Bortnikova A. Local Government in Volyn: Socio-Political Traditions and the Modern Process of Decentralization.

A political analysis of the processes of formation and development of institutions of local self-government on the principles of Magdeburg Law in the cities of Volyn and their influence indirectly through socio-political traditions on modern processes of democratization and decentralization has been carried out in the thesis. Temporal conditionality of institutionalization of local self-government at different historical stages of its existence, compliance with democratic principles and norms of organization and activity of self-government institutions in cities, level of their political subjectivity have been substantiated in the work. It has been proved, that the extrapolation of medieval practices in the functioning of institutions of government in the cities of Volyn, their indirect influence on the present, is carried out through democratic values (democracy, common good, people's sovereignty, etc.), forms of organization and activities of representative and executive authorities and democratic governance. The discrete nature of the growth of the political subjectivity of local self-government institutions in the cities of Volyn at different historical stages has been revealed. The process of institutional changes in the transition from historically limited, only partly self-governing structures of local self-government in Ukraine, to its modern forms and practices has been proved. It has been deduced the evolution of democratic changes in the legal and regulatory framework of the functioning of local self-government in Ukraine, the nature of party political structuring of the Lutsk City Council has been revealed and the democratic orientation of the content and directions of decentralization of power in its activities has been demonstrated.