Dnipro Academy of Continuing Education Herald. Series: Public Management and Administration

IMPLEMENTATION OF RECOMMENDER SYSTEMS AT THE LOCAL LEVELS OF SELF-GOVERNMENT IN UKRAINE

2025-12-12T14:01:33+00:00

The article explores the potential for implementing recommender systems at the local levels of self-government in Ukraine within the context of digital transformation and decentralization processes. The aim of the study is to identify the opportunities, advantages, and challenges associated with the use of such systems to enhance the efficiency of managerial decision-making, optimize resource allocation, and ensure transparency in the activities of public authorities. The methodological basis of the research includes an analysis of scientific literature, international experience in applying recommender systems in public administration, and a review of national digitalization initiatives in service delivery. The study systematizes the types of recommender systems (content-based, collaborative, and hybrid) and reveals their potential in the sphere of local governance. Particular attention is paid to practical applications – from service personalization and citizen engagement in decision-making to budget optimization and the reduction of corruption risks. Key challenges have been identified, including insufficient digitalization of local governance activities, a shortage of qualified personnel, limited funding, and concerns regarding personal data protection. The article emphasizes that effective implementation of recommender systems requires a comprehensive approach that integrates technical solutions, legal safeguards, and active citizen participation. The practical significance of the study lies in the development of recommendations for the design and implementation of innovative local governance tools aimed at improving transparency, trust in public authorities, and the quality of interaction between citizens and local self-government institutions.

INSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLES FOR IMPLEMENTING CIVILIAN CONTROL OVER THE SECURITY AND DEFENSE SECTOR IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

2025-12-12T14:12:36+00:00

The management of the security and defense sector in democratic states requires an effective system of civilian control to ensure accountability, transparency, and the alignment of armed and security forces with democratic values, the rule of law, and national interests. Civilian control serves as a critical mechanism to prevent the usurpation of power by the military, excessive militarization of policy, and to maintain a balance between security effectiveness and democratic governance. The United States represents a classic example of a country where civilian control over the military and security institutions has historically developed and functions effectively through a combination of constitutional, legislative, institutional, traditional, and informal mechanisms that enable the interaction of civilian and military institutions while upholding democratic principles. This article examines the foundations, mechanisms, and contemporary challenges of the civilian control system in the U.S. security and defense sector. Particular attention is given to the paradox of civil-military relations, in which military force simultaneously protects the state and may potentially threaten democratic governance. Key conditions for effective civilian control are discussed, including the rule of law, accountability to civilian institutions, professionalism, and political neutrality of the armed forces, as well as the necessity of competent and well-prepared civilian leadership. The article also analyzes the subjective nature of civilian control, which largely depends on the knowledge, experience, and strategic competence of civilian officials, and identifies major threats to its effectiveness, such as the concentration of power, external and internal crises, gradual weakening of control due to public distrust in civilian institutions, and deficiencies in political governance. The findings of this study can inform the improvement of Ukraine’s national system of civilian control over the security and defense sector, particularly under conditions of martial law and post-war reconstruction, through the adaptation of selected elements of the U.S. model.

THE ROLE OF DIGITALIZATION IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION: ANALYSIS AND DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS

2025-12-12T14:17:08+00:00

The article considers digitalization as one of the key factors contributing to the transformation of public administration in the context of global information challenges. The essence of digitalization is analyzed as a complex process aimed at integrating information and communication technologies into the activities of public authorities to increase the efficiency, transparency and accessibility of the provision of public services. The main functions of digitalization are identified, among which attention is focused on the features of optimization, communication, innovation functions, as well as on the functions of ensuring transparency and inclusiveness. The author pays special attention to the comparison of traditional and digital models of public administration, in particular, the advantages of the digital approach are considered: fast processing of requests, reducing the administrative burden and stimulating proactive interaction of citizens with public authorities. An analysis of the use of state electronic services by Ukrainians for the period 2022-2024 was conducted. The main challenges associated with digitalization are identified, including: cybersecurity, personal data protection, combating the digital divide, and resistance to change among government employees. A description of the manifestation of each of the identified challenges is provided and ways to solve them are proposed. Promising directions for the development of digitalization and steps that need to be taken for the successful digital transformation of public administration in Ukraine are identified. The conclusions summarize that digital development and digitalization require a balanced approach based on three key pillars: reliable technical protection (cybersecurity and data protection), social inclusion (overcoming the digital divide), and human capital readiness (overcoming resistance to change and training civil servants). Only simultaneous work in these areas will allow building not just an effective, but also a safe, accessible, and citizen-oriented digital state.

