Decentralisation in Ukraine is an important factor in the development of a democratic system of government. The reform of local self-government aims to create new relations between citizens, local authorities, and the state. The aim of the article is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the local government reform in Ukraine and other countries in order to identify its main advantages and disadvantages as well as indicate ways to overcome the existing shortcomings in this area. The study determined that decentralisation in the country leads to democratic transformations of society based on civic initiative and responsibility, as well as provides a decent standard of living and quality services at the local level. The introduction of decentralisation can be observed in almost all areas, including administrative, political, financial, and social. This significantly affects the potential of the population and increases the responsibility of public authorities to the population. There is an increase in the level of public services with regard to economic, legal, political, social, and ethnic issues. Finally, proposals were made to make changes in the field of local self-government in order to overcome the existing problems in this area.
Civil servants are frequently described as being separate from politicians in good local governance. Regrettably, civil servants are urged to assist in the maintenance of power through the use of social capital. In Indonesia, decentralisation facilitates the accumulation of social capital. However, a body of literature has established that social capital is a predictor of the bureaucracy’s quality. This study delves into something else by examining how social capital fosters a mutually beneficial relationship between the State Civil Apparatus (ASN) and the incumbent, resulting in the ASN’s non-neutrality in Regional Head Elections (Pilkada). We used a qualitative case study approach, within which we interviewed members of the civil apparatus about social capital and its relationship to the performance of the State Civil Apparatus. The findings indicated that the ASN’s lack of neutrality in the Pilkada occurred as a result of the establishment of social capital relations between superiors and the ASN in the form of information channel relationships (paternalism and/or nepotism culture), obligations and expectations (the ASN’s contribution to the incumbent), norms and effective sanctions (superiors’ invitation), as well as adjusted community organisations (weak community control).
Celem artykułu jest zdefiniowanie regionalizmu w perspektywie socjologicznej. Samo zjawisko pojawiło się w Europie w połowie XIX w., stając się od tamtego czasu obiektem badań naukowych. W tekście zaproponowano integralną definicję zjawiska, charakteryzując cztery jego wymiary: tożsamość, instytucje, ideologię oraz działania. Dodatkowo opisane zostały kulturowe, gospodarcze i polityczne typy regionalizmu. Scharakteryzowano także proces formowania się zjawiska w perspektywie długiego trwania. Zarysowano wpływ państwa narodowego na kształtowanie się regionalizmu i ukazano jego związki z procesami decentralizacji. Ponadto opisano wzajemne relacje regionalizmu oraz polityk Unii Europejskiej, a także transformacje, jakim ulega wzmiankowane zjawisko pod wpływem globalizacji.
Sustainability of municipal finance implies steady revenue generation. Pinpointing their determinants creates the necessary background in their management and policy creation. Great municipal dependence on central government finance remains a serious challenge in the process of fiscal decentralisation. So far, studies have been focusing on the expenditure side, while revenues were treated mostly marginally. A random-effects Generalized Least Squares (GLS) panel regression for the period of 2015–2019 is estimated for targeting revenue determinants of municipalities in North Macedonia. Own and total tax revenues are modelled separately through the impact of capital expenditures, salary expenditures, active transparency index, municipality type, and local government’s ideology. The general results indicate that capital expenditure, municipal transparency, and the level of development are significant determinants of municipal revenues in both estimated models. Using such knowledge on municipal revenue reactions can help governments formulate policies that provide sustainable and effective fiscal decentralisation, lowering the pressure on central governments in developing economies.
Celem artykułu jest prezentacja samorządu terytorialnego w Gruzji. Wśród państw postsowieckich, które nie są członkami UE, Gruzja może się pochwalić największym zaawansowaniem w reformowaniu władz lokalnych i regionalnych. Nie oznacza to jednak, że proces decentralizacji został zakończony. Hamują go przede wszystkim brak dochodów własnych samorządów oraz ograniczenia natury politycznej. W celu oceny stanu rozwoju samorządu terytorialnego w Gruzji autor dokonał przeglądu ustawodawstwa oraz analizy komunikatów prasowych, danych statystycznych i raportów eksperckich. Posłużył się również studium przypadku byłego burmistrza Tbilisi Gigiego Ugulawy.
The article is devoted to the reform of local self-government and territorial organisation of power in Ukraine, which took place in 2014–2020, combining three important tasks: improving the system of public authority, strengthening local self-government, and streamlining the administrative-territorial system in the state. The analysis conducted in the study concerns: the main problems to be addressed by the relevant reform; the chronology of the adoption of key regulations and their role in this process; the results of the amalgamation of territorial communities; and the communities’ ability to ensure the sustainable development of territories. As a result, the article highlights the stages of the implementation of the reform of local self-government and territorial organisation of power in Ukraine, as well as outlines several unresolved issues in this area.
Artykuł przedstawia historię reform decentralizacyjnych w Ukrainie od początku lat dziewięćdziesiątych XX stulecia do końca 2021 r., ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem reformy terytorialno-administracyjnej przeprowadzonej w latach 2015–2020. Poziom autonomii samorządów lokalnych w Ukrainie odnoszony jest do stworzonego na podstawie identycznej metodologii wskaźnika autonomii lokalnej w innych krajach europejskich.