Theory and Practice of Public Administration

Specific Activities of Public Authority Bodies in Emergency and Crisis Situations

Larysa Velichko, Dmytro Kashchenko — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This article is devoted to consideration of the peculiarities of the activities of public authorities in emergency and crisis situations. It was determined that crisis and emergency management is a cyclical process. The various stages include assessment, planning, preparation, mitigation, response, transition to recovery and final assessment; and careful evaluation and consideration of lessons learned can increase sustainability in the future. It is noted that there is no zero risk in any activity. No matter how marginal it may be, there is always some degree of risk involved. Every activity we do in life involves risk, and the difference is that we accept those risks after a cost-benefit or rational choice analysis and assign them relative priorities.
It is emphasized that as soon as a threat manifests itself or a critical incident exceeds the capabilities or resources of the organization, there is a need to respond. The guiding principles of this process are developed at the planning and preparation stage of the crisis and disaster management cycle. This includes public-private partnerships as well as working with alternative stakeholders such as non-governmental organizations, charities, voluntary groups and the public. Effective provision of such interaction is possible through the use of the so-called C7 Doctrine.
The elements of an effective response to the crisis were identified: maintaining reputational integrity; smart planning and preparedness; strong leadership; effective and timely communications; strategic, well-organized interdepartmental cooperation; strategic allocation of resources; successful operational tactics; post-crisis assessment and learning to improve on any mistakes made along the way. It has also been established that during a critical incident or crisis event, there are two main requirements for their resolution: an organization that must respond adequately, and a leader who directs the efforts of this organization.

Change Management for Improving the Quality of Public Services

Yevgen Krasnykov — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The article describes peculiarities of introduction of changes in organizational structures to improve the quality of public services and resistance to these changes as an inevitable process. It is proved that the professional activity of a manager in the public sector depends on change management, and resistance to them is the main element of the change management system. The essence and interconnection of the concepts of “change management” and “resistance to change” are substantiated. The author considers the main theories of change that are used in practice in the public sector: energy, mathematical, economic, biological, systemic, psychological, psychoanalytic, political, sociological, cultural and developmental. It is proved that most theories of change emphasize that resistance to these changes is inevitable. The main reasons, forms and types of resistance in the implementation of changes and innovations by the head of a public organization are formulated.
People’s ability to adapt and deal with external variability are two key variables in determining how they will respond to change. It is taken into account that external variability is usually high for most organizations providing public services. But at the same time, public authorities, especially during the war in Ukraine, are mainly staffed by people who prefer a stable environment and well-structured ways of activity. This means that managers can expect significant resistance when trying to implement changes in public services, despite the goals of these changes.
The author formulated possible fluctuations in the attitude to changes in personnel from the announcement of them to their implementation. It is confirmed that the main reasons for resistance to changes in the provision of public services aimed at improving these services include: adherence to bureaucratic habits related to delegation of authority; skepticism; challenges associated with many hierarchical levels of authority, accountability and reporting; the tendency to push decision-making upwards, which is contrary to approaches aimed at increasing self-control and independence; relationships that are governed by the interests of many stakeholders; the presence of conflicting interests and values, and others. It is noted that the main forms of resistance to change include: apathy, tardiness, sabotage, going to the hospital, absenteism, procrastination, working by the rules, slow work, leaks in the media, backstage criticism and others. The categories of employees in the sphere of public provision, which are most vulnerable to any changes, are defined.
The author of the article developed recommendations for overcoming resistance to changes and their effective implementation to improve the quality of public services.

Public Administration in the Conditions of War: Challenges and Prospects

Iryna Kryvoruchko — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The article analyzes modern approaches to the concept of public administration, outlines a number of features of this concept, and defines modern challenges and key problems of public administration in the conditions of war in Ukraine.
It has been established that the process of formation of the domestic system of public administration should begin with the creation of an appropriate institutional environment aimed at the formation of new value orientations for the entire society and each person separately. Particular attention is paid to guaranteeing the social well-being of society, solving urgent problems of a social and economic nature, ensuring and improving the quality of life of the population, especially in conditions of war.
It is substantiated that the policy of public administration should include the implementation of the following stages: monitoring and analysis of the effectiveness of the functioning of the economy in the conditions of modern globalization processes and uncertainty under conditions of war; development and justification of the goal and key tasks of the socio-economic development of the state; the formation of an effective and efficient mechanism of the public administration system.
In order to build an effective system of public administration for Ukraine, it is proposed to solve the following tasks: redistribution of powers between public authorities, as well as elimination of duplicate functions between them; expansion of opportunities for the participation of representatives of civil society in the process of public administration; increasing the level of motivation of civil servants; improving the quality of administrative services; further digitization of the public administration system; coordination of the activities of economic entities with the aim of ensuring comprehensive socio-economic development of both individual territories and the country as a whole.

