Pressing Problems of Public Administration

Management model for the development of adaptive sports and rehabilitation infrastructure for veterans in Ukrainian communities

2026-06-15T09:33:56+00:00

The article substantiates a community-based model for the development of adaptive sports and rehabilitation infrastructure for veterans as a public management methodology applicable under wartime and post-war recovery conditions in Ukraine. A systemic gap is identified between high-technology clinical rehabilitation provided by specialised centres (Superhumans, Unbroken) and the individual-support programme «Veteran’s Sport» with a UAH 1,500 quarterly allowance via the Diia card: at the level of communities where veterans live, there is no permanent adaptive sports and rehabilitation contour that would ensure continuity of recovery after discharge from a clinic. The aggravation of this gap in the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine – where the concentration of veterans is greatest and sports infrastructure has been damaged most heavily (955 damaged sports facilities as of January 2026, losses exceeding USD 374 million) – establishes constraints not captured by the logic of rear-area cases. The proposed methodology unfolds in three dimensions: a veteran’s route within the community contour with a minimally sufficient digital toolkit; a war-risk-adjusted matrix for the distribution of responsibilities among six funding sources (state and local budgets, the Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs through the Ukrainian Veterans’ Fund, the Diia card, international donors, and private charitable foundations); and an illustration based on four regional configurations (Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Odesa, and the Kharkiv – Mykolaiv border zone). The methodological contribution lies in bridging the existing gap between clinical rehabilitation and community-based adaptive sports through real institutional and financial elements, without presupposing reforms «from scratch»

The concept of irreversible state subjectivity in relations with international financial organisations: the “digital lock” mechanism and lessons from four countries

2026-06-15T09:34:31+00:00

The article develops a concept of enhancing state subjectivity in relations with international financial organisations (IFOs), grounded in the principle of irreversible transition from the paternalistic to the partnership model through a “digital lock” mechanism. The theoretical framework rests on three concepts: sovereign analytical capacity as an institutional counterweight to creditor expertise; the ratchet effect as a property that makes dismantling of transparency more costly than its maintenance; a typology of state–IFO cooperation models. It is demonstrated that subjectivity anchored exclusively in legal guarantees remains reversible – statutes are repealed by a simple parliamentary majority, institutions weaken under pressure – whereas embedding analytical mechanisms into the digital infrastructure of public administration makes reversion to asymmetric dependence technically and reputationally more costly than forward movement. The empirical base covers a retrospective analysis of the transformational cycles of Poland, South Korea, Israel, and Chile (1985–2026) along a unified scheme. The common denominator of the four trajectories is identified: in no case did the transition from borrower to partner precede the establishment of an independent analytical institution (KDI in Korea, DIPRES in Chile, the Fiscal Council in Poland, the Bruno team in Israel) – it functions as the precondition, not the consequence, of macroeconomic stabilisation. Three strategic conversions are proposed for Ukraine: the transformation of the Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration mechanism into joint management with the G7; replacement of IMF conditionality with voluntary implementation of the EU acquis communautaire; conversion of defence-technological potential into high-technology exports. Each conversion is secured by a digital lock integrated into DREAM, ProZorro, and the Reform Tracker. A four-pillar institutional architecture united by a digital framework is substantiated

Digital transformation of public administration of national security in conditions of hybrid warfare

