Dr. Valentyna Romanova of the Institute of Developing Economies and me examine, in this article in “Demokratizatsiya: The Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization,” various political and geopolitical aspects of Ukraine’s decentralization in 2014-21, in light of Russia’s initially hybrid war against Ukraine and fully-fledged military invasion since February 2022. While being no panacea from social defects that have undermined Ukrainian political and economic development since independence, Ukraine’s local governance reform has been and is making positive contributions in several ways. Apart from improving fiscal and institutional capacities of public authorities to deliver basic services, the transformation has increased Ukraine’s cohesion and resilience. It thereby helped Kyiv to resist Moscow’s subversion attempts since 2014. Ukraine’s devolution efforts during the last eight years also supported the country’s ongoing Europeanization. The reform has furthered the Ukrainian state’s convergence with the aims of EU subsidiarity principles. Its cross-border diffusion potential makes the Ukrainian local governance reform relevant for democratizing transitions in other states – not only in the post-communist space, but also beyond.
Available at ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/372589202_Domestic_and_International_Dimensions_of_Ukraine’s_Decentralization_Kyiv’s_Local_Governance_Reform_and_Post-Soviet_Democratization
Andreas Umland 