Specificity of Putting Decentralization Reform into Practice in Ukrainian Regions: Achievements and Blunders

Author

Bevz Tetiana

a Doctor of History, a professor, a leading research fellow at Department of Social and Political History of the I. Kuras Institute of Political and Ethnic Studies of the NAS of Ukraine

Specificity of Putting Decentralization Reform into Practice in Ukrainian Regions: Achievements and Blunders

Abstract

Decentralization in Ukraine is defined as a national priority. Due to decentralization, citizens will have an opportunity to solve their problems independently. Decentralization is also important because it is intended to change the way of people thinking, behaviour and become an effective instrument of economic, infrastructural and social development. An influence of the central government on the processes of decentralization in the regions, on the one hand, and silent observation or even sabotage, distrust, unbelief and sometimes direct opposition from the part of heads of regional and district bodies of representative and executive power on the other one are considered. Problems of community configuration are analyzed; model: one district – one community, radical changes in many spheres of life of the United Territorial Communities: positive and negative experience. There are some trends in the activities of the United Territorial Communities: those communes which have been created earlier focus on the increasing of the revenue side of their budgets, decide how to augment budget in the future, develop business and newly created communities invest in solving urgent problems. The greatest opposition to decentralization by regional state administrations is observed in Kyiv, Sumy, Transcarpathian, Odesa oblasts. Particular attention is paid to the situation in the United Territorial Communities of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Keywords

decentralization, reform, regions of Ukraine, United Territorial Communities.

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