PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS AS A CRITERION OF THE EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Abstract

The article provides a comprehensive study of the effectiveness of public administration as one of the fundamental conditions for ensuring human and civil rights and freedoms in a modern democratic state. The research is based on a combination of constitutional and administrative law approaches, which made it possible to reveal the interrelation between the constitutional foundations of state functioning, the activities of executive authorities, and the practical implementation of human rights within the system of public administration. At the beginning of the study, the categories of “state administration” and “public administration” are differentiated. It is substantiated that state administration characterizes the authoritative and organizational activities of executive authorities aimed at implementing state functions, while public administration is a broader category encompassing the interaction of state institutions, local self-government bodies, and civil society institutions in the process of ensuring the public interest. Special attention is paid to the provisions of the Constitution of Ukraine, according to which a person, their life and dignity, rights and freedoms are recognized as the highest social value, while the activity of the state is directed toward their affirmation and protection. On this basis, it is substantiated that the effectiveness of public administration should be assessed not only through organizational or functional indicators, but also through the state’s ability to ensure the practical implementation of constitutional guarantees. The article reveals the role of administrative law as a mechanism for implementing constitutional principles in the activities of executive authorities. It is proven that the practical realization of human rights in relations between individuals and the state is ensured precisely through administrative procedures, forms of administrative activity, as well as control and supervisory mechanisms. The methodological basis of the study consists of a combination of general scientific and special legal methods, among which the axiomatic method occupies a central place. Its application made it possible to form a conceptual model of the study in which human rights are considered the fundamental criterion for assessing the effectiveness of public authorities. Within the framework of the research, a system of criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of public administration is proposed, including economic, social, security, and resilience criteria. The economic criterion is associated with the rational use of public resources and the formation of a stable legal environment. The social criterion characterizes the accessibility of public services, the level of trust in the state, and the maintenance of social stability. The security criterion reflects the ability of public administration to maintain public order and respond to modern threats within the framework of the rule of law. The resilience criterion is revealed through the ability of state institutions to preserve functionality and ensure human rights under conditions of crisis and transformation. Particular attention is devoted to the analysis of the effectiveness of control and supervision as forms of evaluating the activities of executive authorities. It is substantiated that control and supervision in modern public administration perform not only a verification function, but also act as mechanisms for ensuring legality, legal certainty, and the protection of human rights. Their effectiveness directly affects the level of public trust in the state, the quality of administrative processes, and the ability of the state mechanism to maintain a balance between public interests and individual rights. Summarizing the results of the study, it is concluded that the effectiveness of public administration in a modern democratic state should be considered as an integral category characterizing the ability of public authorities to act in accordance with the principles of the rule of law, ensure human rights and freedoms, maintain social stability, and guarantee state resilience under contemporary security challenges