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Cilj je rada dati početne uvide u koherentnost hrvatskih javnih politika eksplorativnom analizom triju strateških dokumenata: Nove boje znanja – Strategija obrazovanja, znanosti i tehnologije, Nacionalni program za mlade za razdoblje od 2014. do 2017. godine i Nacionalna strategija poticanja čitanja za razdoblje od 2017. do 2022. godine. Analizom je utvrđeno da je tematska srodnost pojedinih dokumenata snažna podloga za postizanje širokog opsega koherentnosti, da usmjerenost na bliske ciljane skupine doprinosi koherentnosti te da usmjerenost dokumenta na specifičan problem rezultira manjim opsegom koherentnosti. Temeljni je nalaz da se koherentnost očituje u potkategorijama sektorski orijentiranih i vrijednosno orijentiranih ciljeva gdje se ostvaruje većina podudarnosti triju dokumenata. Moguće je zaključiti da je za uočavanje svih nijansi koherentnosti važno koristiti se kvalitativnom i kvantitativnom analizom. Na konceptualnoj razini pokazalo se da je koherentnost višedimenzijska te se njezino nijansiranje najbolje može predočiti kontinuumom koji pokazuje kako koherentnost varira od faze formulacije do faze implementacije., The goal of the paper is to provide initial insights into the coherence of Croatian public policies through an exploratory analysis of three strategic documents: New Colours of Knowledge – Strategy of Education, Science and Technology, the National Youth Programme for the Period 2014–2017, and the National Reading Support Strategy for the Period 2017–2022. First of all, in order to select goal subcategories, the frequency of goals within these subcategories in each of the documents is used. Next, a qualitative comparison of the meaning of individual goals in the selected strategies provides an insight into the coherence of their content. The analysis has determined that the thematic affinity of individual strategic documents represents a strong basis for achieving a wide scope of coherence, that focus on similar and overlapping target groups contributes to coherence, and that the focus of a strategic document on a specific problem results in a smaller scope of coherence. The main finding of the paper is that coherence is observed in sector-oriented and value-oriented goals. In these subcategories, there is coherence among goals from all three strategic documents. Based on this insight, it is possible to conclude that it is important to use both qualitative and quantitative analysis in order to observe all facets of coherence. At the conceptual level, research has shown that coherence is multidimensional, and the best way to cover all its nuances is on a continuum that shows how coherence varies from the formulation phase to the implementation phase.

Published online: 30 September 2022 This paper investigates the technical dimension of policy goals, or their structural properties. The paper challenges the idea that policy goals can be conceptualized within a unidimensional hierarchy. It aims to contribute to policy theory by classifying goals based on systematic empirical research. Qualitative content analysis of 11 governmental strategies was conducted by focusing on the overlap of six technical features of policy goals: level of specification, mode of accomplishment, presence of time frames, quantifiable indicators, beneficiaries, and responsible actors. Based on the analysis, the paper distinguishes seven technical types of policy goals: broad, mode-centered, direction-centered, beneficiary-centered, actor-centered, semi-structured, and structured. Technical types of policy goals do not form a hierarchy with clear-cut levels, but can be placed on a continuum, from broad to structured, with the mixed types in between. This insight could enhance policy design theory by introducing a more sophisticated tuning of policy goals, potentially leading to better advice for practical policy planning, and, in turn, to more successful policy implementation. This paper was produced within a research project conducted in cooperation of the Faculty of Political Science and the Institute for Social Research in Zagreb. The project is funded by the University of Zagreb.

The paper analyzes how social and political actors in Croatia understand prostitution by studying legal and policy documents related to the phenomenon. It also analyzes whether gender perspective is included in the existing or proposed prostitution policies. By using critical frame analysis, the paper identifies 5 dominant policy frames: public peace and order frame, protection of sexual freedoms frame, public health frame, gender-based violence frame, and sex work frame. The fact that prostitution is rarely discussed, and that only a limited number of actors deal with the issue, suggests that prostitution in Croatia is still understood as a taboo. The lack of discussion on prostitution in policy documents produced by the Government, and continuation of the inherited criminalization model suggests that political elites support the public peace and order frame. Only NGOs and the Ombudswoman for Gender Equality of the Republic of Croatia elaborate the issue of prostitution and advocate for a change in the existing legal and policy framework. However, only NGOs working on harm reduction include the voice of persons involved in prostitution.

