Paper/Speech Details of Conference Program for the 15th NISPAcee Annual Conference Program Overview I. Working Group on Politico-Administrative Relations Author(s) Timo Aarrevaara University of Tampere Tampere Finland Title In the shadows of the state - Survey on local Rada members in Ukraine File Paper files are available only for conference participants, please login first. Presenter Abstract The aim of my proposal is to view how the local decision-makers have reacted to recent and ongoing major changes in public administration. This is one angle from which to view the political process in the Ukraine in the 1996 and 2006. The information is derived from surveys carried out 1996-97 and 2005-06 in four districts and one city in Ukraine. The response rate is high, about 70% of councillors. The questionnaire concern councillors' views on the tasks of local administration and their ideas concerning power. It is hard to describe local decision-making in terms of political processes. The relationships of dependence between the various participants in the described political process may become weak. On the other hand, the political parties of a described process are always verifiable, although their expressions at the "street level" in the various cities may differ from one another. The tasks of the council are part of a whole, on the basis of which we may understand the needs of citizens and the role of the institutions seeing to those needs. On the other hand, having the councillors define the tasks of the council makes it possible to evaluate the significance and purport of present legislation. I measure the councillors' preparation in terms of the time they spend on preparation work together with various political parties involved. The councillors' reports on how they prepare for sessions are important for outlining the role of the councils in decision-making. They make it possible to evaluate coalitions and the relationships between civil servants and various influence groups. The constellations of power relate to administrative practices. At the institutional level, the election campaign relates to the election system and the formation of electoral organizations. The information presented here relating to the election campaign also provides a point of view for evaluating the rationality of the councillors' actions. The paper shall view the relationship between the goals of the campaign and the means that the councillors have in order to reach these goals. The paper presents the political processes in local governance by showing the councillors' views first on power relationships, then on the election campaign and also on the qualities expected from the councillors. In Ukraine, the problems of administration largely boil down to division of power between councillrs and civil servants. In 1996, the councillors relied on their background groups such as political parties or social organisations in order to be able to behave constrainedly rationally. When the situation of social institutions and of companies was weak, the councillors could not get enough support from them for their political aims. The position of the councillors will be stronger in 2006, if they now have more structured political parties or background forces capable of applying pressure. It is hard for the councillors to do their jobs in conditions of dwilling administrative resources. The position of the local administration depends not only on its formal rights but on the personal qualities and activity of the councillors. The lack of resources at local level prevents decisions from being implemented. The problems materialise particularly in the implementation of the budget, which disrupts the functionality of the managing system. The councillors know the problems of their community and also the possible remedy. Resources continue to dwindle, and old problems remain unsolved as new ones appear.
