Education in Government Communications: Case of Ukraine

. The article highlights building prerequisites that help to tackle problems related to the insufficient government communications and poor information provided to potential audiences in participatory democracies. The analysis has shown that many counties face the lack of strategic communications (both horizontal and vertical) and thus, create concerns about misunderstanding and bottlenecks in design and implementation of public policies. This problem expands when countries undergo rapid, systemic, fundamental changes, in particular due to the energy transition. Ukraine is not an exemption. Lack of real competition between MPA programs, pre-service and in-service training programs for public servants in Ukraine and poor quality of programs leave a niche for educational institutions to take the leading position. Hence, Kyiv Mohyla School of Governance (hereinafter – KMSGov) launched very specific and need oriented MPA program in Government Communications. The program was designed in close cooperation with Ukrainian public authorities and become client oriented. The program is innovative and one of a kind due to its integrity and consistency. It is student-centered and widely uses case studies, simulations and PBL techniques. In addition, the program consists of logically interconnected courses, which complement each other and provide broad pattern of particularities of evidence-based public policy design and implementation, public administration and management theory and practice, modern features of government communications and policy advocacy. Due to COVID restrictions and worldwide lockdown the Government Communication MPA program provided by KMSGov was fully transferred into on-line format without losing its quality. It became possible due modern information and communication technologies (tested in February-July 2020). The paper provides brief overview and main results of the analysis of the existing MPA programs and key particularities of the newly launched program.


Introduction
As the reputed fourth estate, news media are seen as the conduit of informed citizenship in participatory democracies. Yet evidence that journalists are failing in this pivotal role is rapidly accumulating across the world [1]. There is a persistent decline in the size of traditional news audiences, little indication that the news industry is effectively coping with economic and technological challenges, and journalists are facing challenges to their authority and credibility in an era where the label fake news is generously evoked in response to mainstream news. Trust in media institutions among citizens has been on the decline. Given these trends, it is not surprising that citizens are turning to alternative sources of information while governments, individual politicians, and special interest groups are bypassing news media and communicating directly with citizens through social media.
While the shift in information flow is significant, traditional news media are still a cornerstone in the dissemination of information, particularly among citizens who are active participants in democratic processes [2]. Public agendas and opinions arise from the interaction between messages designed by government communication specialists, journalistic filtering and dissection of those messages, and the feelings and understanding citizens have about news media and those in office. In this contentious dynamic neither the news media, neither politicians, nor citizens want to be under another's control. For example, journalists ward off attempts by government spokespeople to control the framing of public issues by revealing and criticizing political strategies, while politicians and their spokespeople often accuse the news media of distorting the messages they want conveyed to citizens -who in return show their disapproval of both institutions through apathy and low voter turnout during elections [3]. Despite such tensions, all sides are compelled to cooperate in a symbiotic relationship. In particular, news is created through the joint efforts of journalists and government spokespeople -despite the direct access that politicians might have to citizens through social media. As scholars often observe, politicians cannot succeed without access to the media, just as reporters cannot succeed without access to political leaders.
Easier access to information creates stable social demand for restructuring transition economies in accordance with "world standards" of consumption. However the environment is deteriorating as more and more fossil fuels are used to meet this demand. Living standards decline, while outgoings on environmental protection, health care, and social security are increasing. The use of renewable energy can be the solution. However, effective demand for "green" energy in transition economies can appear only if it becomes cheaper.
The high cost of new technologies and the inability of traditional energy to "ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all" [4] deepens energy poverty and spreads "energy democracy". Consumer behavior is evolving rapidly. They develop their own, human-centered energy systems. In such systems, energy consumers are simultaneously energy suppliers (prosumers), since they do not want to depend on energy monopolists and outdated networks [5]. An "energy transition" is taking place. It focuses on distributed capacities, "smart" grid, and highly competitive decentralized markets.
However, the energy transition will not only require policy switch from attempts to stop aging of traditional systems and the constant growth of tariffs, to flexible energy systems; paternalistic policy should be substituted by active position of citizens and energy efficient consciousness. All the above mentioned create an urgent need in highly skilled professionals who have Master of Public Administration (hereinafter -MPA) degrees and possess explicit knowledge and competences in government communications. It will allow overcoming substantial bottlenecks in public policy advocacy, rule of law, design and implementation of ethic and moral norms and codes, enhancing social values and bonding.

