A democratic trend in the development of the public administrative sphere in Ukraine in the post-war period

Abstract

Problem setting. Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine sows death and destruction; threatens all spheres of socio-economic development of society. It also aims to destroy civilizational achievements in education, science, and culture, as well as to ruin the democratic foundations of Ukrainian society. Threats of curtailment of democratic reforms and restrictions on social transparency may also be due to internal reasons, such as the introduction of norms of the legal regime of martial law and its formal interpretation. Taking into account the above-mentioned present peculiarities, an attempt to systematically analyze the democratic trend in the development of the public administrative sphere in Ukraine and substantiate the means of its uncontested implementation in the post-war period becomes a requirement of time. Paper main body This paper determines the main achievements of the democratic development of Ukrainian society as a change in the essential features of the public administrative sphere, as well as its individual most obvious manifestations. The paper considers the content of threats posed by the aggressive war of the Russian Federation and the need to develop the public administrative sphere in Ukraine on a democratic basis in the post-war period. Democratic development is defined as a trend – a vector of changes, the achievement of which is not uncontested and which opposes the totalitarian regime. The main differences between democratic and totalitarian societies, which are classified according to four spheres and sixteen criteria correspondingly, are revealed. The characteristics provided not only demonstrate the opposite of totalitarianism and democracy but also define a system of tasks to be implemented to ensure further progressive development. It is substantiated that the efficient factor in transforming the democratic trend of development into a specific reality lies in the joint activity of social actors, the synergistic effect of which depends on the adherence to the single paradigm of modernization of the public administrative sphere. The paradigmatic unity of the activity is revealed as the realization of a conceptually conscious model of development, from a defined strategy to the specific tactical steps and technical means of their practical implementation. Conclusions and suggestions. The scientific substantiation proves that the democratic development of Ukrainian society in present conditions should be viewed as a trend not realized with absolute necessity. Its practical application in the public administrative sphere can be guaranteed by mutually coordinated activities of main social actors who consciously implement requirements of the democratic paradigm. Accordingly, proposals for the compliance of these requirements in specific directions are outlined.