2026-06-15T09:35:04+00:00

The article addresses the task of substantiating a public management methodology for the integration of digital technologies into public administration under conditions of transitive digital statehood. Three qualitatively different sources of systemic dysfunction in current digital transformation are identified internal departmental fragmentation, external technological dependence, and the risk of formal compliance with European norms without real effects and it is shown that none of them reduces to the other two. On this basis, a triadic architecture of complementary mechanisms is grounded technological sovereignty, institutional coherence, and value-oriented adaptation, in which sovereignty acts as a load-bearing axis: it provides the core for coherence and the position for deliberate adaptation. The methodological logic follows the sequence «diagnosis target states instruments», opposed to the practice of first selecting a technology and then searching for applications. The argument is developed within the European context of 2025–2026 (the EuroStack initiative, the European Parliament resolution of 22 January 2026, and the Davos address by Mark Carney), in which the Ukrainian wartime experience of digital resilience is positioned as a methodological asset entitling Ukraine to participate in the European dialogue as a contributor rather than a recipient. The principle of proportional implementation of European norms is formulated, operationalised through a standardised regulatory impact procedure with a block on «digital rights and technological sovereignty». The article also substantiates the positioning of artificial intelligence as an instrument of preliminary semantic control in the norm-drafting process. Prospects for further research are outlined, focused on decentralised platforms based on distributed ledger technology

Barrier-Free Environment as a Cross-Cutting Requirement of the Digital Transformation of Public Management Mechanisms for Sports Infrastructure in Ukraine

2026-06-15T09:35:34+00:00

The article presents a conceptual-analytical study of the barrier-free environment as a cross-cutting requirement that reshapes the profile of all classical public management mechanisms for sports infrastructure in Ukraine during the digital transformation period of 2025–2030. The regulatory framework established between April 2025 and March 2026 is systematised; it comprises the updated National Strategy for a Barrier-Free Environment in Ukraine through 2030 with six dimensions of accessibility and the 2025–2026 Action Plan, the Strategy for the Development of Physical Culture and Sport through 2028 as amended on 20.06.2025, the Concept and the State Targeted Social Programme for the Development of Physical Culture and Sport through 2030 with a funding envelope of 96.5 billion UAH, and Draft Law No. 13648 of 15.08.2025 on public electronic registers and information and communication systems in sport, adopted in the first reading by the Verkhovna Rada in March 2026. The methodological limitations of the one-dimensional functional taxonomy of public management mechanisms are substantiated, and a two-dimensional 4 × 6 classification matrix “mechanism × dimension of accessibility” is proposed. The matrix is populated with actual Ukrainian instruments, revealing systemic gaps in the economic row for the digital, social-civic, and educational dimensions of accessibility. An «opening» of the organisational and informational mechanisms is proposed through the mobilisation of internal societal resources the club model based on the «Active Communities» pilot project in 50 communities, and crowdsourced verification of facility accessibility integrated with the «Digital Sport» register and the Barrier-Free Map. It is shown that digital transformation and the accessibility requirement must be synchronised at the design stage of the base management infrastructure in order to avoid retrospective adaptation

Cross-border Asymmetries of EU Multi-level Governance : The Case of Ukrainian Citizens Under Temporary Protection

2026-06-15T09:36:02+00:00

The article conceptualises cross-border dysfunctionality in the architecture of EU multi-level governance as a new analytical category of public administration. The relevance stems from the unprecedented situation in which about 4.40 million Ukrainian citizens (February 2026) reside in the EU under temporary protection (TPD 2001/55/EC), while Ukraine holds candidate-country status with completed acquis screening. The study provides conceptual and empirical grounding for three dimensions of multi-level governance asymmetry – between the logic of rights and the logic of territory, between the protection regime and the regimes of internal market freedoms, and between supranational, national, and regional levels of governance. Three methodological approaches are applied: systemic (N. Luhmann’s systems theory and dynamical systems theory), historical-logical (reconstruction of TPD evolution from 2001 through four extensions), and comparative (C. Ragin’s typological method, M. Weber’s ideal-type construction). The empirical base draws on Eurostat, BAMF, UNHCR, and LISER data. A comparative analysis of Germany, Poland, Czechia, and Luxembourg – host countries for about 64% of all EU temporary-protection beneficiaries – confirms the hypothesis of structural fragmentation of post-TP regimes: four incompatible national distribution logics operate at different NUTS levels, rely on distinct registries (AZR, PESEL-UKR, OAMP), and generate concentration ratios differing sixfold (6.5 vs 36.6 per 1000 inhabitants). The Greater Region serves as the focal case, where 231 290 EU-citizen cross-border workers daily cross into Luxembourg while about 4 200 Ukrainian beneficiaries remain blocked by the territorial anchoring of Article 8(1) TPD. The practical value lies in shaping an analytical toolkit for Ukraine’s negotiating position in accession clusters 2 and 3, with three corrective instruments proposed: regional portable rights regime, EU-wide bridging permit, and reform of LTRD 2003/109/EC.