Low levels of trust in institutions in a post- socialist context is a relatively well-documented finding across various disciplines. Building upon this, the paper adds new insights to this discussion by contextualizing institutional trust amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in Croatia. Relying on the results from the national probabilistic sample, the authors explore how three sets of predictors – socio- demographic variables, individual characteristics (i.e., motivational orientations of authoritarianism and social dominance), and participants’ experiences during the coronavirus pandemic determine the level of trust in public institutions. Results unequivocally showcase a fairly weak relationship between authoritarianism and social dominance orientation with institutional trust, unlike situational experiences, which play the most significant role in explaining levels of institutional trust. Contrary to authors’ expectations, adherence to measures and worries about catching the COVID-19 disease in the future were not predictive for institutional trust.

IN ENGLISH: This study aims at empirically improving public policy theory by unfolding the concept of policy goals and contributing to their classifications. The research focuses on the thematic dimension of policy goals and investigates 11 Croatian governmental strategies using qualitative content analysis. The research identifies original policy goal types and classifies them into sector‐, process‐, evaluation‐, instrument‐, and value‐oriented goals. Article concludes with a more comprehensive definition of policy goals, as governmental statements about desired futures in relation to specific sectoral purposes, values, and principles in democratic political systems, policymaking process improvements, necessary instrumental innovations, and evaluation standards that should be fulfilled. The application of this definition and developed goals’ classification reveals that elements of policy‐process theories, evaluation research, policy design theory and instrument analysis, democracy theory, and sector‐specific research need to be synthesized to better understand the concept of policy goals and to advance their research. --------------- IN CROATIAN: Cilj ovog clanka je empirijski poboljsati teoriju javnih politika razvijanjem koncepta ciljeva politike i doprinosom njihovoj klasifikaciji. Istraživanje se fokusira na tematsku dimenziju ciljeva politike i istražuje 11 hrvatskih vladinih strategija pomocu kvalitativne analize sadržaja. Istraživanje identificira izvorne vrste ciljeva politike i klasificira ih na ciljeve usmjerene na sektor, proces, procjenu, instrument i vrijednost. Clanak zavrsava opsežnijom definicijom ciljeva politike, kao vladine izjave o željenoj buducnosti u odnosu na određene sektorske svrhe, vrijednosti i nacela u demokratskim politickim sustavima, poboljsanja procesa donosenja politika, potrebne instrumentalne inovacije i standarde ocjenjivanja koje treba ispuniti. Primjena ove klasifikacije i klasifikacija razvijenih ciljeva otkriva da elemente teorija politickih procesa, istraživanja evaluacije, teorije dizajna politika i analize instrumenata, teorije demokracije i specificnih sektorskih istraživanja treba sintetizirati kako bi se bolje razumio koncept ciljeva politike i kako bi unaprijedili svoja istraživanja.

U radu se, na temelju podataka prikupljenih u istraživanjima koja je u osam vremenskih točaka u proteklih dvadeset godina na reprezentativnom uzorku hrvatskih građana proveo Fakultet političkih znanosti, analizira stanje institucionalnog povjerenja u Hrvatskoj. Oslanjajući se na teorijske koncepte Davida Eastona i Pippe Norris te uvažavajući prethodne studije o institucionalnom povjerenju u Hrvatskoj, rad donosi i neke nove elemente. Dok većina prethodnih radova obuhvaća najviše tri točke mjerenja u kratkom vremenskom rasponu i analizi latentne strukture institucionalnog povjerenja pristupa kroz eksploratorni pristup, ovaj se rad temelji na analizi osam vremenskih točaka i analizira prikladnost postojećih teorijskih modela. Usto, analiza fluktuacija u razinama institucionalnog povjerenja temelji se na utvrđivanju invarijantnosti mjerenja, što je važan metodološki doprinos rada. Osnovni rezultati studije mogu se podijeliti u tri grupe. Prvo, na deskriptivnoj razini utvrdili smo da je povjerenje građana u pojedine institucije najčešće ispod srednje vrijednosti na ljestvici od 1 do 5, osim u slučajevima vojske i policije. Drugo, analiza pokazuje da hrvatski građani razlikuju dva tipa institucionalnog povjerenja – povjerenje u predstavničke institucije i povjerenje u institucije sigurnosti. Treće, analiza je pokazala kako se u razdoblju od 1999. do 2020. povjerenje građana u predstavničke institucije smanjilo, dok je povjerenje u institucije sigurnosti ostalo izrazito stabilno. Na temelju toga moguće je izvesti dva važna zaključka. Ponajprije, korištenje invarijantnosti mjerenja trebalo bi postati standardom za buduća istraživanja povjerenja u kojima se uspoređuju različite vremenske točke. Potom, niska razina povjerenja u predstavničke institucije sugerira otuđenost građana od tih institucija i predstavlja problem funkcioniranju predstavničke demokracije u Hrvatskoj., This paper analyses the state of institutional trust (IT) in Croatia based on data collected by the Faculty of Political Science on a representative sample of Croatian citizens in eight time points over the past 20 years. Based on Easton's and Norris' concepts and considering previous studies on IT in Croatia, this paper brings some new elements. While most of the previous studies cover a maximum of three measurement points in a relatively short time span and analyse the latent structure of IT through an exploratory approach, this paper is based on an analysis spanning eight time points and analyses the appropriateness of existing theoretical models. In addition, the analysis of fluctuations in the levels of IT is based on determining measurement invariance as the most important methodological contribution of this paper. The main results of the study show that the level of citizens' trust in individual institutions is usually below the midpoint of the scale of 1 to 5, except for the military and police. Second, Croatian citizens distinguish between two types of IT – trust in representative and security institutions. Third, in the 1999–2020 period, IT in representative institutions decreased, while trust in security institutions remained pronouncedly stable. These insights lead to two main conclusions. First, the measurement invariance should become the standard for future IT studies comparing different time points. Second, the low level of trust regarding representative institutions of the Republic of Croatia suggests the alienation of citizens from these institutions and indicates a problem for the functioning of representative democracy.

