EXPERIENCE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION TRANSFORMATION IN THE VISEGRAD GROUP COUNTRIES (1990–2025)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/2786-8273/2026-14-24Keywords:
public administration transformation, Visegrad Group, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, institutional capacity, politicisation of civil service, European integration, SIGMAAbstract
Introduction. The current stage of public administration reform in Ukraine, driven by European integration and the implementation of the Public Administration Reform, requires a substantiated conceptual reference point drawn from countries that have undergone a similar transformation from the post-communist legacy to the contemporary European model. The Visegrad Group countries (Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia) offer a particularly relevant reference point due to their similar starting positions in 1990, shared EU accession trajectory, and emerging risks of politicisation after accession. Purpose. To systematically analyse the transformation of public administration in the Visegrad Group during 1990 - 2025, identify structural features and country-specific challenges, and formulate conclusions for Ukrainian reform. Methods. Comparative-historical, systemic, and structural-functional methods and content analysis of SIGMA Programme reports, the European Commission Enlargement Package, OECD Public Governance Reviews, and academic research of 2015-2025 have been applied. Results. Five successive stages of Visegrad transformation have been reconstructed: initial post-communist institutionalisation (1990-1995); pre-accession preparation (1996-2004); consolidation after EU accession (2004-2010); politicisation and democratic backsliding (2010-2020); and ambivalent recent developments (2020-2025). Five common structural features have been identified: adoption of civil service laws in the pre-accession period; EU-driven anti-corruption frameworks; decentralisation reforms; progressive digitalisation; and professional training systems in specialised schools of public administration. Conclusion. The Visegrad experience offers Ukraine both positive lessons and critical warnings about civil service politicisation risks after EU accession. Practical implications include legal safeguards of civil service independence, institutionalisation of a senior civil service, and strengthening of the Centre of Government as an analytical hub of reform.
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