Diagnosis of functional boundaries of the digital platform DREAM in public management of state assets of Ukraine

2026-06-15T09:36:30+00:00

The article is devoted to a diagnosis of the functional boundaries of the current mechanisms of public management of state assets in Ukraine, examined through the case of the digital platform DREAM (Digital Restoration Ecosystem for Accountable Management) under the conditions of the ongoing war. The main idea: the system of state asset management is shaped not by the platform itself but by what surrounds it. The hypothesis: the gaps of a centralized platform are closed not from within but by complementary instruments and citizen participation. A diagnosis of the functional limits of DREAM as a central instrument of asset management in the wartime reconstruction context has been carried out. Three areas have been systematized where the architecture of a centralized platform naturally meets its functional boundary: the front-end gap between the moment of damage fixation and the structured project application of a community, with a particular focus on the quality of feasibility studies; the back-end gap between a funded project and the verification of completed works; and the contour gap at the interface with the European framework of digital interoperability. A two-axis framework for modernizing public asset management through digital transparency and barrier-free access has been proposed, aligning the mobilization of domestic societal resources with the requirements of Ukraine’s European integration. It has been substantiated that the identified gaps share a common nature: they are limits that any centralized public asset accounting platform reaches in the environment of a heterogeneous wartime economy. It has been demonstrated that overcoming the identified constraints requires not the scaling of the platform’s internal functionality but the formation of complementary digital instruments and participatory mechanisms around it. The conclusions outline directions for further research

Legal Personality of an Information Resource as a Precondition for Digital Sovereignty in Public Administration

2026-06-15T09:36:59+00:00

The article presents a conceptual-theoretical study of the problem of recognising an information resource as an independent object of public-administration legal relations in the context of safeguarding the digital sovereignty of Ukraine. The concept of the “object deficit” of public administration in the digital age is proposed: the actual subject matter of digital relations – the information resource – has no legally recognised status and for that reason remains outside the direct regulatory reach of the state. The basic features of the information resource as an independent object of legal relations are systematised: its derivativeness from a primary asset, its belonging to the results of intellectual activity, and its functional uniqueness within the environment of a decentralised information platform. It is substantiated that this deficit produces a triune asymmetry of digital interaction – of subjectivity, of trust and of value – and can be overcome only through a categorical renewal of the basic object-subject model of public administration. It is proved that recognition of the legal personality of the information resource is the precondition for two public-administration mechanisms: trusted information resources under the principle of “the right is implemented through a trusted digital infrastructure”, and digital barrier-free environment as inclusive subject-based access. Directions for changes in the state and regional policies of Ukraine for the cycle of 2026–2030 are proposed. The root problem addressed by the study is the systemic inability of the existing model of public administration to regulate digital relations without legal recognition of their actual subject matter – the information resource. The article opens a series of single-author publications devoted to the consistent unfolding of this root problem in its conceptual, normative, institutional and instrumental dimensions.

Regulatory and legal mechanisms of internal audit in Ukraine: current state, challenges, and directions for improvement.

