EVOLUTION OF PUBLIC SERVICE MODELS AND ITS ROLE IN POLICY MAKING

Abstract

The current state of public administration reform in Ukraine is conditioned by the processes of European integration, post-war reconstruction and digital transformation. This state of affairs requires a rethinking of the theoretical foundations of the functioning of the state apparatus and its role in the formation of state policies. To understand the best theoretical foundations that can be applied in Ukraine, the author in the article traced the evolution of civil service models that were formed in the world science of public administration during the late 19th – early 21st centuries and analyzed the transformation of the role of civil service in the formation of policies within each of the models. The methodological basis of the study was the historical-chronological method, comparative analysis, systemic and structural-functional approaches, content analysis of primary sources and framework documents of industry international organizations. Based on the generalization of the theoretical tradition, six consecutive models of the civil service are distinguished: classical Weberian bureaucracy, traditional public administration, the welfare state model, new public management, new public governance combined with public value management, the digital era of governance combined with the Neo-Weberian state. It is determined that the role of the public service in policymaking has undergone a fundamental transformation during this period. There has been a transition from a politically neutral executor to an active co-author of decisions, from a technical expert to a coordinator of networked policymaking and a bearer of state value. It is substantiated that the current Ukrainian context most closely corresponds to the logic of the Neo-Weberian model with noticeable elements of the digital era of governance and a mission-oriented public sector. Cross-cutting lines of transformation are distinguished, namely, a change in the leading function of the civil service, a change in the nature of relations with political leadership, a change in the understanding of the legitimacy of decisions, and a change in the tools of policymaking. Prospects for further research are formulated, which include empirical verification of the applicability of the selected models to the Ukrainian civil service, development of a methodology for assessing institutional capacity for each of the models, and adaptation of modern integrative approaches to the context of post-war reconstruction and European integration of Ukraine.