THE ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN THE FORMATION OF PUBLIC POLICY IN UKRAINE

This article is dedicated to analyzing the impact of Ukraine's civil society on the processes of public policy formation in Ukraine, which is highly relevant under the conditions of implementing democratic principles and good governance. The research methodology is based on the institutional approach, which allows for an analysis of the activities of both public authority institutions and civil society institutions in the decision-making process in the public sphere. It is determined that public policy in the modern world must closely interact with the community to ensure the most effective operation in the context of providing public services. The low level of social cooperation between government bodies and civil society, or its imitation, leads to a decrease in societal trust in governmental institutions at all levels. The growth of civic activity and the broad involvement of civil society agents in the processes of forming and implementing political decisions fosters the development of partnerships between the state and society, reduces the level of confrontation, and aids the successful implementation of democratic reforms, which is highly relevant for Ukraine. It has been determined that the practice of interaction between government institutions and the civil sector in decision-making in Ukraine is represented by constitutional mechanisms as well as other forms that require further legal support in the context of strengthening social partnership for the successful implementation of reforms at all levels. The example of decentralization reform has proven that more active citizen involvement in the public decision-making process increases trust in local self-government bodies, and the reform itself is perceived by citizens as one of the most successful, primarily due to the improvement in the quality of public services for the territorial communities' population. It has been determined that Ukrainian civil society has substantial potential, which should be actively utilized by state authorities to make optimal decisions in the sphere of public administration in the context of implementing reforms and amid post-war recovery of the country.