Information on the thesis

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 degree of scientific development of the functioning of local self-
government problem in Ukraine in general and in Volyn cities in particular has been
determined in the thesis. The analysis of the basic concepts of the research («city»,
«local self-government», «socio-political tradition», «decentralization»), methods,
theories and conceptual models of local self-government has been carried out.
Political analysis of the processes of formation and development of the institutions of
the local self-government on the principles of the Magdeburg Law in the cities of
Volyn has been carried through. The procedural issues of the formation of the city
government – councils and lavas, their social composition and functions has been
revealed. The analysis of the specific functioning of institutions of self-government in
public and private-owned cities, their resource potential in the sphere of socio-
economic relations, trends in the processes of social differentiation and recruitment of
local political elites has been carried out.
It has been proved that the functioning of the Magdeburg Law in the Volyn
cities is indirectly extrapolated to the nowadays through socio-political traditions,

which, in their turn, come to us as secondary, that is, those which have been
appropriately acculturated for a long time, as well as through the values (People’s
Authority, common benefit, national sovereignty, etc.) and the principles of the
organization of local government institutions (representation, election, collegiality,
etc.).
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.
It has been proved, that the processes of democratic transformation of the Lutsk
City Council are the renovation of the deputy corps and its executive bodies, openness
and transparency of activity (transparence), proximity of services to the inhabitants of
the territorial community, implementation of e-governance practices, taking into
account local initiatives of citizens, creation of public councils, etc. , – are intensified
along with the growth of party political pluralism, the council composition of and its
governing bodies, that confirm the results of local elections, starting from 2006. The
trends of decentralization processes in Ukraine have been revealed by the example of
the Lutsk City Council as the institution of local democracy, which is carried out
through financial decentralization, delegation of managerial functions and rights for
the provision of services from the center to the ground, the creation of legal and
institutional conditions for broad political participation of the city’s community, etc.
Key words: Volyn, city, the Magdeburg law, local self-government, social and
political tradition, policy, power, political process, political elites, democratization,
decentralization, Lutsk city council.