2026-06-15T09:37:35+00:00

The article is devoted to a comprehensive analysis of the regulatory and legal mechanisms of internal audit in the context of the current legislation of Ukraine and adaptation to the new Global Internal Audit Standards, which entered into force on 9 January 2025. The main idea of the study is to substantiate that the further development of internal audit in Ukraine requires a systemic renewal of the regulatory framework, since the ability of internal audit to perform not only a control function, but also a strategic, risk-oriented, and managerial-consulting function depends precisely on its integrity, consistency, and compliance with international standards. The relevance of the article is determined by the need to move from a predominantly formal control model to an internal audit model focused on improving management efficiency, transparency, accountability, and adding value to the activities of public sector institutions.
The study characterizes the structural and substantive features of the current regulatory framework for internal audit, carries out a comparative analysis of the degree of harmonization of national regulation with international requirements, and identifies the main challenges and prospects for the development of internal audit in Ukraine. The transformation of internal audit from a control-and-inspection model to a modern risk-based approach aimed at the strategic development of public institutions is examined.
It has been established that the current regulatory framework is characterized by fragmentation, terminological inconsistency, and incomplete implementation of certain provisions of the Global Internal Audit Standards, in particular with regard to ensuring the full independence of the audit function, strategic planning, integrated assurance, digitalization of audit processes, and resource support.
The necessity of moving from a predominantly controlling model of internal audit to a model of strategic assessment of management effectiveness and a risk-based approach is substantiated. The development of a comprehensive framework legal act is proposed, which would ensure the consolidation of existing provisions, the unification of terminology, the strengthening of the independence of internal auditors, and the improvement of the legal support of internal audit in the public sector. The scientific novelty lies in the systemic analysis of the regulatory and legal mechanism of internal audit in Ukraine in the context of adaptation to the Global Internal Audit Standards, the systematization of its structural components, and the identification of the main gaps, inconsistencies, and institutional limitations of the current legal regulation. The practical significance of the results lies in the possibility of their use in improving legislation, internal regulatory documents, and methodological support for internal audit in Ukraine.

The cascade of windows 2026–2027: the digital euro, tokenised deposits and decision moments for Ukrainian public administration

2026-06-15T09:38:11+00:00

The article problematises the way in which Ukrainian public administration is responding to the European Union’s financial-sector regulatory decisions in the course of 2026–2027. The authors show that what is at stake is not a single integration “window” but a cascade of four windows with distinct deadlines: the closure of MiCA transitional regimes by 1 July 2026; the rollout of the European Digital Identity Wallet by December 2026; the expected adoption of the digital euro Regulation during 2026 with pilots in 2027–2028; and the continuous annual cycle of DORA with the recurring update of the list of critical ICT third-party providers. The article puts forward the concept of “asymmetric regulatory import” – a condition in which the Ukrainian financial sector is in everyday practice subjected to European requirements (through cloud providers, correspondent relations and access to SWIFT-equivalent rails) without formal membership and without representation in the European discussions concerned. Drawing on the practice of private banking in Luxembourg and on the legal construction of equivalence regimes, the article outlines a model of a sequence of Ukrainian normative decisions – from the SEPA package endorsed by the Cabinet of Ministers on
17 December 2025 to DORA-compatible standards of the National Bank of Ukraine – and demonstrates that this sequence is a natural substantive filling of the political formula “before, not instead of”, articulated in the Ukrainian expert debate of spring 2026

The History of the Establishment of the Civil Service in the European Union

2026-06-15T09:39:02+00:00

The article presents a comprehensive historical and institutional analysis of the evolution of the supranational civil service of the European Union – from its emergence within the European Coal and Steel Community (1951) to the current stage shaped by the Russian-Ukrainian war, the energy crisis and the renewed enlargement policy (2022–2025). Eight key historical stages of the formation of the supranational civil service are identified; each stage has its own institutional logic, treaty foundation and personnel configuration. On the basis of primary documents – the founding treaties, the EU Staff Regulations, institutional decisions of the Council and the European Commission – together with archival data and statistics of the European Parliamentary Research Service, the dynamics of personnel numbers are traced: from the compact apparatus of the High Authority in Luxembourg, through rapid growth in the 2000s, to stabilisation at the level of approximately 32–33 thousand persons in the European Commission as of 2025. Particular attention is given to the principle of geographical balance, the regime of professional neutrality, and the formation of a «mixed» personnel model in which permanent officials coexist with temporary staff, contract staff and seconded national experts, providing flexibility in responding to peak workloads such as the migration crisis of 2015–2016 or the support of Ukraine after 2022. It is demonstrated that the EU civil service system has transformed from a technocratic apparatus for the management of common markets into a multi-level administration combining law-making, regulatory, supervisory and foreign-policy functions; its present-day quality is determined not so much by the number of staff positions as by the capacity to act under conditions of simultaneous crises. A set of practical recommendations is formulated for Ukraine: integration into the European Administrative Space, professionalisation of the Senior Civil Service, separation of political appointments from career positions, development of integration competencies, and establishment of mechanisms for secondment of Ukrainian civil servants to EU institutions.

