Public mechanism as an instrumental instance of public policy: conceptualization, evolution in Ukraine, and the formula of index measurement
Abstract
The article provides a conceptual differentiation between the categories «mechanism of state administration», «mechanism of public administration» and «public mechanism» within the framework of contemporary public administration theory and democratic governance. Based on an analysis of etymological and dictionary sources, the meanings of the concepts «public» and «mechanism» are clarified, allowing the public mechanism to be interpreted as an organized yet adaptive system of interaction between authorities and civil society, oriented toward achieving the public good. It is shown that a mechanical combination of these notions creates a risk of a conceptual oxymoron, as it merges structural order with the stochastic, emergent nature of the public sphere. To resolve this tension, the public mechanism is treated as a functional and goal-oriented instance for implementing the mechanism of public administration in specific policy domains.
The approaches of Ukrainian and foreign scholars to understanding public mechanisms in the areas of regional policy, innovation, healthcare, the judicial system, ethnopolitical conflict management, and business–government interaction are systematized. On this basis, the author proposes a definition of the public mechanism as an integrative system combining subject, institutional, legal-regulatory, procedural-instrumental, information-communication, and coordination-feedback components. Their interaction is formalized through a public mechanism formula: PM = (S + I + L + P + IC + C) → R(pg), where the outcome is the public good – justice, security, well-being, sustainable development, and trust in government.
The article presents a periodization of the evolution of public mechanisms in Ukraine from the 1990s to wartime conditions: from the emergence of basic democratic institutions to the development of digital and crisis-response participation mechanisms. Four stages are identified, linked to the institutionalization of local self-government, the impact of the Orange Revolution, the Revolution of Dignity, and full-scale aggression. A classification of public mechanisms is proposed according to the sphere of application, degree of citizen participation, source of initiative, and duration (permanent and temporary/crisis mechanisms). It is substantiated that public mechanisms serve as a key resource for implementing Sustainable Development Goals 16 «Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions» and 17 «Partnerships for the Goals», ensuring the legitimacy of managerial decisions, accountability, transparency, and the resilience of public authority. The findings provide a foundation for further development of an index-based model for assessing the effectiveness of public mechanisms in specific policy areas, particularly in countering disinformation.
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References
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