National security system in Lithuania: case study according to institutional fragmentation theory

ENWhen analyzing services as institutions in the context of public sector organizations as a whole, we need to consider various aspects, for example the environment in which both collaboration and competition can prevail. All of these aspects are important in examining the interrelationships and regulatory links between organizations. Relationship between institutions has become one of the central themes of public governance, which has impact for overcoming with challenges facing public sectors as socio-demographic, economic and technological changes occur. Purpose – to analyze national security system of Lithuania according to three ideal types (synergistic, cooperative and conflictive) of institutional fragmentation. Design/methodology/approach. Institutional fragmentation can be analyzed through the number of institutions and the prism of their legal regulation (Zelli, 2011). In the scientific literature fragmentation is divided into three types - synergistic, cooperative and conflictive (Biermann et al, 2009). Synergistic fragmentation is characterized by an equal participation of all institutes, providing the general operating principles, separating the regulation of activities, but essentially integrating all institutional structures. Collaborative or cooperative fragmentation is characterized by poorly integrated institutions and decision-making procedures, where the relationship between these different norms and principles is often ambiguous or when not all institutions are involved in core activities. In the context of conflictive institutional fragmentation, institutions have different decisionmaking procedures, operating principles, norms and rules are even contradictory (Biermann et al, 2009). The case study method was chosen, which allows to thoroughly analyze the situation in the real context and to describe and explain the phenomenon under study.This method generally adopt a neutral, distanced and factual tone with the purpose of explaining results to peers so that they can be re-applied, tested and, ideally, reproduced (Lapoule and Lynch, 2018). In the case study the key element is undoubtedly the case which also has a number of characteristic features (Sherzod et al., 2020). In this research national security system as a specific case was chosen. Finding. Currently in Lithuania we have very fragmented national security model. In order to deal with this situation, it would be advisable to unify the general provisions of the statutory civil service and to regulate them in a single legal act. The analysis shows that the reforms following the restoration of independence did not set clear goals for the national security system. Research limitations/implications. This research provides a case study based on national security services regulation. Practical implications. The strict separation between the statutory and military services, which attributes the civil defense service to the system of statutory services, suggests that Lithuania has an overly fragmented, even conflicted model of regulating relations between national security services. National security system documents to improve this system are disadvantageous, as this policy aspect, which covers the responsibilities of many ministries and even individual branches of government, does not clearly distinguish national security activities from the functions of other institutions. The absence of such a demarcation means that we cannot adequately assess the adequacy of national security capabilities to challenges or potential adverse scenarios. Originality/Value. National security system is considered as the activity of individual services without examining the whole and separating the statutory from the military services. This case study looks at these services together as a whole of the national security system. [From the publication]