WAYS OF CONFRONTING CORRUPTION AND BRIBERY IN THE BODIES OF THE STATE AUTHORITY

The article is devoted to identifying the features of the functioning of public authorities in Ukraine under martial law. Public authorities include local self-government bodies and state authorities (executive authorities). In Ukraine, under war conditions, new practices of interaction between public authorities (local self-government and state authorities), on the one hand, and between civil society and public authorities, on the other hand, are being formed. The theoretical and methodological foundations of the study were general scientific methods of cognition in considering the issues of public authorities in Ukraine, in particular, analytical, empirical, comparative, descriptive. The research methods are also based on the principles of historical, systemic, structural and functional analysis. The type of interaction in the formation of regional policy between local deputies (local self-government bodies) and local military administrations (state authorities) has significantly changed. Currently, there are no uniform practices of interaction throughout Ukraine between public authorities. After all, depending on the status of the territory (front-line, near-frontline, remote from the front), the mechanisms of interaction between public authorities are also transformed. In addition, an important problem in the functioning of public authorities in Ukraine under martial law is the problem of the legitimacy of government bodies. In the absence of opportunities in wartime to reboot the power system through elections, the problem of developing strategies for legitimizing government institutions is very important. There is a high demand from civil society structures for public authorities regarding the formation of national-patriotic policy. Therefore, public authorities should develop strategies to strengthen national identity (not regional). Accordingly, national identity can become a significant factor for the legitimization of government bodies in the absence of elections.

The article outlines the ways of engaging young people in the development of civil society in Ukraine. Socially and politically active young people are one of the necessary conditions for forming a democratic society and establishing sustainable and functioning civil society institutions. Therefore, in this paper, the scholars aim to identify the ways of youth interaction with public authorities in Ukraine and general levels of youth civic engagement, as well as to characterize the culture of citizenship as a factor in involving young people in civil society development. The research reveals the relevant issue regarding the prominent role of civil society in various spheres of activity of state authorities and local self-government bodies, a qualitatively new level of interaction between civil society, especially youth as an active part of it, and state and local self-government bodies in order to establish effective dialogue and partnership relations of state bodies authorities, local self-government bodies with civil society organizations. The research combined interdisciplinary approaches of several related scientific fields (political science, public administration and education), which allowed to set broader goals and find new ways for improving youth engagement in the development of civil society in Ukraine. The authors developed and conducted an expert survey on youth engagement in the development of civil society and identified possible ways to improve youth participation in public and political life. Authors interviewed 24 experts aged from 18 to 60 years from various fields who are interested in building a democratic state governed by the rule of law: leaders and members of public organizations, teachers of higher education institutions, scholars, deputies of regional and local councils, civil society activists and businessmen. It was determined that the effective participation of youth in decision-making processes consists in creating opportunities to involve youth in influencing, shaping, developing and promoting policy and development of services and programs. These opportunities are created by developing a range of formal and informal mechanisms for youth participation, from youth advisory groups to focus groups, from ongoing consultation work to supporting youth projects. As a result of the study, the authors developed a set of conclusions and recommendations addressed to educational institutions, public authorities, local governments and civil society organizations.

The article examines the main problems of the legitimacy of public power in Ukraine under martial law, when the electoral mechanism is inferior to other means of maintaining the people's perception of the legitimacy of the current state power. The problems of the legitimacy of public power are closely related to the general problems of the constitutional and legal principles of the functioning of public power in Ukraine. It is noted that the analysis of recent scientific works on this topic showed that a comprehensive systematic study of the legitimacy of public administration during wartime in Ukrainian political science has not been carried out until recently. Experts, as a rule, studied certain aspects of the problem of public administration during martial law. It is stated that the purpose of this article is to analyze and assess the legitimacy of modern public authorities in Ukraine in the context of its impact on the stability of the political system and the social system in general. It is emphasized that the orientation of the current authorities exclusively on public, propaganda technologies without their real support by management decisions for the benefit of broad segments of the people can lead to the opposite of the intended consequences, that is, to the delegitimization of power. This is very dangerous during war, because it undermines national unity in confronting an aggressive enemy. It is concluded that in the event of impossibility of holding political elections, electoral legitimation should be replaced by the current legitimation of public power. The basis of the current legitimation of public power should be strategic, systematic and effective communication between state authorities and the people, which aims to form a high level of trust between them. It is recommended that the government information policy should be guided by a clear balance between pro-government PR and political decisions in the interests of the majority of the Ukrainian people. Only in this way can the necessary level of current legitimacy of public power be ensured.