TRANSFORMATION OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN THE HEALTH SECTOR: ETHICAL AND COMMUNICATION DIMENSIONS

2025-12-12T14:22:21+00:00

The article examines the process of transformation of public administration in the healthcare sector of Ukraine in the context of digital modernization of society. It is substantiated that the transition from an administrative-command model to a service-oriented management system involves the integration of organizational, ethical, communication and technological components. It is determined that the digitalization of management processes contributes to increasing the efficiency of coordination between healthcare system entities, optimizing resources and ensuring transparency of decision-making. Particular attention is paid to the implementation of eHealth information systems as a tool for democratizing management, increasing the accountability of government bodies and the stability of medical infrastructure in martial law. The ethical dimension of public administration is revealed, which involves the moral responsibility of managers, adherence to the principles of justice, honesty, impartiality and protection of citizens' rights. The growing role of digital ethics, which regulates the responsible use of technologies, the protection of patients' personal data and the formation of a barrier-free information space, is emphasized. The importance of the communication dimension, which ensures interaction between the authorities, the medical community and citizens based on openness, partnership and feedback, is outlined. It is shown that the development of digital platforms, social networks and crisis communications contributes to increasing citizens' trust in state institutions and the formation of a new communication culture of public administration. It is concluded that the transformation of management in the field of health care is a complex process in which technological innovations are combined with ethical principles and communication responsibility.

INSTITUTIONAL MODERNIZATION OF PUBLIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP GOVERNANCE IN UKRAINE: STAGES, TRENDS, AND PROSPECTS

2025-12-12T14:26:28+00:00

The article examines the institutional modernization of public entrepreneurship governance in Ukraine amid socio-economic transformations, European integration, and wartime challenges. Four stages of the development of the institutional system supporting entrepreneurship are analyzed: initial institutionalization (1991–2000), program-targeted business support policy (2001–2013), European integration transformation (2014–2021), and adaptation under wartime conditions and post-war recovery (2022–2025). It is established that the effectiveness of the institutional environment is determined not by the number of agencies, but by their ability to meet business needs, coordinate interactions between the state, local self-government, and international partners, and integrate digital services, including the “Diia” ecosystem, ProZorro, and E-data. Key trends are highlighted: digitalization of administrative services, development of public-private partnerships, decentralization, harmonization of legislation with EU standards, and increased international support. Alongside achievements, systemic problems are noted, including fragmented governance, regulatory uncertainty, dependence on external resources, and unstable human capital. It is emphasized that the current priority is to create a sustainable, open, and accountable architecture for entrepreneurship support capable of ensuring effective coordination between government authorities, local self-government, the business community, and international partners. This architecture should combine transparent regulatory mechanisms, digital services, financial support instruments, and innovative platforms for business development, promoting competitiveness and adaptability of entrepreneurship.

APPLICATION OF MANAGEMENT THEORIES IN THE REFORM OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN UKRAINE

2025-12-12T14:32:05+00:00

This article examines the application of management theories in the process of reforming public administration in Ukraine and their impact on the efficiency, transparency, and adaptability of state institutions. It analyzes the evolution of management concepts from classical models, which emphasize rational bureaucracy and administrative principles, to contemporary approaches focused on digitalization, networking, innovation, and the use of artificial intelligence technologies. The study considers the contributions of both domestic and international scholars who highlight the need to integrate managerial methodologies to optimize organizational structures, enhance the productivity of public servants, and ensure the democratic principles of Good Governance. The role of artificial intelligence as a tool for automating management processes, supporting decision-making, analyzing data, and developing citizens’ digital competencies is also emphasized, noting that its effectiveness depends on organizational readiness, staff competencies, and proper strategic management. The research demonstrates that modern reform of the public sector requires a comprehensive combination of classical and innovative management approaches, adherence to the principles of New Public Management, a service-oriented state model, and democratic values, ensuring accountability, transparency, flexibility, and institutional responsiveness to social, economic, and technological challenges. The analysis indicates that creating public value in public administration is possible only through the integration of technologies, the development of organizational capacities, and the active participation of citizens in the processes of digitalization and transformation of state institutions.

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AS A FACTOR IN ENHANCING THE EFFICIENCY OF TERRITORIAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION

2025-12-12T19:21:48+00:00

The article presents a comprehensive study of the digital transformation of public administration as a strategic factor in enhancing the efficiency of territorial development in Ukraine within the context of European integration. Digitalization is viewed not merely as the implementation of technological innovations but as a systemic managerial shift that transforms the relationships between the state, communities, and citizens. It is argued that digital transformation represents a transition from a bureaucratic to an analytical model of governance (data-driven governance), based on open data, artificial intelligence, blockchain, and cloud technologies. The study highlights the importance of developing human capital, digital leadership, and a management culture grounded in innovation, accountability, and ethical principles. According to UNDP (2023), digitalization serves as a tool for democratizing public administration and promoting inclusive citizen participation in decision-making.

