Youth Policy in National Strategic Planning in Baltic States

Public administrations use national strategic planning to set the state`s long-term vision, goals, prioritize development areas, directions and general tasks for future development in order to ensure state`s sustainability. Another important precondition for state`s sustainability is the society, the people. One of the strategically important parts of the society in the perspective of future development, creation of added value and state`s physical and economic sustainability is youth. In order to educate and engage young people thus giving a contribution to state`s future development and sustainability, public administration implements the youth policy, which is a service to the clients – the youth. Although the main objective of national strategic planning and national youth policy is to improve the welfare and the life quality of young people, in specific terms of development, as every organization, also public administration must ensure the sustainability of not only the impact, but also the process – the implementers of these policies must think of how and who will implement them in long-term future.
On one hand, Adam Smith`s “invisible hand” in interaction between the supply and demand (including public administration labour market) most probably is still working at full force. On the other hand, demographic statistics in Baltic States, in particular in Latvia and Lithuania, reveal low birth rates, high emigration rates and the much related economic statistics with high unemployment, debt and low income. Taking into account the statistics and the overall public attitude toward public administration, the answer to the abovementioned question about youth involvement in public administration development might seem debatable.
The paper will review Youth policies including their elements that are integrated in national strategic planning documents in Baltic States and will partly compare whether and how the government leaders’ expectations as well as the goals and visions set in national strategic development documents, including youth policy documents, are in line with youth's plans for participation in public administration development.