Ukraine Decentralization Initiative - Tymofiy Mylovanov

You all are well aware of the extraordinary events taking place in Ukraine.

This page devoted to a policy debate initiated by 

The government of Ukraine has committed to a decentralization reform. The topic of decentralization, however, raises strong emotions because of support for federalization by the Russian government. Of course, the objectives of the Russian and the Ukrainian governments are different. 

Timeline

• May 16, Roger B. Myerson speaks at a conference on decentralization, which took place at the National Academy of Governance in Ukraine (video, text, in English) 

• April 26, an open letter (in English, in Ukrainian; the Ukrainian version has all signatures) to the Rada (parliament) of Ukraine on the proposed decentralization reform by the government. 

• April 19, an open letter (in English) to the experts on decentralization in Ukraine on the importance of seeking critical feedback from local councilors in Ukraine and the risk of sabotage of the reform.

• April 19, a survey (in Russian) conducted in the East and South of Ukraine reveals
• • 25% support for federalization (not formally defined)
  • 45% support for decentralization (not formally defined)
  • 19% support for no change of power distribution between the central and regional governments

• 68% support direct election of governors

            These results break the simpler notion that direct election of governors and federalization are supported by the same people. They also point out that both direct election of governors and unitary Ukraine with less centralized governance enjoy broad support in the East and South of Ukraine 

• March 27, Roger Myerson addresses the second Ukrainian forum on self-governance, Lviv, Ukraine, arguing for importance of decentralization for creating genuine political competition in Ukraine. Video (at 2:23:22). 

• February 24, a text calling for debate on decentralization, that has been signed by over 100 economists, political scientists, and lawyers in Ukraine, Russia, the US and Canada, and Europe. 

Older op-eds and blog posts on our decentralization initiative or expressing views consistent with our initiative

• There is substantive demand for the debate on decentralization in Ukraine (in Ukrainian or Russian): 
• • Survey on decentralization attitudes in Ukraine
  • Prime Minister talks about creating elected regional executive bodies
  • Governor Taruta on the need of decentralization, but NOT federalization
  • Prime Minister of Ukraine, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, on decentralization
  • Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine, Volodymyr Groisman, on decentralization 
  • A panel, which includes 3 MPs, on decentralization in Kyiv, Ukraine on March 11, 2014
  • A video statement by the mayor of Lviv, the stronghold of the West of Ukraine, on decentralization (in Russian!)
  • Ex Vice Prime Minister on decentralization of appointing governors I
  • Ex Vice Prime Minister on decentralization of appointing governors II
  • Mayor of Lviv on specific steps towards decentralization (municipal police, etc)

  Decentralization is NOT federalization

Laws on decentralization currently proposed in the parliament in Ukraine (in Ukrainian)