Bizalmi Barométer - Confidential Barometer second uptake

Szemere Index Bizalmi barometer reached the second uptake. More novelties can be experienced in the case of the current examination. The most important one is a technical one: the questionnaire can be already filled and returned electronically. This is a very important innovation because the previous questionnaire hindered many people in the filling and the sending back of the questionnaire. The examination was supplemented with some important questions of MTA PTI. We ascribe also a big significance to the fact, that current questions of protection of interests got into the questionnaire with more municipal associations in co-operation in the present examination at the same time.

The electronic questionnaire is downloadable with the letter sounding for the mayors. We prepared a questionnaire variant which can be sent back on a fax or post.
In case of interest, you can also read the previous research in short and full meaning.

Discussion of the Mayors

- 02-02-2009 -

We organized a workshop on 2nd February, to talk over the Index Szemere with the mayors and the leaders of the local government organizations. We invited everybody who took part of the research, to discuss all of them experiences and observations about it. The event was supported by the Local Government of the XIII. District in Budapest. The workshop was successful, because people who assisted with the index could talk about it, so it will exercise an influence on our work. The discussions were conducted by Gábor Zongor (TÖOSZ) and András Vigvári (ÁSZ).

The first presentation was headed by József Tóth (the mayor of the XIII. district of Budapest), and it followed Róbert Kovács (executive of the LRMI) who presented the results of the Confidence Index (LGCI) and the future expansions (LCI). József Tóth think that the initiative is great, which can show the right way for the local governments. At the same time he cautioned us to some danger about it, first of all the stigmatization. Later some of them mentioned it also, for example Zsolt Fábián (MÖSZ) who said that the first role should be the cooperation, not the “race”. The participants agreed with each other that the success is more important for the local government than the competition. In the opinion of Vigvári András this is not a real danger, because Competiveness Index is much more a guideline, which can show the right way. Gábor Zongor called everybody’s attention, that the Confidence Index could be much more useful for the local government’s professional organizations.

On the short workshop the mayor of Nagymányok also had the floor about the difference of the city and town. In his opinion we must separate this two type of the places, because it is more difficult to govern a little town. Gellért Szabó (Magyar Faluszövetség) proposed that we should make terminally our questionnaire. Zsolt Fábián agreed with this and he added that the local government’s relation with the European Union is more bad, because of the defective information.

On the closing event László Csider (Önkormányzati Minisztérium) presented the “Panel-program”. He introduced the reconstructions, what materialized in the last few years, the local government roles and the new “Ökoprogram”.  

So after this short discussion we can continue the expansion of the Index Szemere, because we got support for our next work. After the survey in May we will have comparative results. The LRMI will introduce it forecast in September. The second index (LCI) is more objective in contrast with the first (LGCI). It will base on statistic dates, and we will have all of the town’s statistics. against the first, there we had only a mayor questionnaire.

 The Best Hungarian Local Government

Local Government indices of LRMI:
Local Competiveness (LCI) and Confidence (LGCI)

The Local and Regional Monitoring Institute according to its aim established by its founding contract wishing to make more transparent local governments operating is elaborating its local governments indices. Our objective is to create a methodology permitting to measure in a regular base (at least yearly) and a comparative way the performance of the sector and its relation to its environment.     
LRMI began the development in November – December 2007 using its own financial resources. The developments were almost finished by May – June 2008. Our tasks for the next month’ consist in to try and make fine tuning of this technology and make the fist pilot surveys.

During the development process we decided to establish a system which is compose from two principal components: one to reflect to opinion on local government from outside, and one to reflect the opinion of the local government on its surrounding. All of them are composed by 8-10 sub-indices. We determined the data sources and the way to calculate for each of them. We calculate in general terms with three kind of data sources: (1) statistics (public data, and a data sheet filled up by the local government; and survey between (2) mayors (presidents of county councils) and local (3).citizens. This would require an extremely big financial effort so it is optional.

We take as a highly important aspect of the indices to answer the very different professional expectations. For this reason in the preparatory phase we made a deep exploratory work. When basing the indices we started by the international literature, specially the EU standards, and tools used by the Hungarian experts in theory and practice.

To answer the very different professional expectations in front of the indices to be produced for this reason we elected into the Strategic Scientific Board of LRMI excellent personalities dedicated to theoretical and / or practical side of the regional sciences. In the other hand LRMI initiated a strong cooperation in the domain of the index with local governments’ professional associations, which ended in a general agreement with six associations.