Coordination as a Mechanism for Implementing the Concept of Multi-Level Governance in Ukraine

Valentin Suvorov — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The article examines the essence and features of coordination as a mechanism for implementing the concept of multi-level governance, the definition of methodological approaches to the use of methods and means of horizontal and vertical coordination in the system of multi-level governance in Ukraine. It was found that the complex mechanism of coordination in the multi-level management system is based on the applied aspect of the hierarchy of coordination goals and involves the use of a number of methods and means of achieving its goals based on the principles of coordination, which should include: interconnection and simultaneity, hierarchical subordination, coordination, balance, balance, redundancy, unity of commands and actions, etc. At the same time, the methods and means of coordination can be such as: visa and other forms of mutual control, distribution of tasks according to the management hierarchy, creation of committees and commissions, meetings between departments, dissemination of information, negotiations, direct observation, development of rules, procedures, schedules, norms, plans, etc.
On the basis of research concerning coordination mechanisms in complex hierarchical systems, it was determined that the triune coordination system is based on: restrictions - narrowing of the set of known connections, which includes: instructions (norms) and standardization (sets of standard operations); informing - expansion of the set of known connections, which includes: vertical and horizontal communications using the entire set of available information and forms of communications; purely coordination - it is based on a balance between narrowing and expanding a set of known connections, which allows you to use reference information and focus it on the performance of certain tasks (from the decomposition of the general task) in order to fulfill certain indicators (criteria) with the help of both standard operations and and other forms of communications.
Using the process and project approach in establishing effective coordination, the process of algorithmization and the demonstration of a step-by-step algorithm for solving complex problems to the subjects of program implementation and project executors with the receipt of feedback from this link in the form of finding out how much is quite important tasks are adequate from the point of view of coordination with executors in conditions of multitasking regarding priorities, availability of resources, deadlines, etc. At the same time, a condition for solving complex problems with the help of establishing an effective coordination system is their decomposition into appropriate sub-tasks and the selection of adequate methods and means of their solution in the specified time.
It is proven that the improvement of the complex mechanism of coordination between all subjects of institutional interaction is an important component of solving practical problems of multi-level management. As for the role of the coordinator, who is a key subject of the hierarchical system responsible for coordinating the activities of various decision-making centers, he should emphasize and focus not on the current state of the coordination objects of the lower level, but on specific, primarily intermediate results of their work , determined in the form of certain indicators at the corresponding stages of the implementation of programs and projects for a clear period of time. This will make it possible to increase the effectiveness of coordination and make reasoned decisions related to the choice of the current coordinating action depending on the tactical situation in conditions of uncertainty.

Public-Management Activities in the Judicial Authorities of Ukraine in the Context of Increasing the Level of Public Confidence

Olha Кorneva — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The article reveals the peculiarities of public-management activities in the system of judicial authorities of Ukraine. It has been established that these activities are implemented by various entities, which include court administration staff; staff of the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine and its territorial departments; the Court Security Service; staff of the Higher Qualification Commission of Ukraine; the National School of Judges of Ukraine, etc.
Grouping of factors that affect the vectors of the development of public-management activities in the judicial authorities of Ukraine under the conditions of martial law has been carried out. Two groups of factors have been distinguished: principal and non-principal. The main role of public-management activities in the judicial authorities is to ensure functioning of the institutional bodies of the judicial authorities and implementation of the mechanisms of the state to establish the supremacy of law.
Dependence of public-management activities in judicial authorities on the effectiveness of the public management system as a whole has been established.
Highlighting the principal factors, the article emphasizes that the effectiveness of public-management activities of judicial authorities depends on: 1) the effectiveness of the European principles of good governance implementation; 2) increasing public confidence in judicial authorities; 3) digitization of the administrative processes in courts; 4) overcoming the consequences of hostilities in de-occupied territories and restoring the system of justice.
Non-principal factors have been identified, the list of which can be continued. These include: 1) sufficient financing of judicial authorities’ bodies, institutions and agencies; 2) sufficient staffing of court administration and bodies, institutions and agencies of judicial authorities with managers; 3) the level of remuneration of the court administration staff as well as bodies, institutions and agencies of the judicial authorities; 4) updating the organizational and legal principles of public-management activities in judicial authorities; 5) updating the communicative relations of the court staff and other judicial authorities with the media, individuals and legal entities; 6) access to justice for the disabled and other people with limited mobility; 7) improvement of the document circulation system in courts and bodies of justice; 8) strengthening of control over public-management activities in judicial authorities.

