Background

Under the Administration Act, the administration is divided into general and specialized. The specialized administration includes the units that support and provide for the implementation of the authority of the respective government body. The general administration provides technical support for the said body, assists the specialized administration and the service delivery to citizens and legal entities. Each municipal administration is functioning in a very dynamic environment. On the other hand, the internal links within the administration are based on narrow specialization, which creates some problems related to coordination, and especially so with regard to project development and implementation.

Practice

Issues, problems, possible solutions. These are just part of everyday life in a municipality. Municipality of Sofia s Research and Analyses Department is specialized in global issues and has the ability to quickly react to problems. Some of the capabilities of the Department include:
participation in international programs;
development of the municipal budget and investment plan;
twinning with an attractive foreign municipality;
preparation of required information in signing loan contracts and selection of bank;
analyses of demographic and labor trends;
municipal econom
expert evaluation on possible considerable devaluation of national currency;
identification of the number of buses needed for the normal functioning of the public transport system;
forecasts on the effect of the enforcement of the Public Servants Act on the structure of the municipal administration. Department staff have economic background. They receive and process primary financial and economic data sent by the municipal commercial companies and enterprises. On topical projects, the staff have direct, expert level contacts with external organizations. The department is a key actor in the preliminary phases of important projects, when the functions of specialized directorates are still unclear. The departments keeps an archive of publications by the National Statistical Institute and the ministries, as well as documents related to different municipal functions. The existence of the Surveys and Analyses Department gives the Municipality the following advantages: the mayor receives specialized assistance and is provided fast response alternatives; there is no need to use private consulting companies that don t know the municipal reality and are a significant burden on the municipal budget; the department replaces the specialized committees of experts from the different directorates, which are typically ineffective as they meet at a certain period of time and for a limited time.

Results
The existence of a Research and Analyses Department allows larger municipalities to have experts that are not committed to a single area but rather have a global look at municipal problems and projects. The department has coordination functions in the development of municipal development strategies, individual programs and in the preliminary phases of most municipal projects.