AZERBAIJAN'S EXPERIENCE IN COMMERCIALISATION OF DIGITAL PUBLIC SERVICES: THE ASAN SERVICE MODEL

A contemporary approach to enhancing the efficiency of public service delivery as one of the key principles entails the organisation of public administration in accordance with market principles. Public institutions with traditional forms of management, accustomed to operating within the central budget, have encountered certain organisational and methodological difficulties in transition to new principles.The aim of the article is to identify and conceptualise the experience of administrative reforms in the public administration system of Azerbaijan in overcoming these obstacles. The paper defines the theoretical foundations for the provision of public services in accordance with market principles. The descriptive part of the research findings is based on quantitative statistical data of organisational performance, while the prescriptive part draws upon scientific literature, government decisions and legal documents. The empirical data of the study is based on official statistics and reports from the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Public Services Portal and the ASAN Service Activity Data Portal. The study claims that the digitalization-oriented commercialization of public services in Azerbaijan is a crucial factor for successfully overcoming existing barriers. A clear example of this success is that the ASAN Service experience has become a transfer product for other countries. The study explains the commercial dimension of institutional and digital transformation in public administration and identifies the peculiarities of the unique Azerbaijani model.