Matvienko A. Political and legal bases of decentralization in the context of the administration reform in Ukraine

The thesis proposes the complex research of the decentralization process in the context of administrative reform in Ukraine. The role of the decentralization in public administration according to the system approach is presented. The author systemizes the main approaches to the understanding of decentralization and examines its types (vertical decentralization, horizontal decentralization (deconcentration), administrative decentralization, devolution). It gives the analysis of the progress in the realization of the administrative reform in Ukraine and defines the factors, which have decisive influence on it. The author defines the main features of the realization the decentralization reforms in the different states of the world: in the developed countries (devolution in Great Britain, decentralization in France) and in the transition countries (countries of East Europe). The detailed analysis of the foreign experience reveals the possible negative consequences of the decentralization; the ways to avoid them during decentralization process in Ukraine are proposed. Current legislation of the decentralization in public administration and system of local government is examined. The author proposes the ways of its improvement for the reformation and the efficient activity of the Ukrainian local government. The theoretically substantiated community approach to the reform of local government is presented.