Abstract

The article analyzes the role of digital technologies in the modernization of regional policy and characterizes the importance of e-governance, open data, and digital platforms for citizen participation in enhancing the transparency and accountability of public authorities. It is established that digitalization facilitates the transition from an administrative-bureaucratic model of governance to a more open, network-based, adaptive, and participatory model. It is argued that the effectiveness of digital transformation depends not only on the availability of technological infrastructure, but also on institutional capacity, political culture, the level of public trust in government, digital literacy among the population, and the ability of regional institutions to integrate digital tools into real decision-making processes.The purpose of the article is to examine the digitalization of regional governance as a factor of sustainable development and democratic transformation of public authority in the digital age. The methodological basis of the study is formed by institutional, systemic, political-communicative, and interdisciplinary approaches, which make it possible to consider digital governance not merely as a technological instrument, but as a complex mechanism for transforming interaction among state institutions, local self-government, civil society, business, and the expert community.The theoretical significance of the study lies in substantiating the relationship between digitalization, democracy, institutions, and sustainable development in the context of regional governance. Its practical significance consists in identifying directions for improving regional policy through the development of open data, e-participation, digital inclusion, cyber resilience, and cross-sectoral partnership. The scientific novelty of the study lies in its comprehensive interpretation of digitalization as a democratic, institutional, and strategic resource for the sustainable development of regions. Prospects for further research are associated with the analysis of digital inequality, algorithmic accountability, the digital sovereignty of local self-government, and the impact of artificial intelligence on regional governance. The article is theoretical in nature.