Etikett: political will

The Necessity of Talking the Talk: The functions of Communication for Anti-Corruption Political Will and Policy Development in Ukrainian Local Government

Abstract

Corruption is a notoriously intractable problem. How do local public authorities manage to initiate and sustain meaningful anti-corruption efforts? To address this question, we examine the processes and interactions among key stakeholders in six local settings in Ukraine showing sustained reform effort between 2014 and 2021. The analysis identifies key communicative tasks that, taken together, induce initial commitments to tackle corruption, turn commitments into tangible policies, and sustain reform and processes of change. The cases suggest three recommendations for international and local policy actors seeking to support reform: invest in multi-stakeholder platforms, use facilitators, and build internal capacity for data collection and analysis among local governments.

This policy brief builds on Research Report 22, and is linked to Policy Brief 16. The policy brief exists in English and Ukrainian language.

Read the authors’ reflections about the impact of this research project in this blog post.

Ukrainian:

Корупція, як відомо, є складно розв’язуваною проблемою. Як місцевим органам влади вдається ініціювати та підтримувати вагомі антикорупційні зусилля? Щоб відповісти на це запитання, ми досліджуємо процеси та взаємодію між ключовими зацікавленими сторонами в шести регіонах України, які демонструють стійкі зусилля з реформування в період з 2014 по 2021 рік. Аналіз визначає ключові комунікаційні завдання, які разом спонукають до початкових зобов’язань щодо подолання корупції, перетворюють зобов’язання на реальну політику, а також підтримують реформи та зміни. На основі цих кейсів ми пропонуємо три рекомендації для міжнародних і місцевих політичних акторів, які прагнуть підтримати реформи: інвестувати в багатосторонні платформи, залучати фасилітаторів та розбудовувати внутрішній потенціал для збору й аналізу даних в органах місцевого самоврядування.

Typ av publikation

Policy Briefs

Projektområde

Inclusive leadership and governance

Globala mål

16 - Fredliga och inkluderande samhällen

Etiketter

anti-corruption, communication, Dialogue, political will, Ukraine,

Political Will for Anti-Corruption Reform: Communicative pathways to collective action in Ukraine

Why do some local public authorities engage in meaningful and sustained anti-corruption efforts while elsewhere such initiatives falter? To address this question, we advance a definition of political will as it relates to anti-corruption reforms and examine six local settings in Ukraine which showed sustained reform effort between 2014 and 2021. While previous conceptualisations see political will as a function of leaders’ individual level preferences or contextual characteristics, we argue that it may emerge through intentional and strategic interactions among key stakeholders. The analysis identifies key communicative tasks serving to induce initial commitments, make commitments operative, and sustain change, that stakeholders must continuously undertake to promote anti-corruption political will. Three recommendations are derived for local governments: to invest in multi-stakeholder platforms, use facilitators, and build internal capacity. The communicative functions identified here can help create a network of linkages that reduces the power gradient between authorities and society, enabling the flow of knowledge, information and civil society demands. These networks can aid in addressing other complex policy challenges as well.

Note: This research project was conducted prior to the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. The effects of the invasion on the communicative processes that build this type of political will remains to be seen, but the tools this research identifies may be helpful for resilience and reconstruction: helpful in supporting a social contract of trust and accountability. This research is one of the many ways ICLD will continue to support local governments in Ukraine and beyond in strengthening democracy and give people the opportunity to decide their futures themselves.

The research project also comprises a policy brief.