Government at a Glance: Western Balkans
Government at a Glance: Western Balkans presents information on public governance in the Western Balkan region – covering Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia, and compares it to OECD and OECD-EU countries. This first regional edition features 40 indicators on public finance, public employment, centre of government, budgeting practices and procedures, human resources management, public procurement, digital government, core government results and serving citizens. Governance indicators provide important benchmarks on public administration systems, practices and performance. Indicators are presented in a user-friendly format using charts, with brief descriptive analyses of the major findings, and a methodological section on the definition of the indicator and any limitations in data comparability.
Access to legal and justice services
Access to justice is defined as the ability of citizens to seek and obtain a just resolution of legal problems through a wide range of legal and justice services. This involves legal information, counsel and representation to formal (e.g. courts) and alternative dispute resolution, and enforcement mechanisms. Nowadays, more emphasis is placed on legal empowerment, which enables citizens’ meaningful participation in the justice system and in building their capabilities to understand and use the law for themselves (OECD, 2019). The rule of law requires an impartial and non-discriminatory justice system. Without equal access, a large portion of the population would be left behind. For example, in all Western Balkans, except for Serbia and Albania, the lack of an adequate system for compensating legal costs for the winning party can create additional barriers for access to administrative justice.
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