In the scientific space today, there is a rethinking of the content and nature of communications in public administration and an awareness of the need to move from the model of informing to the model of interaction in the process of making managerial decisions, therefore communications remain an important component of the development strategy of the state and public authorities, in particular. The answer to today's managerial challenges should be the application of a strategic approach to the communication activities of public authorities. The purpose of the paper is to reveal and characterize the strategic aspect of communications in public administration at the current stage of reform implementation. Important in the context of our research is the substantiation of the strategic component of communication carried out by E. Goldman, who notes that the basis of strategic communications is perception management, in which the most important role is played by the coordination of information flows, ideas, actions and decisions aimed at bringing the perception of target audiences into line to the goals of state policy. The research methodology is based on general research methods of analysis and synthesis, the method of theoretical generalization, analogy, complex and system methods. The information base of the research is regulatory documents, communication strategies of central public authorities, etc. The results of the survey consist in a critical analysis of the current state of development of communication strategies of central public authorities in Ukraine, substantiation of the need to rethink the nature of the impact of communication on the fundamental processes that underlie the problems of state security and ensuring its national interests. It has been proven that the achievement of these goals and objectives of the state communication policy is impossible without increasing the level of trust and the image of state authorities among citizens; raising citizens' awareness of the processes taking place in them; ensuring active participation of the public in the process of making management decisions by establishing feedback; improving cooperation with national and international mass media; strengthening the presence of public authorities at the international level; optimization of internal communications and information exchange in public authorities. Practical implications. The result of the survey is the development of recommendations for improving the strategic aspect of communication policy in the activities of public authorities through the implementation of the service state model.

У статті виявлено особливості впровадження технологій «електронного врядування» в Україні та обґрунтовано необхідність залучення кращих практик «електронного врядування» в систему державного управління. З’ясовано, що електронне урядування все ширше впроваджується в органах державної влади і місцевого самоврядування в Україні. Зокрема, в Україні створено Національний центр е-врядування для сприяння впровадженню інформаційно-комунікаційних технологій в щоденну практику органів державної влади в Україні; за підтримки Державного агентства з питань науки, інновацій та інформатизації України, Державного підприємства «Державний центр інформаційних ресурсів України» та Програми розвитку ООН в Україні створено портал знань. Також наведено приклади розвитку електронного урядування в окремих регіонах України, що свідчить про ефективність електронного врядування як інструменту підвищення якості всіх видів державних послуг, розвитку прямого діалогу влади з громадянами. Здійснено висновок про необхідність удосконалення нормативно-правових актів у цій сфері, чіткого окреслення мети, тактики та стратегії реалізації електронного урядування, для цього слід визначитись із завданнями, практичними кроками та інструментами реалізації таких дій. Зважаючи на щорічне покращення умов для впровадження електронного урядування, практична реалізація е-урядування в Україні є завданням реальним у найближчій перспективі.

У статті обґрунтовано актуальність дослідження напрямів удосконалення системи надання адміністративних послуг в органах публічної влади в Україні, яка пов’язана з євроінтеграційним курсом держави. Мета статті полягає у визначенні напрямів удосконалення си

The study of public authority is relevant for many reasons. Firstly, public authority is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that is constantly evolving. Secondly, public authorities have a significant impact on society, and it is important to understand how they function. Thirdly, the study of public authorities can help to develop effective methods of governing society. The research of public authority is conducted in various fields of knowledge, such as public administration, political science, law, economics, sociology, and philosophy. The interdisciplinary investigation of public authority is also important, as it allows for a deeper understanding of this phenomenon. The current stage of development of the Ukrainian state is determined by the need to build a public administration system that will ensure effective interaction between public authorities (state and local governments) and civil society. Public administration is a system of governance in which state and local authorities, various organisational and legal forms and citizens directly involved in the process of social development of the state interact. The key objective of the formation and functioning of the public administration system is to develop and implement socio-economic policies aimed at improving the living standards of the population. The success of its implementation depends not only on the functioning of various state institutions, but also on the extent to which society accepts this policy, shares its goals, mechanisms, principles of its implementation, and trusts it. The purpose of the article is to study and analyse the concept and features of public authority in the current conditions of development of public relations, and to establish the link and interdependence between the conceptual foundations, objectives, subjective dimension of decentralisation of public authority in Ukraine and its economic, political, legal and administrative consequences. The methodological basis of the article is a system of general scientific and special methods of scientific knowledge. These methods together constitute an integral system, which is manifested in the quality of the research approach, both at the empirical and theoretical levels of this scientific work. It is noted that the role of local self-government bodies during wartime should not be underestimated; they remain an important mechanism for ensuring the effective functioning of public authorities and the defence capability of the State. This was clearly evidenced by the actions of local self-government bodies in the first days of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation. In the authors' opinion, the experience gained by Ukraine during the war demonstrates the undeniable advantage of self-organisation of the population over centralised governance. The central government will not be able to take over the functions of local governments and perform them as effectively. Even before the war, the level of trust in local authorities among citizens was one of the highest compared to other institutions. Recently, as citizens have been interacting more and more with local authorities, as they are closest to them, this attitude has only strengthened. Therefore, the termination of the powers of local self-government bodies by the state authorities during the war is an unconstitutional action that threatens the national security of the country. Suspension or restriction of their powers is possible only in extraordinary cases, when there is a direct threat to the life and safety of citizens in the territory of hostilities or occupation. In all other cases, this is possible only in accordance with a procedure that requires a reasoned court decision. However, the political and legal reality caused by the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation on February 24, 2022, showed a low level of drafting and lawmaking, their abstract and declarative nature, internal contradictions and outright neglect of the interests of the territorial community and its members, which directly and negatively affected the procedure for exercising the powers of self-government bodies, including the protection of human rights and freedoms within the local society.

