Excellence in public administration: job satisfaction as a factor of good administration

Abstract

Good administration emphasises the service-mindedness of public administration and the restriction of authority. It has long been primarily understood as a legal doctrine. However, the notion of good administration has to be expanded with the concept of business excellence to incorporate specific managerial elements because satisfied civil servants better satisfy the public interest and the rights of parties. Hence, an analysis of good administration in relation to job satisfaction was conducted, with a special focus on Slovenian practices in various types of administrative agencies. First, the results show that job satisfaction is a factor of good administration and, second, that its understanding and enforcement vary according to the type of agency involved (service or authoritative). Third, there is an insufficient awareness of job satisfaction impact both on the satisfaction of parties in administrative procedures and on good administration holistically.