Entropy as a challenge to the institutional sustainability of public administration in the conditions of hybrid threats
Abstract
The article presents an interdisciplinary theoretical analysis of the phenomenon of institutional entropy as one of the key challenges to the institutional resilience of public administration systems under modern hybrid threats. The concept of institutional entropy is proposed as a measure of disorganization, chaotic functioning, and declining effectiveness of state institutions. The study traces the theoretical evolution of the notion of «entropy» – from physics and information theory to its application in the fields of social and administrative sciences. Particular attention is paid to adapting systems and informational approaches to assess the condition of public governance institutions.
The article identifies a complex set of internal (endogenous) and external (exogenous) factors that contribute to the growth of institutional entropy, including bureaucratization, corruption, organizational inertia, lack of strategic vision, low institutional capacity, cyber and information threats, disinformation campaigns, political turbulence, and external pressure. Through a comparative analysis of international experiences (EU countries, the USA, and Ukraine), the paper examines examples of destructive impacts on institutions and corresponding responses to growing entropic tendencies.
Special emphasis is placed on substantiating the possibility of identifying and monitoring institutional entropy through qualitative and quantitative indicators such as government effectiveness indices, public trust metrics, structural complexity, corruption perception, and information uncertainty. The article proposes an original conceptual model for assessing the level of institutional entropy, with a perspective for further empirical verification.
The study concludes that effective management of institutional entropy is a critical factor in ensuring the resilience, predictability, and legitimacy of public administration systems during times of crisis, transformation, and threat. This is especially relevant in the context of Ukraine’s experience of resisting hybrid aggression. The need for adaptive governance, transparency, strategic communication, and engagement of civil society is emphasized as a means of reducing entropy and strengthening institutional resilience.
Downloads
References
Alhajjar, E. (2024). Navigating the Landscape of Misinformation and Disinformation. New America; Future Security. Retrieved from https://d1y8sb8igg2f8e.cloudfront.net/documents/Navigating_the_Landscape_of_Misinformation_and_Disinformation_2024-10-28_15263_CEvoAWu.pdf.
Bailey, K.D. (2006). Living systems theory and social entropy theory. Systems Research and Behavioral Science. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1002/sres.728.
Bertalanffy, L. von. (1950). The Theory of Open Systems in Physics and Biology. Science, 111(2872), 23–29. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1126/science.111.2872.23.
Blikhar, M., Lukianova, H., Skochylias-Pavliv, O., & Vinichuk, M. (2024). Institutional stability of public administration: the economic and legal dimension. Naukovyi Visnyk Natsionalnoho Hirnychoho Universytetu, (2). Retrieved from https://dspace.lvduvs.edu.ua/handle/1234567890/7682.
Hybrid CoE. (2024). Building resilience to hybrid threats: Best practices in the Nordics (Working Paper 31). Retrieved from https://www.hybridcoe.fi/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/20240527-Hybrid-CoE-Working-Paper-31-Building-resilience-to-hybrid-threats-WEB.pdf.
Chappella, D., & Gregory, D.T. (2014). Defining the Entropy of Hierarchical Organizations. Complexity, Governance & Networks, 41–56. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/8655/f1d23285639d5833ff4fa0ea4632856011cf.pdf.
Dębski, S.S. (2025). Social Entropy and the Need for Change in Public Administration. Security Pace. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/127570517/SOCIAL_ENTROPY_AND_THE_NEED_FOR_CHANGE_IN_PUBLIC_ADMINISTRATION.
The Basics Guide. (2023). Institutional Entropy. Retrieved from https://thebasics.guide/institutional-entropy.
Karlsson, M. (n.d.). MW Group and NATO’s seven baseline requirements. MW Group. Retrieved from https://mw.group/mw-group-and-natos-seven-baseline-requirements.
Kong, W., & Marler, T. (2022). Ukraine’s Lessons for the Future of Hybrid Warfare. The National Interest. Retrieved from https://nationalinterest.org/feature/ukraines-lessons-future-hybrid-warfare-205922.
Pessali, H. (2023). Institutional Entropy. Journal of Economic Issues, 57(2), 397–406. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/00213624.2023.2200642.
Serrano, J. (2024). Disinformation is a threat to our trust ecosystem. Experts explain how to curb it. World Economic Forum. Retrieved from https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/03/disinformation-trust-ecosystem-experts-curb-it.
Shannon, C.E. (1948). A Mathematical Theory of Communication. The Bell System Technical Journal, 27, 379–423, 623–656. Retrieved from https://people.math.harvard.edu/~ctm/home/text/others/shannon/entropy/entropy.pdf.
Zeckhauser, J.R. (2015). Mancur Olson and the Tragedy of the Unbalanced Commons. Harvard Kennedy School. Retrieved from https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/rzeckhauser/files/olson.pdf.
Bashtannyk, O.V. (2024). Instytutsionalni imperatyvy systemnoi rozbudovy natsionalnoi stiikosti derzhavy [Institutional imperatives of the systemic development of national resilience]. Dniprovskyi naukovyi chasopys publichnoho upravlinnia, psykholohii, prava, (2). Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.51547/ppp.dp.ua/2024.2.1 [In Ukrainian].
Bilokon, M.V. (2024). Hibridni zahrozy ta instytutsijna entropiia v domeni publichnoho upravlinnia [Hybrid threats and institutional entropy in the domain of public administration]. In Mizhnarodna ta natsionalna bezpeka: teoretychni i prykladni aspekty (Vol. 1, pp. 139–141). Dnipro: DDUVS. Retrieved from https://er.dduvs.edu.ua/bitstream/123456789/13790/1/54.pdf [In Ukrainian].
Zakharov, T. (2024). Pereosmyslennia kontseptu “instytutsijna spromozhnist”: ievrointehratsiinyi aspekt [Rethinking the concept of institutional capacity: the Eurointegration aspect]. Visnyk Lvivskoho Universytetu. Seriia Filosofsko-politychni studii, (55), 292–299. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.30970/PPS.2024.55.35 [In Ukrainian].
Masik-Biesova, M.Z. (2024). Instytutsijna stiikist orhaniv derzhavnoi vlady u zabezpechenni natsionalnoi bezpeky Ukrainy [Institutional stability of public authorities in ensuring the national security of Ukraine]. Vcheni zapysky TNU imeni V.I. Vernadskoho, 35(74), 1. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.32782/TNU-2663-6468/2024.1/21 [In Ukrainian].
Savenko, V.I., Palchyk, S.P., Kliuieva, V.V., & Pobieda, S.S. (2018). Entropiia yak proiav systemnoi i dialektychnoi sutnosti budivelnoi orhanizatsii [Entropy as a manifestation of the systemic and dialectical nature of a construction organization]. Upravlinnia rozvytkom skladnykh system, (36). Retrieved from https://urss.knuba.edu.ua/files/zbirnyk-36/24_0.pdf [In Ukrainian].
Skyba, O. (2024). Instytutsijna stiikist derzhavy yak faktor yii staloho rozvytku ta ekonomichnoi bezpeky [Institutional resilience of the state as a factor of its sustainable development and economic security]. Stalyi rozvytok ekonomiky, (3)50, 256–261. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.32782/2308-1988/2024-50-38 [In Ukrainian].
Copyright (c) 2025 Pressing Problems of Public Administratio
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
