Need for Reform
Communal Self-Administration in Ukraine
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Ukraine is a centralised state. It is made up of 24 oblasts(provinces), the autonomous Republic of Crimea, and Kiev and Sevastpol, cities with special status. The three-part administrative construction of oblasts, rayons (similar to counties), and municipalities stems from the Soviet era and is dysfunctional: There is no clear division of tasks between the central administration and local self-administration. Overlapping authority is the rule. The principle of subsidiarity is unknown. The absence of a tradition of municipal self-administration is a barrier to on-site development. This is shown by an analysis of the water and sewage works. It is clear to the government in Kiev that structural reform is necessary.
(Osteuropa 2-4/2010, pp. 163–174)