Trustee Appointments in Place of Suspended Mayors: Beyond the Limits of Administrative Tutelage in Türkiye

2026-06-16T06:25:50+00:00

This study examines the legal nature of trustee appointments in place of mayors suspended from office due to terrorism-related offences in Türkiye. In recent years, the practice has become one of the most contested dimensions of central–local government relations. The mechanism is formally justified within the framework of administrative tutelage as it seeks to preserve the institutional unity between the central administration and municipalities. Existing scholarship generally approaches trustee appointments from two perspectives. The first emphasizes security and counter-terrorism concerns, while the second focuses on democratic backsliding and the erosion of local democracy. In contrast, this study systematically situates the practice within the normative framework of administrative law. It asks whether the direct appointment of trustees by the central administration remains within the constitutional and legal limits of administrative tutelage. Methodologically, the article employs qualitative document analysis based on constitutional provisions, legislation, judicial decisions, national and international reports, and scholarly literature. The analysis evaluates the trustee mechanism through four dimensions: the principle of legality in administrative tutelage, the constitutional and statutory scope of tutelary powers, the balance between administrative tutelage, local autonomy, and democratic representation, and the purpose of tutelary intervention. The findings demonstrate that the trustee system exceeds the legal boundaries of administrative tutelage. Although the suspension of mayors may be justified as a temporary precautionary measure aimed at ensuring the continuity of public services, the subsequent appointment of trustees produces distinct constitutional and democratic consequences. Since the mechanism was originally introduced through a decree law enacted during the state of emergency period, its legitimacy within the ordinary constitutional order remains deeply contested. Furthermore, the hierarchical relationship between the appointing authority and trustees expands the scope of administrative tutelage beyond its classical supervisory character. In addition, the functional neutralization of municipal councils and executive committees weakens the institutional integrity of local self-government. The study concludes that the trustee mechanism constitutes a sui generis form of intervention requiring a reconsideration of the constitutional limits of central administrative intervention in local self-government.

Specification as a Quality Assurance Mechanism for Military Personnel Psychological Recovery Services in Public Administration

2026-06-15T09:40:06+00:00

The article provides a scientific substantiation of the structure, content, and key design decisions of the Specification for military personnel psychological recovery services, developed by the authors as part of the preparation of a pilot experiment for procuring such services using state budget funds with the participation of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine. The empirical basis comprises two regulatory documents: the draft Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine ‘On the Implementation of the Experimental Project for Improving the System of Psychological Recovery of Military Personnel’ together with its Implementation Procedure, and the draft Specification for psychological recovery services. The methodological framework integrates Avedis Donabedian’s “structure – process – outcome” model, principal-agent theory, and Ian Graham’s knowledge translation concept. The study analyses the position of the Specification within the regulatory vertical of the pilot experiment (Resolution → Procedure → Specification → Individual Plan) and substantiates its triple function: a quality standard, an instrument for overcoming information asymmetry between the commissioning body and the service provider, and a “translator” of evidence-based clinical recommendations into procurement requirements. A comparative analysis with international analogues was conducted, including the VA/DoD Performance Work Statement (USA), NATO AMedP-8.6, NHS England service specifications, the Canadian OSI Clinics model, and the Israeli Ministry of Defence Quality Assurance Policy. Three original design solutions with no direct international analogues were identified: the “open list with an evidence-based threshold’ construct for psychotherapeutic methods, the inclusion of external supervision with a dual clinical and managerial function, and detailed infrastructure requirements accounting for active wartime conditions, including shelter provisions under Ukrainian building codes. Three key “translation points” from evidence-based standards to procurement requirements were substantiated: the formation of the methods list, the design of the assessment system, and the specification of multidisciplinary team composition and competencies.