The Influence of the Digital Economy onto Social Relations Transformation

Mykola Kovalenko, Maksym Sikalo — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The article explores the influence of the digital economy on the transformation of social relations. Using a systematic approach, an axiological method, methods of analysis and synthesis, a logical method of reproduction of scientific knowledge of the development of social relations, aggregation of empirical data, the author found out that the development of digital technologies significantly affects the transformation of almost all components of social relations. The research results indicate that the digital economy is becoming a key component of digital transformation, which is determined mainly by economic processes and phenomena arising from the use of digital technologies at all stages of social reproduction, which gradually acquire a socio-economic dimension. This is accompanied by a slow abandonment of outdated technologies, the maintenance of which can be costly to the socio-economic system. There is also, the slow transformation of social ideas, values, norms, traditions and ideals, which forms the basis of the cultural and civilizational experience of society.
A number of discovered advantages and opportunities provided by digital transformation are presented. However, the primary component of the digital transformation, which should lead to radical changes for the economy and various other social spheres, will not be so much the creation and use of digital technologies as a fundamental rethinking of the goals of society’s development, norms of behavior and ethical values of interpersonal relationships.
The most expected consequences of digital transformation for society are related precisely to «transformation» as a deep, consistent restructuring of social processes. Today, digital transformation is penetrating all spheres of society at different rates, and these processes will only accelerate in the future. This becomes a certain driver of development, which ensures the identification and creation of new digital models of society, and can become a factor in the long-term cooperation of various groups of society for the sake of general well-being and common benefit. But the digital transformation of the socio-economic system at any level is a complex and lengthy process with long-term returns. It requires strategy, revision of societal models and processes, professional management, new infrastructure, new software, optimization of service mix, effective implementation mechanisms, training programs and reliable ongoing support.
The spread of digital technologies in the economy and various social areas brings significant advantages, but also has potential threats and risks in various directions, which are highlighted in our research both from the point of view of micro- and macroeconomic approaches, and from the point of view of public administration.
Prevention of the negative consequences of the use of digital technologies should include a system of measures capable of ensuring transparent rules and control over the collection, storage and analysis of large volumes of data about people’s personal lives, eliminating the risk of abuse and restrictions on personal freedom. It is important to prevent a situation where all social processes can become completely dependent on digital technologies and the Internet to such a large extent that it limits personal freedom, privacy and opportunities. And this is not only a possible loss of privacy due to monitoring of Internet activities, personal freedom due to control over information, but also the formation of psychological dependence on digital devices and services, the spread of digital autism and the «empty» hyperinformation environment.
It is shown that the growth of digitalization increases the risks associated with the need to organize a powerful cyber security system. Data leaks, hacking attacks, and other cyber threats can have serious negative consequences for both personal freedom and privacy, as well as for ensuring national security based on the principles of protecting the public interest.
The exploration of the influence of the digital economy onto social relations transformation showed that, in addition to focusing on increasing efficiency in various aspects, it is necessary to focus on other important things – increasing the protection of rights and freedoms, ensuring social welfare, improving the level of health care, increasing the level of security, protection national economic interests, providing wide access to quality education and culture, etc. For this purpose, the responsible, socially beneficial activity of public authorities, public organizations, political parties, and human rights organizations must be ensured, as well as active participation of citizens in the political and public life of society must be established.

Components of the Industrial and Personnel Recovery System in War-Affected Regions during the Martial Law in Ukraine

