Digitalization of public administration in the social sphere: administrative and legal vector of transformation in Ukraine

The article presents a comprehensive scientific and theoretical study of the digitalization of public administration in Ukraine’s social sphere as a key direction of transforming public administration in the digital era, during and after the war, and in the context of post-war recovery. It is substantiated that the digital transformation for the social sphere is not just the introduction of new technologies, but a fundamental change in the content and forms of exercising public power, which requires appropriate administrative and legal regulation. The author proposes to consider the digitalization of social administration as a manifestation of a new stage in the evolution of administrative law – the transition from a paper-oriented model to a digital administrative-legal paradigm. The current state of regulatory support for the digitalization of social services in Ukraine is analyzed, and the problems of fragmentation, departmental disunity, and the lack of unified procedures are characterized. Legal gaps were identified in the areas of electronic identification of individuals, automated administrative decision-making, data integration between state registers, personal data protection, and digital inclusion of vulnerable groups. The challenges facing the state in the field of cybersecurity and ensuring public control over social administration algorithms, especially under martial law, are outlined. The institutional transformation of public authorities is considered, in particular the role of the Ministry of Social Policy, the Pension Fund of Ukraine, local governments, as well as new digital platforms such as «Diya», e-Social, and the Unified Social Register. Particular attention is paid to the issue of changing interaction between citizens and the state, which is increasingly taking place in a digital environment using remote and automated solutions. The study formulated several proposals for improving national legislation. The results of the study have both theoretical and applied significance for the development of administrative law and state policy of digital transformation, as well as for harmonizing national legislation with European e-government standards.