THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GOOD GOVERNANCE CONCEPT IN THE PRACTICE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN UKRAINE: SYNERGY OF INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS AND ACADEMIC VALUES

Abstract

This article provides a comprehensive study of the concept of Good Governance and its implementation in Ukraine’s public administration. It explores the universal framework of the eight pillars of UN ESCAP as a global benchmark, and the twelve principles of democratic governance developed by the Council of Europe as mandatory standards for EU candidate countries. The analysis highlights the updated SIGMA 2023 framework, which introduced 32 principles and more than 270 sub-principles, emphasizing resilience, sustainability, and the extension of governance standards to regional and local levels. In parallel, the OECD recommendations on public integrity are examined, shifting the focus from isolated anti-corruption measures to the cultivation of a systemic culture of integrity, accountability, and evidence-informed policymaking.

The empirical dimension is addressed through the Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI 2.0), which in 2025 adopted an absolute scale and recalibrated historical data to assess governance quality more consistently. Ukraine’s performance demonstrates progress in government effectiveness and political stability, largely due to digitalization and institutional adaptability, while stagnation persists in rule of law and corruption control. The Ukraine Facility 2024–2027, with a €50 billion budget, is analyzed as a strategic roadmap linking EU financial support to the implementation of 69 reforms in governance, finance, judiciary, and digital transformation.

A special focus is placed on academic integrity as an ethical foundation of governance, ensuring the formation of a new administrative elite committed to transparency, fairness, and responsibility. The study identifies systemic challenges-corruption, wartime constraints on transparency, Soviet administrative legacies, political instability, and social exclusion-while offering recommendations for harmonizing legislation, strengthening integrity checks, expanding digital inclusiveness, and embedding evidence-based policymaking. The findings confirm that the synergy of international standards and academic integrity provides Ukraine with a resilient governance model essential for post-war recovery and European integration.