POLITICAL PROCESS IN UKRAINE: FEATURES, PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS

Abstract

The article focuses on the features of the political process in Ukraine. It is argued that the political process is a form of functioning of the political system of society in space and time, and also reflects the real interaction of subjects of public policy. It is demonstrated that the conceptual principles of the theory and methods of studying political processes are sufficiently represented in native and foreign scientific literature. However, certain problems of political process development in Ukraine remain rather uncovered in the academic literature, in particular, the rise of new factors, challenges, or a permanent change in the political situation. The purpose of the article is to analyze the features of the political process in Ukraine, identify its main problems and development prospects. It has been determined that the political process in Ukraine is not linear, any consensus between the key actors of the process regarding its goals or means is a priori impossible, there is a constant vacillation between democratic and authoritarian tendencies, and most political actions and decisions are behind the scenes or shaded. The author specifies that the key factors influencing the political process in Ukraine are the transformation of the institutional system, the role of interest groups and pressure, as well as the value system and behavioral code of the native political elite. It is proved that an institutional trap has formed in Ukraine – an inefficient self-sustaining stable institutional balance based on a combination of formal and informal political institutions in the political process, which none of the main political actors want to change. This is due to the fact that in the institutional trap, political elites can receive rent and remain in power. At the same time, some institutional changes that took place in Ukraine after 2014 contribute to the gradual exit of our country from the institutional trap. As a result, in the short term, it is necessary to focus on strengthening the powers and expanding the influence of representative bodies of state power, because it is through them that citizens become closer both to the process of public administration in general and to legislative work.