The paper explores the European experience of digital governance, particularly the practices of Estonia, Poland, and Germany, which demonstrate an effective combination of technological innovation, regulatory consistency, and public trust. Ukraine adapts these models into its digital policy through the Strategy for Digital Transformation of Public Administration until 2025 and the development of the Diia ecosystem.

Digital transformation is shown to be an effective mechanism for territorial development, promoting financial transparency, increasing investment attractiveness, and expanding citizen participation in planning. The integration of global standards and local practices creates a glocal approach to governance that combines European principles with the Ukrainian sociocultural context.

Special attention is given to the human and spiritual-ethical dimensions of digitalization. Digital governance is interpreted as a human-centered process grounded in dignity, freedom of choice, and social responsibility. Preserving spiritual and ethical balance ensures the harmonious integration of technological progress with the value foundations of modern European governance. Ultimately, the article concludes that digital transformation is a key direction of public administration modernization, combining innovation, ethics, and sustainability in Ukraine’s social development.

MARKETING TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION SYSTEM IN THE CONDITIONS OF DECENTRALIZATION OF POWER

2025-12-12T19:25:26+00:00

The article is devoted to the study of the problem of the systematic use of marketing technologies in the process of decentralization of power reforms. The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the problem of using marketing as a mechanism for reforming the domestic public administration system. The introduction of marketing technologies is associated with the implementation of a decentralized model of activity of public administration structures at all levels. In general, the basic principles of using marketing technologies in the public administration system in decentralization can be reduced to four main guidelines: customer orientation within the framework of clientelism and public governance models; the use of business methods to assess the activities of state power structures and local self-government; privatization and outsourcing of a number of areas of activity of state structures; expanding the range of methods for application in the public administration system using practical management and marketing. Today, the reforms implemented in the process of implementing marketing technologies are based on marginal innovations, while marketing effectively functions only as an integrated marketing management system. The presence in the marketing management model of a set of components combined into an integrated whole allows us to characterize it as a public administration system in the context of decentralization, and not simply as a component of a certain management system. In public administration, it acts in this case as an integrating systemic formation, which gives it a new quality on the basis of the implementation of decentralization reforms. The structural basis of the public marketing system is a complex of subject-object relations that are formed regarding the use of marketing to achieve the goals of state power and local self-government. The most effective is the application of marketing principles in the activities of regional and subregional state power bodies and local self-government, since they are closest to meeting the needs of citizens as the main object of public marketing, which is the recipient of administrative services. It is at this level that the functioning of special marketing units of public administration is most effective, the creation of which is one of the tasks of decentralization reforms.

THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS FOR IMPROVING PUBLIC GOVERNANCE MECHANISMS OF THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IN THE CONTEXT OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AND POST-WAR RECOVERY

2025-12-12T19:30:54+00:00

The article reveals the theoretical foundations for improving the mechanisms of public administration in the healthcare system in the context of Ukraine’s digital transformation and post-war recovery. Based on a synthesis of scientific approaches, the essence, content, and structure of public administration mechanisms in the medical sector are clarified, and their role in ensuring the resilience of state policy under crisis conditions is determined. It is emphasized that current challenges – military actions, infrastructure destruction, migration processes, and increasing social needs – highlight the necessity of forming new management models based on the principles of transparency, decentralization, flexibility, and technological innovation.

The study substantiates the need to shift from the traditional administrative-command system to adaptive, networked, and data-driven governance, which involves the active use of digital technologies, electronic registries, analytical platforms, and telemedicine services. The article emphasizes the importance of digitalization as a key factor in enhancing the transparency, efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability of healthcare governance.

The research identifies priority directions for the modernization of management mechanisms: strengthening the institutional capacity of authorities at different levels, improving the legal framework in accordance with European standards, creating sustainable financial and economic tools to support digital initiatives, integrating digital technologies into strategic planning processes, and developing human resources with competencies in e-health and data analytics.

It is concluded that the effective implementation of these principles will contribute to building a modern, human-centered, open, and resilient healthcare system capable of providing high-quality medical services, responding promptly to post-war risks and challenges, and integrating into the European administrative space.

INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO THE FORMATION OF CULTURAL POLICY IN THE CONTEXT OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF EU COUNTRIES

2025-12-12T19:37:09+00:00

The article explores the concept of “innovative cultural policy” as a key instrument of modern public governance in the context of digital transformation. It highlights that cultural digitalization is not only a tool for modernization but also a driver of a new model of interaction between the state, cultural institutions, and civil society.

