Electronic interaction of public authorities in the context of digital transformation in post-war Ukraine: where to look for improvement reserves?

Abstract

This article examines the distinctive features of electronic interaction between public authorities in Ukraine under conditions of digital transformation and post-war reconstruction. The research employs a comprehensive methodological framework combining systematic, monographic, abstract-logical, comparative methods, and modeling to develop an integrated conceptual model of electronic interaction that synthesizes six fundamental approaches: technological, socio-organizational, functional, process-oriented, legal, and systems perspectives. Through a rigorous comparative analysis of eight international electronic governance models (Estonia, Singapore, Denmark, Israel, South Korea, Australia, India, and Ukraine), the authors identify critical reserves for enhancing Ukraine’s digital transformation trajectory. The developed methodological structure for comparative analysis—featuring eight distinct criteria including architectural model, institutional structure, regulatory framework, technological solutions, financial model, stakeholder engagement, human capital, and innovation capacity—enables the identification of particularly valuable elements from international experience that can be adapted to Ukraine’s post-war context. The research reveals significant synergistic effects of electronic interaction across five key domains (governance efficiency, transparency, citizen convenience, innovation stimulation, and national competitiveness), which are especially crucial under resource constraints characteristic of post-war reconstruction. The critical analysis of Ukraine’s current digital interaction landscape identifies five fundamental challenges: digital infrastructure fragmentation, insufficient security resilience, disparities between central and local authorities, inadequate European digital integration, and limited digital literacy. In response, the authors propose comprehensive practical recommendations with differentiated short-term (1-2 years) and medium-term (3-5 years) implementation horizons across normative-legal, institutional, technological, cybersecurity, educational, and international dimensions. The paper introduces an original «Digital Leap» model for post-war Ukraine founded on five core principles: «build back better,» resilience, inclusiveness, leapfrogging development, and European integration. Particular attention is devoted to conceptualizing digital transformation as a strategic component of Ukraine’s national resilience system, ensuring governance continuity, rapid critical service restoration, transparency enhancement, efficient reconstruction coordination, and adaptability to volatile conditions. The findings demonstrate that activating the identified reserves for improving electronic interaction will enable Ukraine not only to effectively rebuild its infrastructure after the war but also to achieve a qualitative breakthrough in public administration development, thereby transforming existential challenges into opportunities for innovative growth and establishing Ukraine as a potential hub for crisis-resilient digital solutions with global significance.