Optimizing State Aid Processes During COVID-19 in the Slovak Republic: Model, Simulation, and Savings

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed significant vulnerabilities in public-sector administrative capacity, particularly in the implementation of crisis-related state aid schemes. Under conditions of extreme workload, time pressure, and legal constraints, administrative processes became critical determinants of policy effectiveness rather than routine implementation mechanisms. This study examines how such processes perform under crisis conditions and whether process modeling and simulation can identify efficiency gains without undermining procedural control. Using a case study of a COVID-19 state aid scheme administered by the Ministry of Transport of the Slovak Republic, the study combines Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN)-based process modeling, discrete-event simulation, and Monte Carlo analysis, and can identify efficiency gains in crisis-related state aid administration. The methodological approach integrates BPMN-based process modeling, discrete-event simulation, and scenario-based (“what-if”) sensitivity analysis to evaluate process performance under crisis-induced demand surges. Key performance indicators, including processing time, labor costs, and resource utilization, are analyzed using simulation outputs and dashboard-based visualization. Data analysis is conducted through simulation-based evaluation of key performance indicators, including processing time, labor costs, queue length, and resource utilization, under both baseline (AS-IS) and redesigned (TO-BE) process configurations. Scenario-based (“what-if”) and sensitivity analyses are applied to assess the effects of crisis-induced demand surges and capacity constraints on administrative performance. The results show that increased application volume during the crisis led to disproportionate growth in processing times due to queue accumulation and resource contention. Simulation-based process redesign reduced the average process cycle time by up to 12.8% and labor costs per application by up to 8.4% compared to the AS-IS configuration. However, efficiency gains diminished as resource utilization approached capacity limits, indicating structural constraints inherent to public administration. These findings demonstrate that process-oriented simulation provides a robust analytical tool for understanding administrative behavior under crisis conditions and for designing more efficient and resilient state aid mechanisms. The study contributes to public administration research by offering a micro-level, process-based perspective on crisis governance that complements the existing macro-level policy evaluations.