Oleksiy Gibadullin, Alisa Kosenko — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This article focuses on the importance of a methodological approach to building a management system for industrial recovery in regions and the integration of skilled labor into the regional economy even during wartime. The purpose of the article is to provide a scientific justification for the impact of internal and external environments on the regenerative processes in the industrial economy during the period of martial law and after the cessation of hostilities, as components of the system for restoring the industrial potential of regions. A comprehensive and interconnected examination of the challenges facing the state today with the systemic problems of the development of the industrial economy in the pre-war period lays the foundation for successful transformational transformations and the speed of regenerative processes of economic and social recovery. The author claims that the economic-social, economic-ecological and social-ecological components of recovery processes are closely related and affect the final result - industrial recovery today and sustainable development of regions and the state in the future. The author notes that transforming the challenges of the external environment into opportunities in building the industrial recovery system through the application of a management system embodies an additional resource for optimizing and accelerating the regenerative processes in the industrial economy. This requires a broad, comprehensive analysis of the interplay between internal and external environmental factors for transformational changes of external challenges into additional opportunities, thereby enhancing the hidden, existing, and underutilized potential of regions through the construction of quality coordination processes in the industrial recovery system. The article elaborates on the theoretical and methodological justification for the impact of effective management and coordination approaches on the restoration processes to achieve the ultimate goal – the recovery of the industrial economy and sustainable development of the region, determining optimal models for operational monitoring of process progress, studying the impact of cutting-edge technologies on recovery processes, as well as overcoming technological gaps and creating conditions for the return of skilled migrants to Ukraine.

Change of Public Policy Emphasis of Ensuring Employment in Rural Areas of Ukraine under the Conditions of Digital Transformation and Post-War Recovery

Iryna Babaieva — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The current state of the labor market in rural areas of Ukraine is highlighted in the scientific study, namely: the presence of a high level of unemployment, significant territorial differentiation, an imbalance between vacant jobs and the required level of qualification of employees, etc.
The role of expanding the spectrum of influence of the knowledge economy on rural development and changes in rural areas caused by the latest technological solutions, such as the use of telecommunications, biotechnology and the Internet, is indicated.
It is substantiated that the gradual technologization of social production based on the use of innovative technologies contributes to the creation of new quality jobs, the growth of demand for qualified generalists capable of entrepreneurial and managerial activities.
It has been proven that the problem of the development of Ukrainian villages lies not so much in the insufficient number of sources of income, but in the absence of entrepreneurial spirit, optimism, initiative, low motivation, insufficient awareness of the rural population about the available opportunities and territories for their implementation, insufficient level of qualifications, etc.
The priority directions for supporting employment in rural areas in the conditions of digital transformations and post-war recovery are outlined, which are as follows: support for the development of infrastructure facilities and new types of activities in the countryside; creation of conditions for continuous training and development of the village’s human potential on the basis of revealing the intellectual, creative and entrepreneurial abilities of the villagers; formation of the investment attractiveness of villages through investing funds in priority types of economic activity that correspond to the educational and qualification level of the rural population; creation of new jobs in new alternative sectors of the rural economy; creation of an accessible system for the formation of digital competences and professional training (in the digital sphere) for the inhabitants of rural areas, while simultaneously spreading the work of business incubators (in the digital sphere) to rural territorial communities and the population of rural areas.

Implementation of the State Policy for the Development of the Health Care System in the Conditions of European Integration on the Basis of Risk Management Strategy

Serhii Zamchiy — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The article examines the essence and peculiarities of strategic management of the development of the health care system in conditions of uncertainty and the main directions of implementation of the European integration state policy of the development of the health care system based on the risk management strategy and the assumption that the transformational processes accompanying the functioning and development of health care I encourage radical, not partial changes in the relevant system.
It was found that the formation of a system of multi-level management of the functioning and development of the health care system based on risk management should cover all its subsystems and components, as well as provide for the division into several successive stages, or stages, each of which represents real changes in system during a certain period of time, taking into account the risks inherent in each level of its functioning, taking into account the interaction of various subjects, whose activities are aimed at achieving certain socially significant results.
It was determined that the goal of risk management in the health care system should be considered to be the formation of a certain set of targeted measures and actions, the reduction of the actual deviation from the achievement of planned goals and objectives and the corresponding performance indicators due to the selection of a risky alternative and the minimization of losses from the risk, as well as on the basis of: using means of avoiding and reducing the degree of risk in a legal way; control and optimization of risk when it is not possible to avoid it in full; conscious acceptance of the degree of risk in the case when this decision is justified from a socio-economic, political, technological and managerial position.
It is proven that under conditions of uncertainty, there is a need to build an effective risk management strategy and apply appropriate management mechanisms in the process of implementing the state policy of health care development and its integration into the European public and social space. The risk management strategy for the implementation of the state policy for the development of the health care system should be understood as a certain set of targeted measures, as well as a set of methods and means of risk identification, their forecasting and response in order to control and reduce the probability of making unreasonable decisions, the results of which may lead to negative consequences for the functioning and development of the relevant system with further analysis of the results of relevant decisions.

