FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION AS A CONDITION FOR THE LEGAL ESTABLISHMENT OF LOCAL DEMOCRACY IN UKRAINE

Abstract

In the article, the author explores the problem of combating corruption in Ukraine, which affects the legal formation of local democracy, drawing attention to the direct relationship between these processes. A vicious circle has been created in Ukrainian society where corruption undermines democratic institutions, in turn, weak democratic institutions are unable to control corruption. It is obvious that an important factor in the unresolved nature of this problem is the anti-corruption strategies of recent years, which have not been able to significantly affect the current state of affairs. This article offers an analysis of anti-corruption strategies of previous years and the draft law on anti-corruption strategy for 2021-2025, which aims to prevent and eliminate corruption in Ukraine.

In turn, an effective anti-corruption fight would promote the development of the institution of local democracy, its forms such as elections, advisory bodies to the authorities, public hearings, conferences, public discussions, cooperation of public institutions and authorities at the regional and interregional level, financial participation in projects, programs and activities of the state and citizens, joint monitoring of public opinion and conducting polls, sociological research, the institute of formation of civic competencies, feedback of information exchange, etc.

Despite the long history of the development of legal mechanisms of the state aimed at overcoming corruption, there is no deep understanding in the domestic political science of the relationship between the concept of local democracy and the level of corruption. There is a noticeable lack of work that examines the relationship between corruption and the development of the institution of local democracy, which would contain an analysis of the problems of local democracy through the prism of the level of corruption and the activities of anti-corruption bodies in Ukraine. Considering the problem from this angle, we can better understand the essence of the changes that the European Ukrainian state needs.