The formation of a modern system of public administration in Ukraine requires adequate information support from the state authorities. The development of new communicative forms and methods of interaction between the authorities and the population, on the one hand, and the availability of public response, on the other, should stimulate a positive image of politicians and support for democratic transformation of the country as a whole. The image of state authorities, including the image of central executive bodies, is evaluative. The level of assessment of the image of public authorities by citizens may vary in accordance with the socio-political, economic and cultural conditions of society. The article identifies the main tasks of communication units in public authorities. Proposals for improving the information and communication mechanisms for the formation of a positive image of public authorities in Ukraine are presented. Specific proposals for the development of information and communication mechanisms for the formation of a positive image in the field of interaction between government and the media are proposed. The peculiarities of using the components of the information and communication mechanism of forming a positive image of the professional activity of the managerial staff are systematized. The most important task of government management is to master modern approaches to the collection, processing and effective use of information, methods and tools for its updating. The timeliness and urgency of making and implementing public administration decisions to support the socio-economic growth of the state and improve the social welfare of the population and the country as a whole will depend on the solution of this issue. It is determined that the improvement of information and communication mechanisms for the formation of a positive image should take place in four main areas, in particular: expanding the system of public relations; increasing the interaction of state power and mass media; improving the mechanism of providing public services; optimization of the personnel mechanism.

The article is devoted to the study of the European experience in division of competences between municipal and state authorities and determination of the possibilities of its implementation in Ukraine. The scientific works that study the issues of division of competences and powers between state and municipal authorities in European countries were analyzed, and the problems that arose during the implementation of administrative and territorial, and decentralization reform by European countries were considered. The division of powers between state and municipal authorities of different levels were also analyzed. The administrative and territorial structure of European countries that are closest to Ukraine geographically, historically and mentally were studied and the division of competences between municipal and state authorities in France, Poland and the Czech Republic in the context of their administrative and territorial reforms, and decentralization reform were analyzed. The legal framework of these countries regarding the division of competences while implementing the decentralization reform was also analyzed. It was emphasized that the division of competences between municipal and state authorities is based on the principles of subsidiarity. The analysis of division of competences between local self-government authorities and state authorities in Ukraine under the martial law showed the significant role of local self-government authorities as military administrations with appropriate powers. The author substantiates the need to continue decentralization reform in Ukraine in the post-war period and further develop the institution of local self-government on the principles of subsidiarity, and active implementation of the European experience of municipalities with expanded powers at the community level to increase the efficiency of public authorities. The article identifies promising areas for improving the division of competencies and powers between state authorities and local self-government authorities in Ukraine, taking into account the European experience in the post-war period. Taking into account the positive European experience of division of competences between state and municipal authorities, it was proposed to improve the division of competences between local self-government authorities and state authorities in Ukraine by expanding the powers of local self-government authorities and transforming local state administrations into prefectural institutions, while retaining their control and supervisory functions.

