First part of the fellowship
I HAVE STARTED MY FELLOWHIP IN MARCH 2002. IN MARCH, I PARTICIPATED IN THE INITIAL FELLOWSHIP SESSION IN BUDAPEST. DURING THIS TIME, WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE TRAINERS IN THE SEMINAR, ESPECIALLY LESLIE ELIASON, I HAVE FORMULATED WITH GREATER PRECISIONS MY OBJECTIVES FOR THE RESEARCH AND POLICY WRITING DURING THE FELLOWSHIP.
PURSUANT TO MY PROPOSAL, IN MY RESEARCH I CONCENTRATED ON THE ISSUES OF THE REFORM PROCESSES AND PUBLIC POLICY DISCOURSE IN THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC. THE AREAS OF EMPHASIS WERE THE LEGISLATIVE AND INSTITUTIONAL REFORM PROCESSES RELATING TO THE ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION OF THE COUNTRY. AMONG THEM WERE THE BANK RESTRUCTURING AND PRIVATIZATION; ADOPTION OF A BLUE-PRINT FOR THE REFORM OF COMMERCIAL LEGISLATION (COMMERCIAL CODE REFORM, CORPORATE GOVERNANCE RULES, AND COLLATERAL REFORM); REFORM OF THE LABOR MARKET, INCLUDING THE ADOPTION OF A NEW LABOR CODE; AND AN AUDIT AND REFORM OF STATE ADMINISTRATION, INCLUDING THE NEW LAW ON CIVIL SERVICE AND PUBLIC SERVICE. IN ADDITION, I HAVE LOOKED AT THE ISSUES OF DONOR ASSISTANCE AND ITS EFFICIENCY OF DELIVERY, ESPECIALLY WITH REGARD TO INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND THE EUROPEAN UNION PHARRE PROGRAMME.
MARCH – JUNE, 2002
BETWEEN MARCH AND JUNE 2002, I HAVE COLLECTED LITERATURE, DID RESEARCH
IN THE MEDIA AND CONDUCTED NUMEROUS INTERVIEWS WITH GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES
AND THINK TANK SCHOLARS. I ALSO WORKED CLOSELY WITH MY TWO MENTORS,
JURAJ RENCKO (FORMER ADVISOR TO THE MINISTER OF FINANCE AND THE HEAD OF
THE COORDINATION UNIT FOR BANK RESTRUCTURING AND PRIVATIZATION) AND GRIGORIJ
MESEZNIKOV, A PROMINENT PUBLIC POLICY SCHOLAR AND PRESIDENT OF THE INSTITUTE
FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS, A LEADING SLOVAK PUBLIC POLICY THINK TANK.
JUNE 2002
IN JUNE 2002 I HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THE SECOND FELLOWSHIP SEMINAR IN BUDAPEST.
THEREAFTER, I VISITED THE UNITED STATES TO DISCUSS MY POLICY RESEARCH WITH
EXPERTS AT THE WORLD BANK WHO HAVE DONE EXTENSIVE RESEARCH AND WRITING
ON THE TRANSITION REFORMS, NAMELY JOEL HELLMAN, PRADEEP MITRA AND MARCELO
SELOWSKY (CURRENTLY AT THE IMF, FORMERLY OF THE WORLD BANK). IN ADDITION,
I HAVE BENEFITED FROM ACCESS TO THE LAW LIBRARY OF THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
AND THE JOIN BANK-IMF LIBRARY FOR FURTHER LITERATURE RESEARCH. I HAVE ALSO
HELD CONSULTATIONS AT THE CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
AND THE CENTER FOR PRIVATE ENTERPRISE.
JULY – SEPTEMBER 2002
DURING THE MONTH OF JULY I HAVE DEVOTED MY TIME TO WRITING AND EDITING
MY FIRST ARTICLE ON LESSONS FROM THE SLOVAK REFORM PROCESSES. THE ARTICLE
HAS NOW BEEN PUBLISHED IN THE EBRD’S LAW IN TRANSITION UNDER THE TITLE
A REFORMER’S LESSONS LEARNED: THE CASE OF THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC. (THE
ARTICLE CAN BE FOUND IN A PDF FORMAT ON MY FELLOWSHIP WEB PAGE.) LATER
ON IN THE SUMMER AND IN THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER, I HAVE BEEN DOING FURTHER
RESEARCH ON THE AREAS MENTIONED ABOVE – LABOR MARKET REFORM AND BANK RESTRUCTURING
AND PRIVATIZATION PROCESSES. IN ADDITION, I HAVE DONE RESEARCH AND INTERVIEWS
ON THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS (AT THE EXECUTIVE AND PARLIAMENT LEVEL). THE
RESEARCH AND THINKING ON THIS TOPIC WILL BE THE BASIS OF MY POLICY PAPER
THAT IS BEING PREPARED. THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS I HAVE WORKED CLOSELY WITH
MY MENTORS.
