Theoretical foundations of the super-app for a public sector digitalisation: The case of Ukraine

Abstract

The purpose of the research was to substantiate the theoretical foundations of the “super-app” concept and to evaluate its applicability for public sector digitalization, with a particular focus on Ukraine. Although super-app ecosystems have become a prominent phenomenon in the private sector, the academic literature still lacks a unified definition of a super-app and provides limited analysis of its potential role in public service delivery. To address this gap, the study employs a mixed-methods approach that combines comparative analysis, structural-functional analysis and qualitative assessment of international and national case studies. The research compares mature super-app ecosystems (WeChat, Grab, Gojek and Kakao) with emerging super-app platforms (Uber, Revolut, Glovo and Diia) in order to identify the core criteria that distinguish fully developed super-apps from platforms at earlier stages of ecosystem formation. The results demonstrate that mature super-apps are characterized by deep service integration, embedded digital identity and payment infrastructures, ecosystem openness and sustained user engagement across multiple domains of daily activity. Emerging platforms only partially meet these criteria, revealing structural gaps related to governance models, regulatory environments and ecosystem coordination. Applying this analytical framework to Ukraine, the study examines Diia as a potential public-sector super-app. The findings indicate that Diia exhibits several defining features of a super-app, including centralized digital identification, wide service coverage and large-scale user adoption. The study proposes strategic directions for enhancing Diia’s evolution toward a public-sector super-app model, and also an authorial definition of a “super-app for the public sector”, which is expanding theoretical understanding of platform-based digital governance.