In Western European countries, studies on the relationship between class position and political outlooks so far have a limited understanding of the relevance of class analysis, while in semiperipheral countries, like Croatia, research on class-related mechanisms and political behavior is modest, with a clear deficit of empirical research. The main goal of class analysis is to have the potential to explain various life outcomes primarily through explaining and exploring relationships between class position and life chances. In this article, we have employed neo- Weberian class analysis with the purpose to explore the relationship between class position and political behavior. In the article we use the concept of political behavior as a broader term that consists of individuals’ interest in politics, political efficacy, and political participation (voter turnout). We have used the data from the International Social Survey Program module Role of Government V from 2016. Analysis has shown that in Croatia, class membership is a predictor of interest in politics and political efficacy, i.e., that the members of a higher class show greater interest in politics and assess that they have a better understanding of politics. Class per se does not have a direct effect on voter turnout, but it is mediated through political efficacy and interest in politics since voting is mostly under the influence of personal interest in politics.

Autor u radu iz teorijske perspektive historijskog institucionalizma i koncepta promjene politike detektira i analizira pokretače promjene te ključne uvjete koji su omogućili ili spriječili promjenu politike osiguravanja kvalitete na javnim sveučilištima u Hrvatskoj u periodu od 2001. do 2013. godine. Radom je obuhvaćeno sedam javnih sveučilišta – Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Sveučilište u Splitu, Sveučilište u Rijeci, Sveučilište Josipa Jurja Strossmayera u Osijeku, Sveučilište u Zadru, Sveučilište u Dubrovniku, te Sveučilište Jurja Dobrile u Puli. Koristeći se kvalitativnim metodama (usmjerena analiza sadržaja i polustrukturirani intervjui) kojima se prati proces promjene politike utvrđeno je da su glavni pokretači promjene izvanjski. Glavni zaključak je da institucionalna struktura može biti preduvjet koji omogućuje akterima provedbu promjene, ali da su pojedine karakteristike aktera, poput njihovih kapaciteta, nužne da bi se promjena i dogodila., From the theoretical perspective of historical institutionalism and concept of policy change the author detects and analyzes the initiators of change and key conditions that enabled or prevented the change in quality assurance policy at public universities in Croatia from 2001 to 2013. The analysis includes seven public universities – the University of Zagreb, the University of Split, the University of Rijeka, the Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, the University of Zadar, the University of Dubrovnik and the Juraj Dobrila University of Pula. Using qualitative methods (directed content analysis and semi-structured interviews) to follow the process of policy change, it has been established that the main motors of change are external. The main conclusion is that the institutional structure can be a prerequisite that enables actors to implement change, but that certain features of actors, such as their capacities, are necessary for policy change.

