MAIN CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH ENSURING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF COMMUNITIES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34132/pard2026.31.09Keywords:
digital transformation, community digital transformation, digitalization, digital infrastructure, territorial communities, public administration, digital inequality, e-services, cybersecurity, martial law, e-participation, resilience, digital disruption, disruptive innovation, digital maturity, CDTO, wartime governanceAbstract
This article examines the digital transformation of communities as a key direction for modernizing public administration and identifies the main challenges arising in the process of ensuring digital transformation of territorial communities (TCs) under conditions of decentralization and martial law. The research analyzes institutional and managerial, human resources and competence-related, technological and infrastructural, financial and economic, social and inclusive, and cybersecurity challenges associated with ensuring digital transformation of communities. The important role of Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation in supporting the digitalization of communities' institutional and managerial capacity is emphasized. The study is based on a comprehensive methodological approach combining systematic analysis of digital transformation, comparative methods for identifying regional differentiation, statistical analysis of the Digital Transformation Index (Q2 2025 data), case studies of successful practices (Skadovsk, Kryvyi Rih, Dnipro, Ternopil communities), and content analysis of strategic documents in the digitalization sphere. The empirical foundation comprises official data from Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation, the EGAP Program, UN E-Government Survey, and analysis of 1,469 territorial communities. The research demonstrates that Ukraine has achieved a unique phenomenon of "digital disruption" – ranking first globally in the UN E-Participation Index and 30th in the E-Government Development Index despite wartime conditions. This represents a unique case where military conflict accelerated rather than hindered digital governance advancement. Digital platforms such as "Diia" (national digital services), SEDO (electronic document management), and DREAM (recovery platform) proved more resilient to physical destruction than traditional bureaucratic infrastructure, enabling millions of internally displaced persons to access critical government services remotely. The study identifies that success in digital transformation depends on creation of specialized organizational structures (Digital Offices, Chief Digital Transformation Officers) responsible for planning, coordinating, and implementing digital initiatives. Special attention is paid to the intensified risks of digital inequality between regions, the digital divide among different population groups, cloud system vulnerabilities, data loss, and disruption of public services continuity, all exacerbated by wartime conditions. The study concludes that overcoming identified challenges is possible through developing institutional capacity of communities, investing in human capital, ensuring digital inclusion, and forming sustainable digital infrastructure, thereby transforming digital transformation into an effective tool for sustainable development of territorial communities. The practical significance lies in systematizing key digital transformation challenges and identifying solutions applicable for local government development strategies, confirming Christensen's theory of disruptive innovation in the context of public governance.
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