This article is devoted to the study of the state of management activity of public authorities in Ukraine, as well as to the disclosure of such a social and legal phenomenon as the term “integrity of public authorities”, providing its legal definition, and revealing its meaning. It was noted that the first steps on the way to fundamentally reforming the old system of public power with the support of our European allies, starting in 2014, were carried out in Ukraine through the initiation of relevant reforms, of which 18 are key reforms. In order to implement the aforementioned, appropriate amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine and relevant laws were drafted. Thus, the movement towards the specified goal, the implementation of the aforementioned reforms by the public authorities of Ukraine depends entirely on its capacity, integrity, primarily in the field of law, in the spheres of lawmaking and law application, i.e. ensuring the supremacy of law over state arbitrariness. The article reveals the concept of “integrity” as a psychological factor, which is based on the tendency to be organized, responsible and hardworking, and also notes its connection with the law, and the legal category “legal integrity”, which is closely related to professional ethics. Related to legal integrity is legal ethics, which plays a certain role and importance of moral principles in the sphere of justice and law enforcement, as well as in other human activities related to law. Attention is focused on the fact that the analysis of the state of implementation of the planned reforms by the public authorities of Ukraine indicates a very slow progress in the fulfillment of the corresponding obligations regarding democratic transformations in the state, since a certain part of them have not been implemented so far. At the same time, new challenges have appeared during the wartime period, the implementation of which largely depends on the “legal integrity of the public authorities”, which, in turn, can affect the speed of military aid to Ukraine from our allies. First of all, this concerns the need to complete the planned reforms. It is emphasized that one of the negative dynamics, which is surprisingly important for Ukraine, is the slowing down of reforms in the security and defense sector. This is one of the most important public administration reforms, the purpose of which is to strengthen the quality of security sector management (SSC) by means of effective and efficient security provision under conditions of democratic supervision and control. In parallel with it, the reform of the defense industry should be carried out. One of the reasons for the mentioned shortcomings is the absence of a state personnel policy, which leads to the occurrence of grave consequences for national security, to the occurrence of acts of corruption, theft of state funds, and state treason. It was established that the confirmation of the above is only a fragmentary involvement of public authorities of civil society in the normative regulation of public life, regarding the regulation of social relations in the relevant spheres of life, as well as the involvement of citizens in the development and adoption of management decisions, which does not correspond to the provisions of Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Evidence of ignoring the rights and interests of citizens on the part of the public authorities is the legislative, regulatory “deterioration” of the pension legislation in 2018 regarding persons released from military service, which was performed without involving citizens in the discussion; the veteran movement of the security and defense sector was split by the authorities. A significant shortcoming of the functioning of public authorities is that in their activities they often do not perceive the modern European democratic principle of orienting authorities to the fulfillment of social requests of society regarding its further development, but instead act on the contrary – offer and lobby their personal vision of directions for the further development of society, which often does not coincide with society’s aspirations and leads to the emergence of social conflicts. And therefore, only in the case of sharpening attention to emerging social problems, in compliance with the obligations assumed to adhere to European democratic principles, the public authorities have the opportunity to jointly solve existing problems with civil society, thereby consolidating society and increasing the efficiency of public administration.

This research article is devoted to the assessment of the results and effectiveness of the implementation of digital technologies in public authorities in Ukraine, as well as ways to improve the digitalization processes in public authorities in Ukraine.The article includes a study of digital technologies used in public authorities in Ukraine and their impact on the efficiency of public authorities.The article examines the criteria for the effectiveness of digital technologies implementation, as well as possible problems arising in the process of digitalization in public authorities in Ukraine.To solve these problems, the authors propose ways to improve the digitalization processes in public authorities in Ukraine.The results of the study may be useful for authorities seeking to optimize their work and improve efficiency through digital technologies.

The purpose of the article is to justify the need to introduce an institutional audit of public authorities in Ukraine as one of the responses to modern challenges in the system of public management and administration. In the research there were used methods of a systematic approach to studying the concept of institutional audit, as well as methods of analysis, generalization, systematization, and forecasting to describe the components of the institutional audit’s ecosystem. Іnstitutional audit is singled out from among other types of audits; the need to increase the institutional capacity of public authorities in Ukraine is justified; the components of institutional audit are considered; communication ability is researched as an important component of the object of institutional audit in the modern realities of Ukraine; the advantages of involving the public in the procedure of institutional audit in Ukraine are considered. It has been established that in the modern realities of Ukraine, institutional audit doesn’t have sufficient methodological and legal support, and what is available is scattered among various laws, regulations and even types of audits. The need to systematize the legal foundations of institutional audit and to strengthen the theoretical and methodological basis of its conduct is proven. Keywords: institutional audit, institutional capacity, organization, effectiveness, efficiency, communication, public authorities.