Use of public-private partnerships by Ukrainian universities to ensure the quality of higher education

2026-06-16T06:25:18+00:00

The article examines the prospects of public-private partnership (PPP) use by Ukrainian universities as a mechanism for ensuring the quality of higher education under martial law and post-war recovery. The theoretical framework draws on three concepts: H. Etzkowitz’s Triple Helix model, the transaction cost theory of the firm by O. Williamson and O. Hart, and D. Foray’s knowledge economy concept with its smart specialisation logic; on this basis PPP is approached simultaneously as a contractual-legal, managerial, and knowledge-economic practice. Empirical verification follows a three-step procedure: normative-legal analysis of Law of Ukraine No. 4510-IX
of 19.06.2025 compared with the previous edition of Law No. 2404-VI of 01.07.2010; statistical analysis of PPP contract dynamics in Ukraine for 2022–2026 based on official data of the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture, cross-referenced with indicators of higher education budget funding and dual education coverage; case analysis of cooperation practices of Ukrainian higher education institutions with the private sector. It is established that despite the improved regulatory framework, the share of actually realised PPP contracts decreased from 16 % as of 01.01.2022 to less than 10 % as of 01.01.2026, while the share of higher education projects among those realised remains nil; dual education covers about 0.5 % of higher education students. A bidirectional model of further development of PPP is proposed: from the centre – institutionalisation of an accelerated procedure for educational projects; from the regions – direct inclusion of classical universities into smart specialisation strategies for the 2027–2034 programming period. The case of V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University illustrates the transition of a classical university in a frontline region from an inherited plan-and-report model of governance to a portfolio-project one.

Design as an innovative tool for public-civic governance in postgraduate pedagogical education

2026-06-15T09:41:11+00:00

The article substantiates project design as an innovative tool of public and civic governance in postgraduate pedagogical education. The relevance of the study is determined by the need to modernize traditional administrative approaches, which demonstrate insufficient flexibility under conditions of rapid socio-economic transformations, digitalization, and the implementation of lifelong learning principles.
The purpose of the article is to justify the effectiveness of project-based approaches in improving governance processes in postgraduate pedagogical education. The research methodology is based on systemic, competence-based, and project-oriented approaches, as well as general scientific methods including analysis, synthesis, comparison, and modelling.
The study identifies key stages of project design in the governance system of postgraduate education, including conceptualization, educational environment design, resource provision, team interaction, and performance monitoring. It is established that conceptualization ensures the identification of strategic priorities and the formation of development models, while the design stage focuses on creating flexible and personalized learning trajectories. Resource provision is interpreted as a multidimensional process involving financial, intellectual, and technological components, as well as stakeholder engagement.
The findings confirm that project-based management enhances the adaptability and efficiency of educational institutions, promotes the development of innovative organizational culture, and facilitates the formation of partnership networks. Particular attention is paid to the role of interdisciplinary teams and digital tools in ensuring the effectiveness of governance processes. Monitoring and evaluation are considered as continuous processes based on data analysis and performance indicators, which enable timely adjustments of project activities.
The scientific novelty of the study lies in the comprehensive justification of project design as a systemic mechanism for integrating resources within public and civic governance of postgraduate pedagogical education. The practical significance is reflected in the possibility of applying the proposed approaches to improve management efficiency and ensure the sustainable development of educational institutions.
The results of the study indicate that the implementation of project-based management contributes to the transformation of postgraduate education institutions into innovative and competitive structures capable of responding effectively to modern challenges. Future research should focus on developing tools for assessing the effectiveness of project-based governance and expanding digital solutions in educational management.