Cities are taking part in enforcing international standards/law by humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and relief for Ukrainian refugees, severing sister cities’ ties with Russian cities and breaking other forms of cooperation with them. This enforcement consists of implementing sanctions against Russia and supporting the victim of illegal Russian aggression in the exercise of collective self-defense. The research goal of this article is to examine the reaction of 12 cities (Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Geneva, London, Madrid, Munich, Paris, Stockholm, Strasbourg and the Hague, chosen as part of a broader research project that the authors are implementing) to Russian aggression against Ukraine and on that basis to catalogue or classify their actions as well as answer the question whether they are enforcing international standards only by following their states’ actions or by acting ahead of them. The cities had been chosen as part of a broader research project that the authors are implementing. The research methods include desk analysis and multiple case studies. The information has mostly been obtained from the websites of the respective city councils as well as via e-mails from the International Affairs offices/officers of examined cities.

International cooperation of cities is a crucial part of multi-level governance, yet, nowadays, it is facing new challenges, such as the pandemic or the growing role of populist movements, not to mention the war in Ukraine. The research goal of the paper is to determine what drives cities to participate in the Pact of Free Cities and what the perspectives of such an enterprise are. To reach this goal, the authors attempt to answer questions regarding the Pact’s intentions, methods of achieving its objectives and chances to do so, possible EU interest in this kind of initiative, and chances that other cities will be inspired to follow. Do cities want to bypass governments, or are there other reasons for establishing such cooperation? This exploratory case study aims to show a new form of city cooperation introduced by the Pact of Free Cities initiative.

Purpose: This paper analyzes the development of the concept of subsidiarity, its relationship with management theories and the implementation of the principle of subsidiarity in the context of local self-government in Poland and Lithuania by conducting comparative research. Design/ methodology/ approach: The research was conducted based on methods of desk research of scientific literature, analysis of documents and their content from the Lithuanian and Polish parliaments’ commissions and using comparative approach methods. Findings: The research reveals the essential aspects of the concept of subsidiarity and the extent to which this principle is relevant in the work of the Committee on State Administration and Local Authorities of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania and Self-Government and Regional Policy Commission of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland in shaping the policy of self-government. The study demonstrates that subsidiarity principles are used in practice in a very incoherent way regarding public service regulations. Practical implications: The analysis is relevant, as an implementation of public policy in Lithuania and Poland increasingly calls for the integration of values into politics, which cannot be done without relying on certain principles. Research limitations: The generalizability of the results is limited by the number of parliamentary terms that have been taken into consideration. Originality/ value: The originality of this paper lies within the context in which this study took place—an international comparison of Lithuanian and Polish concepts that is rarely taken into consideration in the scientific literature.

Co-production of public services is an increasingly popular tool in public management, although it is still a new phenomenon in Poland. Despite the attention researchers give to co-production, some significant gaps remain. In this article, the author attempts to examine the legal possibility of implementing co-production by the Polish local government by local initiative and Solecki Fund. The article aims to examine how major Polish cities gathered in Union in Polish Metropolises used local initiatives. The next step in research is to find out how Solecki Fund is spread among rural areas according to statistical data. It is proved that only a handful of local governments in Poland are truly engaged in co-production. However, Solecki Fund can be shown as an excellent example of citizens’ engagement. It is presented a possible agenda on what can be done to make co-production more popular and used on a regular basis not only in metropolitan but also rural areas.

Objective: New public governance is one of the most popular paradigms in public administration management. The aim of this article is to examine the co-production of public services, which is gaining interest in many European countries, including Poland, and to find out how co-production is defined, what the reasons to pay attention to this tool are, how we can distinguish between different models of co-production and, last but not least, what the possibilities and drawbacks of introducing it into practice are. Research Design & Methods: The article is a literature review based on the most important public management journals. Findings: In conclusion, the author shows new ways of defining co-production and presents a proposal for further research strategies for the co-production of public services. Implications / Recommendations: The meaning of co-production of public services has varied over the last few years due to the fact that various new elements have emerged. Therefore there is still a huge field, to cover such as conducting research about the use of social media in the co-production of public services. Contribution / Value Added: The most recent literature review about co-production was conducted by Vooberg in 2014. As a result, this article refreshes the knowledge about it and proposes a new research agenda for the future. Article Classification: Theoretical article: original literature review. JEL classification: R50 Objective: New public governance is one of the most popular paradigms in public administration management. The aim of this article is to examine the co-production of public services, which is gaining interest in many European countries, including Poland, and to find out how co-production is defined, what the reasons to pay attention to this tool are, how we can distinguish between different models of co-production and, last but not least, what the possibilities and drawbacks of introducing it into practice are. Research Design & Methods: The article is a literature review based on the most important public management journals. Findings: In conclusion, the author shows new ways of defining co-production and presents a proposal for further research strategies for the co-production of public services. Implications / Recommendations: The meaning of co-production of public services has varied over the last few years due to the fact that various new elements have emerged. Therefore there is still a huge field, to cover such as conducting research about the use of social media in the co-production of public services. Contribution / Value Added: The most recent literature review about co-production was conducted by Vooberg in 2014. As a result, this article refreshes the knowledge about it and proposes a new research agenda for the future. Article Classification: Theoretical article: original literature review. JEL classification: R50

The last decades have been a time of dynamic changes in the scope of public management tools, as well as a gradual increase in the participation of citizens at every stage of public decision-making. That is why application of ICT tools in practice of public policy implementation is currently a popular direction of public administration development. The aim of the article is to analyse how this postulate is implemented on the example of Polish participatory budgets. On the basis of quantitative research the authors have analysed participatory budgets that function in towns with powiat rights. In the conclusions it is stated that ICT are applied only partially within the public policy environment and are used to popularise participatory budgets and to facilitate the process of voting for the submitted propositions.