Assessment of the state of e-governance in Ukraine in the context of civil society’s access to e-participation tools

Abstract

The relevance of the development of e-governance in Ukraine is conditioned by the need to ensure the continuity of public administration in war conditions, the public’s demand for transparency of management processes, and increased civic participation. The purpose of the study was to systematically assess the level of e-governance development in Ukraine considering civil society’s access to digital participation tools. The methodology of the study was based on the initial analysis and systematisation of data from the questionnaire of states parties used by the United Nations to prepare the global report on e-governance. As a result of the study, it was established that Ukraine has made some progress in the digital transformation of the public administration system. Among the key achievements are the launch of the national digital platform for public services, the adoption of strategic digital policy documents, and the development of the regulatory framework in the field of personal data protection, cybersecurity, and information openness. However, the study also revealed a number of barriers: the absence of a national coordinator of digital technologies, fragmented legal regulation of innovations, the lack of a unified state strategy for digital inclusion, weak integration of the results of public consultations into policy-making processes, limited collection of gender-specific statistics on the use of digital services. It is recommended to introduce the position of National Coordinator for Digital Transformation, develop a comprehensive strategy for digital inclusion, update the regulatory framework for innovative technologies, and ensure that citizens’ views are considered more widely in public decision-making. The practical significance of the study lies in the development of recommendations for improving the digital policy of Ukraine, improving the effectiveness of electronic participation, and strengthening cooperation between the state and civil society.