TRANSFORMATION OF THE INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY OF PUBLIC AUTHORITY BODIES IN THE SPHERE OF STATE HUMANITARIAN POLICY IN THE CONDITIONS OF MARTIAL STATE

Abstract

The article examines the process of transforming the institutional capacity of public
authorities in the field of humanitarian policy under martial law. The mechanisms for adapting the system
of public administration and local self-government to the critical challenges of war are updated, in
particular, ensuring the vital activity of de-occupied and frontline territories, supporting internally displaced
persons, and overcoming humanitarian crises. Particular attention is paid to changing management
approaches from rigid administration to flexible crisis management models. The impact of digitalization of
public services, optimization of human resources potential, and redistribution of powers between military
administrations and local self-government bodies on the overall stability of the system is analyzed.
The architecture of interaction between the state, international donors, and civil society institutions
is considered, which allowed the formation of network models of coordination of humanitarian aid. It is
emphasized that the speed of decision-making and institutional flexibility have become determining
factors in maintaining social stability and national security. Prospective directions for strengthening the
institutional capacity of government bodies in the post-war period are substantiated. It is proven that the
experience of intersectoral coordination, decentralized management, and the use of digital tools acquired
during martial law should become the basis for long-term modernization of the humanitarian sphere.
Vectors of further scientific research are outlined, in particular in the context of developing criteria
for assessing the resilience of public institutions in the face of systemic threats. It is established that the
beginning of a full-scale invasion destroyed the usual rules of state administration, at one point state
security was directly dependent on how quickly the administrative apparatus is able to respond to
dangerous military threats. In these realities, the traditional, slow model of government work could no
longer function effectively.
Bureaucratic procedures designed for peacetime began to slow down the adoption of critically
important decisions, which required an immediate revision of the principles of the entire system of public
authority. It was found that the key concept for the survival of the state system in such conditions is
institutional capacity. It determines not just the availability of money or the number of employees, but the
real ability of state bodies to fulfill their duties under conditions of severe stress. The war showed that this
capacity is constantly changing. It can instantly decrease due to a lack of personnel or the destruction of
offices, or, conversely, quickly mobilize and change due to the flexibility of management.