Doskich L. Political participation at the level of local government bodies: The experience of Ukraine and Poland.

The thesis focuses on the comparison of Polish and Ukrainian experience regarding political and public participation at the level of local governments. It highlights historiographical, theoretical, methodological and conceptual preconditions and characteristics concerning the research of the phenomenon, functions and forms of local political participation. The author analyses evolution, formation, features, varieties, forms and significance of political participation as a component of political systems. And the process within the context of democratisation and the growing importance of civil society and local self-government in Poland and Ukraine is highlighted as well. The dissertation considers and systematise the parameters, dynamics, mechanisms and consequences of the political participation transformation within the conditions of public policy development, new forms of democracy, power decentralization, principles and system of municipal policy at the level of local governments in Poland and Ukraine.. The paper characterises, outlines and compares the specificity and development of various institutional and procedural forms of political participation and direct democracy at the level of local self-government bodies in Poland and Ukraine, including elections, referendums, self-organisation bodies, initiatives, petitions, etc.