STRATEGY OF COMMUNICATIONS IN THE SPHERE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION: ANALYSIS OF IMPLEMENTATION IN UKRAINE

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of an actual problem in the field of public administration, namely, the strategizing of communication activities. This topic is studied through the prism of historical and institutional analysis of the introduction of communications in the field of public administration. It was determined that the communication policy of the authorities in Ukraine is not regulated by a special law. Most often, state authorities in interstate, intersectoral and interbranch interaction are guided by individual positions of the institutional regulatory and legal framework. It has been confirmed that at the current stage of the development of the Ukrainian state, communication problems in public administration are constantly felt, which are especially aggravated in situations of crisis (the COVID-19 pandemic, full-scale war). It was determined that in independent Ukraine, communication in the field of public administration as a management function is characterized by stages of formation and development. Four main stages are distinguished: the stage of initial formation (1996–2004); the stage of spontaneous formation of communication strategies (2005–2014); the stage of strategizing communications in the field of public administration on the basis of the European integration and Euro-Atlantic course (2015–2019); the stage of centralized management of communication in a state of crisis (2020–present). This stage is characterized by accelerated development of information and communication management systems. The creation of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine in 2019 finally completed the formation of the institutional environment for the implementation of the communication policy of the authorities in a remote format. It was determined that the most active communication policy was formed and implemented in the bodies of the executive power compared to the bodies of the legislative and judicial branches of power. It was concluded that the centralization of information management in a state of crisis is a reliable barrier to disinformation and allows the government to provide authorities, local self-government bodies, the public and governments of other countries with the most reliable scientifically based information. For this purpose, a consultative and advisory body – the Communications Council – functions at the government level.