The Transboundary Role of Higher Education Institutions for Public Administration in Times of Crisis: A Case-Study From the Russia-Ukraine War

The Russian invasion of Ukraine unfolded a series of overlapping crisis, revealing severe governmental weaknesses at national, regional, and global level, and posing important challenges to vital pillars of our society. This paper provides a reflexive study aiming to challenge a broader discussion regarding possible policies, practices or solutions to public administration and management challenges during crisis: how do we organize to deal with the levels of complexity, uncertainty and extreme operating conditions brought about by the so called “transboundary crisis”? The contextual analysis identifies the main challenges for public administration and management in the conflict zone during the current war; for assessing the response of the national governmental body’s functions coping with the continuous assaults; and for discussing the role of higher education institutions work as bridges for internal and international cooperation, while providing a real-life model of leadership, management, and governance during crisis with their own communities.