Comparative Analysis of Social Services Reform in Slovenia, Austria and Croatia: Legal-Administrative Perspective

Abstract Social services within predominantly service-based public administration are undergoing constant reforms in response to evolving social circumstances. These reforms should align with international and constitutional principles, including the rule of law, the welfare state, and public governance, and rely on the assessment of the gap between the current state of affairs and the desired situation. Reforms of the competences and organisation of social work institutions should be analysed in comparison with related systems, taking into account national and sector-specific characteristics. The objective of this research was to examine, from a legal-administrative perspective, the reforms of social services in three systems building on the Rechtsstaat tradition: Slovenia, Austria, and Croatia. A qualitative approach was employed as the most suitable for evaluative research. The methodology included a literature review, semi-structured interviews, relational content analysis of reform policy documents and public administration performance reports, and a systemic analysis of the codification of administrative procedure as the formal legal framework for providing social services. The results show that the reforms of social services in Slovenia and Croatia share similarities as they focus on the Weberian context, with all the challenges associated with such formalised reforms. In contrast, Austrian reforms, influenced by a hybrid public management, are more results-oriented and thus able to provide user-oriented services.