European models of digital cultural policy are examined through the cases of Spain, Estonia, and France, focusing on infrastructure, regulatory, educational, and institutional decisions. In France, digital heritage registries encompass both archival and current cultural content; in Estonia, a digital culture manifesto and integrated platforms operate within state services; in Spain, innovation in cultural industries is supported through mechanisms aligned with open data principles.

The Ukrainian experience is analysed in detail. The article reviews national initiatives in cultural digital transformation, including the launch of digital platforms (“Diia.Digital Education”, services of the Ministry of Culture), digitization of cultural heritage objects, and the implementation of electronic document management in the cultural sector. It emphasizes the need for regulatory alignment, intersectoral coordination, and development of digital infrastructure. Ukraine’s key challenges include fragmented initiatives, absence of a national digital heritage register, and low levels of digital inclusion among cultural workers.

The research identifies tools of digital cultural policy transformation: content archiving platforms, open metadata, AI–based systems, digital policy indicators, crowdsourcing, and citizen participation. It underlines the importance of openness, ethics, and digital literacy. Innovation priorities include national platforms, digital education for culture professionals, and national monitoring of digital culture development.

This study presents a deeper academic analysis of cultural policy digitalization as part of contemporary public administration. Drawing on European practices, it outlines ways to enhance Ukraine’s cultural digital space and identifies strategic priorities for modernizing cultural governance in response to technological and social challenges, including comparative analysis of digital strategies and integration into the broader context of digital public governance.

THE SUBJECT MATTER OF STRATEGIC PLANNING OF TERRITORIAL DEVELOPMENT AS A COMPONENT SCIENCE OF PUBLIC MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION

2025-12-12T19:41:12+00:00

The article is devoted to exploring the place of the concept of strategic planning for territorial development within the system of knowledge of public administration and management science. Strategic planning is an important aspect of the broader dimension of public administration that concerns the functional content of managerial activity. Today, strategic planning of territorial development is considered an effective mechanism for implementing the state’s regional policy in the context of increasing self-organization of territorial communities. It is appropriate to speak about the institutionalization of territorial development strategic planning as a relatively distinct area of practical public administration and a component of the science of public administration and management. In conceptual terms, strategic planning of territorial development should be interpreted as a category of public administration that characterizes the system of sectoral governance mechanisms. Some experts define territorial strategic planning through the concept of a “mesosystem,” which encompasses regions, subregions, cities, agglomerations, settlements, and districts. Strategic planning is one of the most important forms of exercising the authority of regional and local governance structures, through which the decisive role of power in defining the directions of territorial development and the consequences of managerial decisions is manifested. Within the science of public administration, strategic planning as a concept and mechanism is viewed as a system with a complex structure. The systems approach allows for a multifaceted analysis of the territory, an objective assessment of its state, and the proposal of optimal development paths based on a multi-criteria selection of goals and directions.

PHILOSOPHY OF MANAGEMENT AS A METHODOLOGICAL FOUNDATION OF MODERN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION SCIENCE

2025-12-12T19:47:19+00:00

The article substantiates the view that the philosophy of governance serves as a fundamental methodological basis of contemporary public administration science amid profound transformations of the state and society. It demonstrates that the digitalization of governance, networked forms of communication, the growing autonomy of local communities, and rising ethical demands for decision-making underscore the need for conceptual foundations capable of ensuring the integrity and humanistic orientation of administrative action. The philosophy of governance is interpreted as a metatheoretical level that integrates ontological understandings of the nature of authority, epistemological principles of generating knowledge about public policy, and axiological dimensions of value-based justification of administrative decisions. Based on an analysis of global and Ukrainian scholarship, the article outlines the contributions of classical American theorists (J. Dewey, Ch. Barnard, D. Waldo) and modern European researchers (E. Ongaro, B. Rothstein, M. Bevir), who developed distinct approaches to understanding the philosophical dimension of governance. It also synthesizes the work of Ukrainian scholars who conceptualize public administration as a form of spiritual and ethical activity grounded in service, partnership, trust, and public value. The role of philosophy in shaping the normative foundations of European good governance, particularly through OECD/SIGMA principles, is emphasized. Special attention is given to the philosophical interpretation of digitalization, which requires ethical guidelines for the use of algorithms, data, and artificial intelligence. The study highlights that the philosophy of governance performs integrative, critical, and normative functions, ensuring coherence between scientific theories, administrative technologies, and democratic practices.

Ultimately, the philosophy of governance is presented as an essential instrument for cultivating an administrative culture that unites rationality, morality, and public good. It provides strategic vision for institutional development, enhances governance practices, and supports the consolidation of a democratic, resilient, and citizen-oriented model of public administration.