Second part of the fellowship
OCTOBER 2002
IN OCTOBER, I PARTICIPATED
IN THE THIRD FELLOWSHIP MEETING IN BUDAPEST. DURING THIS MEETING, I GAVE
A PUBLIC LECTURE AT THE CEU/OSI. DURING THE LECTURE, I CONCENTRATED ON
THE ANALYSIS OF THE PUBLIC POLICY REFORM PROCESS IN SLOVAKIA, ITS CONSTRAINTS
AND LIMITATIONS. I ALSO SPENT TIME DISCUSSING THE THREE CASE STUDIES I
WROTE ABOUT IN MY RESEARCH PAPER – THE COMPREHENSIVE REFORM OF SECURED
TRANSACTIONS (COLLATERAL); THE ADOPTION OF OECD PRINCIPLES OF CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE IN THE REFORM OF THE SLOVAK COMMERCIAL CODE AND THE REFORM OF
THE LABOR LAW.
NOVEMBER 2002 – FEBRUARY 2003
DURING THE LATE FALL, I
HAVE CONCENTRATED ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND DRAFTING OF A POLICY PAPER. THE
TOPIC OF THE POLICY PAPER – REFORM OF THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS IN THE SLOVAK
REPUBLIC WAS SELECTED TOGETHER WITH KATARINA STARONOVA, ALSO A 2002 OSI
FELLOW, WHOSE RESEARCH TOPIC (PUBLIC POLICY PROCESS IN SLOVAKIA) HAD MANY
OVERLAPS WITH MINE. WE HAVE DEVELOPED THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND DRAFTED THE
POLICY PAPER AS A JOINT ENDEAVOR. THE IMPETUS FOR FOCUSING OUR POLICY PAPER
ON THE TOPIC OF THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS CAME FROM A MEETING WITH THE NEW
(AFTER SEPTEMBER 2002 PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS) DEPUTY MINISTER OF JUSTICE
OF SLOVAKIA, MS. LUCIA ZITNANSKA, WHO ASKED US TO GIVE HER RECOMMENDATIONS
ON HOW TO REORGANIZE, STREAMLINE AND MAKE MORE EFFICIENT THE PROCESS OF
DRAFTING NEW LEGISLATION IN SLOVAKIA. TO MAKE THIS POSSIBLE, WE HAVE CONDUCTED
ADDITIONAL MEETINGS WITH MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF THE GOVERNMENT,
WITH LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENTS OF THE MINISTRIES OF JUSTICE, FINANCE AND
LABOR, AND WITH MEMBERS OF THE PARLIAMENT WHO WERE PARTICULARLY ACTIVE
IN PROPOSING NEW LEGISLATION. IN DEVELOPING THE RECOMMENDATIONS, WE HAVE
CONSULTED WITH EXPERTS FROM INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, NAMELY UNDP, THE
WORLD BANK AND SIGMA. IN ADDITION, OUR RESPECTIVE MENTORS CRITIQUES EARLIER
DRAFTS OF THE POLICY PAPER. IN WASHINGTON, I HAVE CONSULTED ON THE POLICY
RECOMMENDATIONS WITH WORLD BANK EXPERTS IN THIS AREA, NAMELY JOEL HELLMAN
AND TONY VERHEIJEN, WHO BOTH HAD MANY USEFUL SUGGESTIONS AND COMMENTS.
MARCH 2003
IN MARCH 2003, I HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THE FINAL WORKSHOP IN BUDAPEST
FOR THE 2002 OSI FELLOWS. DURING THE SEMINAR, I HAVE ATTENDED AND ACTIVELY
PARTICIPATED IN THE PUBLIC POLICY PROCESS WORKING GROUP WHERE I SHARED
MY EXPERIENCES WITH THE INCOMING 2003 OSI FELLOWS. DURING THE WORKING GROUP,
I HAVE ALSO BRIEFLY DESCRIBED THE WORK I HAVE DONE OVER THE YEAR, THE RESEARCH
I HAVE CONDUCTED AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT KATARINA AND I HAVE DEVELOPED.
WHILE IN BUDAPEST, KATARINA
AND I HELD INTENSIVE CONSULTATIONS AND HAD DRAFTING SESSIONS WHERE WE FINALIZED
OUR JOIN RECOMMENDATIONS AND AGREED ON THE FINAL STRUCTURE AND CONTENT
OF THE POLICY PAPER.
IN MARCH, I HELD DISCUSSIONS
WITH THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF JUSTICE ON THE STRUCTURE AND THE CONTENT OF
THE POLICY PAPER AND PRESENTED HER ORALLY WITH OUR PRELIMINARY RECOMMENDATIONS.
WE HAVE INCORPORATED HER FEEDBACK INTO THE FINAL DRAFT OF THE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS
-- IN THE POLICY PAPER ENTITLED Recommendations for the Improvement
of the Legislative Drafting Process in Slovakia.