation between lecturers in partner universities in the Western Balkans and the EU, sharing the best experiences and enriching learning in student interest.

Prof. Miro Hacek – University of Ljubljana

Comparative local governments in Europe

The first part of the SoE will discuss scope, aims, method and components of the comparative perspective on local governments, approaching the field with a variety of theoretical frameworks. The second part will introduce specific country studies, with a focus on most foundational European traditions. In this context, we discuss normative values and the basis of local governments. The third part will investigate milestones of local authorities development, the legal basis of local entities and decentralization reforms, and the roles played by local governments in overall public administration. We will also explore different types and models of local governments and place particular emphasis on consequences of managerial reforms on local governments, which have recently gone through new trends. The SoE puts some emphasis on global actors, institutions and dynamics of local governments and draws on examples from the European Union in order to develop a comparative.

Assistant Prof. Simona Kukovic – University of Ljubljana

Leadership in Public Sector

Effective leadership is crucial in managing an organization whether it is a business, public, or non-profit organization. Organizations succeed not just because of the top leader’s actions. Rather, it is the positive leadership climate that pervades the organization, which helps it to learn, adapt, and perform at a high level. Therefore, it is important for everyone to understand the topic of leadership, from the CEO to the frontline supervisors. This SoE provides audience with the capability to understand what leadership is as well as an insight to prevailing leadership theories and models focusing on leadership practices in public and non-profit organizations. While general leadership theories prevail all the sectors, leading public and non-profit organization requires special knowledge and understanding of the characteristics of these organizations.