“Citizens of Ukraine painfully perceive that international partners engage the Kremlin criminal in negotiations instead of holding him accountable for crimes that are obvious to the civilised world...”. This was said by the Head of the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service Nataliia Aliushyna in an author's article for the international expert magazine PA TIMES - the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) National. In the article “Factors of Governance Capacity: Lessons From Three Years of War in Ukraine”, Nataliia Aliushyna considers it necessary to draw the attention of the US management experts to the real situation in Ukraine.   

“For three years now, the Ukrainian public administration system has been operating in a full-scale war with the Russian Federation. Despite immense pressure, we must resist the enemy, fulfil domestic social obligations and maintain the trust of our international partners. Throughout this period, we have gained significant experience — valuable for the United States of America and European countries, considering the global risks predicted by analysts worldwide,” Nataliia Aliushyna said. 

The Head of the NAUCS noted that even large countries with effective management systems, such as Ukraine, are depleted and need human and institutional transformations. In this regard, Nataliia Aliushyna identified two complex wartime factors that require increased attention, as they significantly affect the governance capacity. 

"The first factor is the physical and psychological exhaustion of public servants. Under stressful conditions, people quickly burn out and lose motivation. In public service, these processes are more pronounced than in the private sector. Employees of state and municipal institutions bear a higher level of responsibility and face more legal restrictions. Unlike other citizens, they cannot take leave at any time to restore their psychological balance with their loved ones. Meanwhile, the loss of experienced public servants weakens the institutional strength of the state", Nataliia Aliushyna said. 

The second factor affecting the public administration system is complex political risks and the vulnerability of society to political stimuli. According to her, the social balance is being disturbed by despondency and apathy. The reasons are on the surface: military and civilians are being killed every day; some territories are occupied, and Ukrainians captured there are being held hostage by Russians; millions of families are separated because wives, mothers and children are leaving for other countries... 

“Political turbulence is growing in society, which has a negative impact on institutional stability. People feel desperate and, as a result, partially lose trust in their own state and the managers who represent it. In such circumstances, the key task of the public service is to demonstrate to the public managerial coherence and openness to civil dialogue. It is about strengthening and updating the human resources of the public service, intensifying public interaction, and integrating civic initiatives into state institutions,” noted Nataliia Aliushyna. The Head of the NAUCS emphasized the need to convince society that state institutions are not a “golden cage” for the chosen few, but an “open space” for the civil community. According to her, it is important to bring the values of public service closer to people's understanding, to increase its attractiveness as a place of work in the eyes of qualified business professionals and university graduates. 

Full text of the author's article.