Low levels of trust in institutions in a post-socialist world is a relatively well documented finding across various disciplines of social science. Building upon this argument, the paper adds new insights to this discussion by contextualizing institutional trust in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in Croatia. Relying on the results from the national probabilistic sample, authors explore how three sets of predictors - socio-demographic variables, individual characteristics (i. e. motivational orientations of authoritarianism and social dominance) and participants’ experiences during the coronavirus pandemic determine the level of trust in public institutions. Results unequivocally showcase a fairly weak relationship between authoritarianism and social dominance orientation with institutional trust, unlike situational experiences, which play the most significant role in explaining levels of institutional trust. Contrary to authors’ expectations, adherence to measures and worries about catching the COVID-19 disease in the future were not predictive for institutional trust.

Overview of the Higher Education System and Institutions in Croatia

The central puzzle of Croatia’s post-communist transition has been the extent of economic and institutional divergence with new EU member states bound by common historical legacy and imperatives of institutional transformation following a collapse of the old institutional order. In this chapter we identify two key explanations that stand behind this evolution. First, we claim that the political economy of Croatia’s transition represents the case of partial reform equilibrium where winners represent the biggest threat to successful long-term transition. Second, comparative political economy analysis of five key areas (product market competition, collective bargaining, financial sector, social protection and education) shows that Croatia developed a typical variant of capitalism, which is in its attributes closer to South European capitalisms than to capitalisms prevalent in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE-10) EU member states.

The chapter describes the changes in educational policy in Croatia from 1990 to 2015 with a brief overview of the previous period and an analysis of policy instruments used in the last decade. In the analysed period, Croatian educational policy has undergone important changes although it was not a priority of key political actors. The analysis is focused on instruments used to achieve the educational policy goals. The goals are defined based on national public political documents, which have determined educational priorities in the analysed period and they are analysed within the context of all changes in national policies, changes in politics and the Europeanization of public policies. The chapter begins with the thesis that selecting instruments depends highly on ideas and interests of key actors.

The higher education system of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia displayed three specific characteristics – a) non-integrated universities, b) absence of a federal ministry of education since the 1970s, and b) self-managed Communities of Interest as the decision-maker in the higher education system. Therefore, there was no direct connection between the universities and economic planning. The author considers this to be one of the causes of high unemployment of graduates and brain drain towards Croatia and Serbia. Twenty years after the dissolution of the SFRY, the universities are still not integrated, there aren’t any connections with the market, and the same problems prevail. This paper focuses on the flagship universities from Croatia and Serbia. The author uses the historical institutionalism framework, document analysis and the process tracing method in order to explain and connect these issues. As a conclusion, the author offers three solutions for the reorganization of non-integrated universities.

Analyses and results in this paper are tied to the research question on the influence of the extent of participation in decentralized activities of the Erasmus Programme on the internationalization of higher education institutions (HEIs) in Croatia (universities, polytechnics and schools of professional higher education). The fieldwork was conducted in the first half of 2015, and the data gathering was focused on the period from 2009 to 2013 during which Croatian HEIs participated in Erasmus Programme. We collected data related to the institutional capacities, procedures and practices of internationalization as well as to different barriers to the process of internationalization for and from 25 different Croatian higher education institutions. The main topics discussed in this paper relate to the institutional, administrative, financial and academic capacities of HEIs. For the purpose of answering the main research question, three methods of data collection and analyses were triangulated – content analysis, survey and in- depth interview. Content analysis included 174 documents, 88 questionnaires have been answered by Erasmus coordinators, and 12 semi-structured interviews were conducted with central Erasmus coordinators were conducted. Main results indicate that there has been a lack of management’s support for internationalization of the HE institution in general together with the discontinuity of development of the topic/dimension of internationalization within different types of HEIs. Furthermore, research results related to the financial capacities indicate that HEIs in Croatia are mainly relaying on funding received through Erasmus Programme, and are rarely investing their own financial resources with the goal to internationalize their programs or institution in general. Related to the administrative capacities, the “invisible work” of administrative personnel stands out as a most mentioned topic, together with the often mentioned importance of establishment of learning/support network of personnel from different HEIs. Finally, the results related to the academic capacities clearly show the influence that the Erasmus Programme has had on the introduction of courses in foreign languages and internationalization of HE curricula. Also, it is possible to discern difference in practices among universities, polytechnics and schools of professional higher education related to the organizing of lectures for international students, introduction of courses in foreign languages, inviting guest lecturers etc. This research provided important insight in the functioning of the HEIs in Croatia and development of their main capacities related to the process of internationalization and in the context of Erasmus Programme.

Autori u tekstu predstavljaju i vrednuju aktualne modele predstavljanja nacionalnih manjina u Hrvatskoj u komparativnoj perspektivi s nekim drugim državama. Zaključno nude vlasiti model rješenja ovog pitanja