Problem and methods
In 2016 the Concept Paper on Reforms in Government Communications was adopted in Ukraine [6]. In the Concept Paper the following problems and urgent issues were defined: • lack of the incorporated system of government communications; • public procedures do not meet current needs; • lack of strategic communications (routine operations of public servants limited to tactical activities that are focused on dealing with current issues; • lack of forecasting and strategic planning that is based on demand and public needs; • incomplete internal communications and lack of cooperation between executive bodies and corresponding departments; • central executive bodies are focused on providing public with just their own information which is not all the time correspond with disseminated by the government; • insufficient public understanding of government policies; • absence of inclusive system of sharing knowledge and skills, integrated data base -each public authority have to start processes from the very beginning. Structural units (individual officials, departments, administrations, units, sectors), which are responsible for setting the system and government communications are substantially different. At the same time, usually the main focus of these units is public relations, presentation of public authorities in mass media, etc.
To resolve all the above problems public authorities will need highly qualified specialists who possess general and special (professional) competences in the area of government communications on all levels of the public administration system. Government communication and its distinctive features are not covered in either pre-service or in-service educational programs in Ukraine. Consequently, there is an urgent need for new track within master of public administration programs.
To form this track, the authors set the following objectives: • to conduct a comparative analysis of MPA programs, pre-service and in-service training programs for public servants in Ukraine and identify their common bottlenecks; • to generalize obtainable curricula of MPA in strategic communications offered in Ukraine; • to synthesize Ukrainian approaches to training new generation of public servants, providing knowledge and skills based on the rule of law and empowered civil society; • to check up the accuracy of scientific approaches to program design and development on practice, in particular during COVID restrictions and worldwide lockdown.

Data and analysis
In Ukraine MPA programs are provided by 80 higher educational institutions. The main target groups of these MPA programs (Public Administration and Management) are acting and potential public servants. These programs formed the initial pool for qualitative data to conduct comparative analysis. The results of the analysis showed that none of these institutions focuses on competences related to explicating government decisions, public policy advocacy, and legitimization of public decision making, public policy presentation, ensuring social values, social bonding, and relations. There

exist a number of training limitations in the area of strategic communications in the framework of creation and implementation of the system of strategic communications in the area of national security and defense [9]. Education in this area is limited to short-term in-service courses that are focused mainly on understanding of strategic communications phenomena and use of its certain components. Unfortunately, these programs can't be described as systemic, consecutive and logical. Moreover, understanding of key components of strategic communications in Ukraine does not always correspond to what is set by NATO Strategic Communication Policy [10]. The only Ukrainian higher educational institution which trains MPA students in Strategic Communications is Odesa Regional Institute of Public Administration. Also, few Ukrainian higher educational institutions (i.e. Kyiv University named after Borys Grinchenko, Kyiv National University named after Taras Shevchenko, etc.) have initiated new track -Communication and Journalism [11]. Though, such a mix is doubtful, because the list of general and special competences in journalism and public communication differs a lot [12].
The conducted analysis gives us a possibility to make the following conclusions:

Proposed decision
Lack of real competition among providers of MPA, preservice and in-service training programs for public servants in Ukraine and poor quality of programs leave a niche for potential providers. KMSGov took an opportunity, developed and launched a very specific and need oriented MPA program in Government Communication. The program was designed in close cooperation with Ukrainian public authorities. The goal of the Program is to educate and train public servants of various levels and those, who would like to enter public service to meet requirements stipulated by the Law of Ukraine on Public Service and get them ready to perform in the best way possible in communicating and advocating public policies in various areas and levels of public administration in Ukraine.
The main idea of the MPA program delivered by KMSGov is to combine theoretical fundamentals and extensive practical training. This will allow to equip acting public servants and new generation of public servants with the knowledge and skills grounded on the rule of law and empowered civil society.
Training the pool of highly qualified professionals is crucial for the system of public administration and its further development. One of the main tasks of the democratic society is to cultivate respect for human dignity and rights in public-private interaction.
The main purpose of the developed program is to train professional public servants, who think strategically, have policy-making skills and are able to govern. In contrast to the current programs, knowledge, skills and abilities formed by MPA grogram offered by KMSGov fully corresponds to the professional standards of civil servants approved by the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service.
Students gain these knowledge, skills and abilities by taking five mandatory courses:  6. The program is innovative and one of a kind due to its integrity, consistency, permeability. It is studentcentered and use case studies, simulations and PBL techniques. The program consists of interconnected courses that complement each other and provide a broad horizon of evidence-based public policy making, public administration and management, modern specificity of government communications and policy advocacy. It is co-thought by academic staff and acting policy makers and policy communicators. Due to COVID restrictions and lockdown the MPA program provided by KMSGov was fully transferred into on-line format without losing its quality. It became possible due modern information and communication technologies (tested in February-July 2020). 7. The proposed Government Communication track will strengthen the current MPA program and provide practical focus that will serve the majority of students enrolled in the MPA program who are either current public servants or potential public employees. The knowledge and skills obtained through the new track will certainly be advantageous to students who aspire to government employment.