Digital adaptive governance: the response to the wartime crises in Ukraine

Abstract

The thesis presents research about adaptive digital governance as a response to the wartime crisis in Ukraine. The study aims to understand the patterns of adaptive governance and digital transformation in public governance and service delivery in Ukraine, and analyse their capabilities to respond to wartime crisis needs. The research purpose examines the extent to which digital services were associated with adaptive governance and the observable manifestations of potential wartime crisis resilience. The thesis employs qualitative research methods: document analysis, content analysis, and semi-structured interviews with experts in the field to answer the central research question: to what extent did wartime digital public services support adaptive governance and observable manifestations of crisis resilience in Ukraine from February 2022 to December 2025? The study utilises adaptive governance theory as its main theoretical framework, complemented by polycentric governance. The research analyses the combination of adaptive governance and digitalisation and its relationship to digital public services in challenging, non-ordinary circumstances. This study can be considered a contribution to the literature, aiming to enrich contemporary academic scholarship, as it addresses a topic that is underrepresented in the literature.