Budgetary Tools of Public Management of the Reconstruction and Restoration Processes in Local Communities of Ukraine

Vyacheslav Zubenko — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The article clarifies the essence and systematizes the principles of reconstruction and recovery processes in communities, substantiates the role of budgetary instruments in the public administration of these processes at the local level in Ukraine in war conditions and considering the prospects of post-war recovery.
The main principles of reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine are considered, including the immediate start and gradual escalation of the process, increasing well-being based on the principles of justice, integration into the European Union, orientation to the process of better reconstruction for the future, stimulation of private investments, focus on reforms, transparency, accountability and rule of law, democratic participation and multi-stakeholder engagement, gender equality and sustainable development, etc.
The main spheres of reconstruction and restoration in Ukrainian communities include both economic and social spheres, including reconstruction of infrastructure, housing stock, security and demining, social support, support of local enterprises, creation of new jobs, stimulation of economic development, etc.
The role of the budget in the processes of reconstruction and recovery in communities was studied not only as a source of financing, but also considering its administrative potential. Along with the instruments of direct financing of reconstruction projects from the state and local budgets (local budgets, reserve fund, subventions, recovery funds, assistance of international partners), the importance of the administrative and organizational potential of the budget has been proven. It has been proven that the program-target budget is an important tool for public administration of reconstruction and recovery processes, as it provides strategic planning, targeted financing, prioritization of measures, determination of results, cost effectiveness, monitoring and evaluation, transparency and openness, public involvement.
Considering the significant potential of the budget as an administrative tool, the direction of further research is determined by the theoretical justification of the essence, structure, goals, and objectives of the complex financial and budgetary mechanism of public administration of reconstruction and restoration processes in communities.

Tactical Security as a Component of National Security and Comprehensive Defense under the Conditions of Conventional and Hybrid Warfare

Dmytro Karamyshev, Liudmyla Hordiienko — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The article examines the essence and peculiarities of the concept of tactical security as a component of national security and comprehensive defense of Ukraine under the conditions of conventional and hybrid warfare, the definition of basic conditions, principles and methodological approaches to the implementation of tactical security measures, the use of appropriate methods and means aimed at increasing the effectiveness of protection population under the influence of conventional and hybrid threats, personal, group and collective security of Ukrainian citizens. The analysis of such components of national security as “state security”, “military security”, “public security” and “individual security” was carried out. It is proposed to introduce the concept of “tactical security” into scientific circulation, taking into account its characteristic features and levels of support.
It is emphasized that in the conditions of both conventional and hybrid warfare, unfortunately, the most vulnerable is the problem of ensuring human security, which is the result of unpredictable consequences of both overt and covert military aggression, mainly in the territories that have found themselves and are in the conditions of hostilities and temporary occupation. Attention is focused on the fact that the specified problem is intensifying and requires the development of a complex of urgent, in particular, tactical measures for its regulation with the help of both existing resource capabilities and potential, including innovative technologies, methods and means, and by combining public awareness, state regulatory mechanisms, public-private partnership, civil-military interaction and public activity and participation at the expense of proactive public structures and knowledgeable citizens, including on the basis of international experience in countering hybrid threats.
It was determined that tactical security is an integrated concept that is simultaneously derived from military security, public security and individual personal security and, accordingly, can have three main meaningful components: military (component of military security), civil (component of public security and personal security) , as well as integrated, which is reflected in the concept of civil-military interaction to ensure tactical security in the conditions of hybrid warfare. It is caused by the permanent potential and sudden action of various factors, threats and influences, especially those that are difficult to predict in the conditions of both conventional and hybrid war and is aimed at quick prevention and urgent response to these factors, which involves a complex of actions: personal, group, collective and the use of appropriate means of individual, group and collective protection, assistance and care aimed at eliminating life-threatening conditions and their consequences.
It has been noted that an important component of planning measures for the implementation of the National Security Strategy of Ukraine is the spread of a public culture of security, a clear understanding of the perspective model of the organization and provision of tactical security, delineation of its levels and types for certain categories of the population, employees and proactive citizens. The implementation of tactical security measures will contribute to ensuring an adequate level of military, public and personal human security and increasing the protection of the population from emergency situations and other dangerous events, as well as dangers arising during or as a result of both armed and covert conflicts in conditions of both conventional and and hybrid warfare.
It was concluded that tactical security is an integrated type of security that is in the sphere of relations between the civil and military sectors, which in the future can be transformed into the concept of civil-military cooperation in preventing and responding to various emergency situations and dangerous events, establishing effective cooperation between civil and military structures and during the performance of tasks related to ensuring national security and comprehensive defense under the conditions of conventional and hybrid warfare.