Engaging civil society resources to combat the threats of the corona crisis in times of digital transformations

Abstract

In the context of Ukraine’s European integration aspirations, the authors summarise the results of European research on challenges, trends, obstacles and opportunities for civil society organizations (CSOs) in European countries in times of the COVID-19 pandemic. The considerable potential of digitalization is highlighted in terms of creating a new environment for CSO operation, where sustainability would be ensured even in the face of health threats or force majeure. This is the basis the authors use to establish the context within which they explore the problems and opportunities of engaging civil society resources in Ukraine to stabilise the socio-economic conditions in the country. Having systemised and generalised the outcomes of national and expert surveys conducted in Ukraine, the authors reveal: (1) the main trends of changes in the operation of Ukrainian civil society organizations (CSOs) in the current conditions and the public opinion regarding these issues; (2) the impact of the corona crisis on the operation of Ukrainian CSOs and civil engagement; (3) problems and opportunities of developing institutional support for engaging the potential of civil society (CSOs) in digital transformations in Ukraine and in CSOs using modern digital and information and communication technologies. The conducted investigation makes it possible to present a comprehensive assessment of the current conditions and prospects for engaging the resources of Ukrainian CSOs in combating the threats of the corona crisis and future post-pandemic recovery, as well as to set priorities in the development of CSOs in times of digitalization.