Abstract
Purpose. This study examines democratic institutions, governance, sustainability, and resilience in ex-Soviet countries.
Theoretical Framework. The dissertation employs four theoretical lenses to review and compare government performance and policies. The traditional public administration and governance theories examine government institutions through rules and regulations and accountability, contrasting traditional government approaches to government with modern governance practices. Additionally, the dissertation incorporates emerging concepts of sustainability and resilience to analyze social and environmental performance indicators and perspectives.
Methodology. This descriptive and correlational study provides both overlapping but distinct insights into democratic legitimacy, accountability, environmental, and public health performance using secondary data from 1996 to 2024. The subjects in this cross-country analysis include fourteen ex-Soviet states from four regions: the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania), Eastern Europe (Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova), South Caucasus (Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan), and Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan).
Findings and Conclusions. The study identifies variations in performance among the fourteen former Soviet countries. Trend analysis indicates stability and higher performance in democratic governance in the Baltic States, while other regions have had declines in democratic governance and conflicts with other countries. The correlation results show strong interrelations between the rule of law, corruption prevention, and related government indicators.
Recommendations. Democratic states should strengthen their e-government and democratic security institutions to increase transparency, prevent democratic erosion, and improve resilience. This dissertation contributes to public administration theory by demonstrating the value of utilizing multiple theoretical perspectives to analyze government performance.