Nowadays there is an active development of trust marketing, which is designed to form long-term relationships between customers and businesses, providing the latter with significant competitive advantages in the consumer market. Awareness of the importance of trust in the commercial sector and maintaining it at a high level allows companies to increase their profits. If a person trusts the company, he is more likely to buy the product from him than from someone he does not trust at all. Equally important is the trust of citizens in public authorities. After all, it appears as a kind of advance in the relationship regarding future activities. A high credit of public confidence in public authorities allows public administrators to implement reforms, make changes in society and innovate as soon as possible. Distrust leads to resistance to change, increases the instability of the state, ultimately increases the cost of time and money to verify information, documents and so on.The scientific article describes the differences between state and public authorities. Thus, it has been determined that the subjects of state power are the legislative, executive and judicial authorities and the subjects of public authority are public authorities and local governments in Ukraine. The interpretation of the concept of "trust" has been covered, the level of trust of Ukrainian citizens to public authorities has been analysed. Also, a number of factors influencing the formation of trust and distrust in public authorities in Ukraine have been identified and analysed. It has been found that corruption, insufficient level of professionalism and moral values of public managers, opacity and lack of accountability of Ukrainian cities contribute to the formation of distrust to the government among the population. It has been established that the factor of citizens' trust in public authorities also influences the successful implementation of public marketing. After all, the greater the credit of trust held by public authorities, the more convincing it will sound for citizens to present those public ideas and decisions that are promoted through the use of public marketing tools.

The article examines the state and identifies systemic problems in the implementation of communication strategies by public authorities in Ukraine, which do not allow to increase the efficiency of their work. The positive sides and shortcomings in the development and implementation of communication strategies in the field of public management and administration are analyzed; the requirements and factors that most significantly influence the content of communication processes in the public sphere are determined. It has been proven that the positive perception of the activities of public authorities is influenced not only by the information field formed by the Ukrainian mass media and interested parties, but also by informational messages of Russian propaganda, countering which should be the task of the structural units of public authorities responsible for communication. Suggestions for improving communication activities in the public sphere are provided. It is substantiated that when developing a communication strategy, public authorities should ensure the reduction of uncertainty and the risk of failure when making strategic management decisions. The essence of the interaction of public authorities with target audiences is determined, which consists in ensuring effective state policy, adapting state reforms to possible future changes in the external environment. It is emphasized that the achievement of these tasks is impossible without increasing the level of trust and image of public authorities among citizens; raising citizens’ awareness of the processes taking place in them; ensuring active participation of the public in the process of making management decisions and establishing feedback; improving cooperation with national and international mass media; strengthening the presence of public authorities at the international level; optimization of internal communications and information exchange in public authorities. Keywords: information, communications in public administration, strategic communications, communication risks, target audiences, communication channels.

Topicality. The relevance of this topic is determined by the study of problematic issues related to the optimization of the activities of national state authorities in the conditions of martial law. The purpose of the article is to highlight the peculiarities of the constitutional and legal regulation of the functioning of the public power mechanism of European states in the conditions of martial law based on the analysis and synthesis of scientific works and constitutional and legal acts regarding the content of special legal regimes that are introduced during crisis situations. Research methods. To achieve the specified goal, a set of methods was used: dialectical (for the objectivity and comprehensiveness of knowledge of state-legal phenomena in foreign countries, taking into account various factors, in development), systemic approach (when considering public authorities as a whole ordered system), formal-legal method (for establishing the content of legal norms and analyzing the practice of their application) and others. The comparative legal method was used as the leading method (to compare the legal and organizational aspects of the functioning of authorities and to develop practical recommendations for improving the activities of public authorities in Ukraine). Results. The constitutional and legal norms regulating the special legal regime (in particular, the martial law regime) in European countries are analyzed, and the key features of the mechanism of public power functioning in emergency conditions are highlighted. It is emphasized that the study of European experience is relevant and appropriate from the point of view of possible further implementation in national legislation. It is noted that special legal regimes are introduced when a certain situation of an extraordinary nature arises in the state, threatening the development of the state and society, the rights and freedoms of citizens. The constitutional and legal institution of the emergency regime is a system of legal norms that establish the grounds and procedure for its introduction, the state authority authorized to introduce it. A special mode of activity of state authorities and local self-governments, enterprises, institutions and organizations is also established. The limits of the special legal regime in time and space are fixed. In the states, temporary changes in the demarcation of competence between the authorities of different levels are usually foreseen. As a rule, executive authorities are temporarily granted certain powers that normally belong to the legislative body, on a clear legal basis. Four variants of implementation of the procedure for the introduction of special legal regimes (in particular, martial law) in the practice of European states are distinguished, which are differed by the degree of involvement of the parliament. The significance of the results. The possible ways and methods of optimizing the activities of the higher state authorities of Ukraine in the conditions of martial law are proposed.