THE LEGAL AND INSTITUTIONAL TRANSFORMATION OF STATE TRANSPORT GOVERNANCE

Abstract

This paper examines the contemporary institutional and legal transformation of state administration in the transport sector, focusing on its shift from traditional imperative regulatory models to a service-oriented, economically-driven framework. The study addresses the complex interplay between public and private law in modern governance, considering the role of the state as both a strategic service provider and an enabler of safe, efficient, and sustainable mobility. A key focus of the paper is on how modern state governance increasingly relies on soft law mechanisms such as public-private partnerships, gross-cost contracts, and multi-level decentralized models, which are now supplanting command-and-control methodologies. The paper also investigates the evolving notion of the "right to mobility" and how state transport policies aim to balance social justice with economic imperatives in the face of increasing global integration and the digitalization of transport systems. The analysis also highlights the need for global and regional legal harmonization to ensure systemic stability and equitable access to mobility in a rapidly changing geopolitical and economic environment.