Signs of Progress: Local Democracy Developments in Ukrainian Cities

Abstract

This chapter looks into citizens’ perceptions of and interactions with local authorities in Ukrainian cities. It is based on results from two local democracy surveys carried out in 20 cities in early 2014 and at the end of 2017—that is, before the decentralization reform was initiated, and some years into the reform. It shows that both in terms of citizens’ perceived responsiveness of local authorities as well as citizens’ political participation, there are signs of progress in most cities. A caution is a negative tendency in citizens’ assessment of their own possibilities for influencing politics locally. Using correspondence analysis, the chapter makes typologies of the interaction between citizens and local authorities and identifies citizen trust to be a core factor affecting perceptions of local authority’s responsiveness. Finally, the chapter discusses the implications of the findings for the ongoing reforms and prospects for stability.