Problem

Recent sociological studies on public attitudes towards corruption in Ukraine show that there is a peculiar social and psychological phenomenon in Ukrainian society, where on the one hand the vast majority of Ukrainian citizens consider corruption to be an unacceptable phenomenon, they understand that corruption leads to a number of negative consequences (in particular, it hinders the economic and socio-political development of Ukraine), and they condemn people who resort to corruption; on the other hand, when it comes not to a general description of corruption or corruption of others (especially politicians, officials, judges, law enforcement officers, and so forth), but to personal problems of a citizen, the need to satisfy certain personal needs (or the needs of their relatives), the same citizens are convinced that there is nothing wrong with solving these problems through corruption.
At the same time, these studies show that if a person knows for sure that they will achieve the desired outcome quickly, comfortably and legally, they will never resort to corruption. Today, the state does not offer a sufficient number of mechanisms for interaction with the state, which would be convenient for individuals and legal entities (as an alternative to the already established corrupt practices), and the public is not always properly informed about the newly created legal, convenient, and effective mechanisms for satisfying such needs.
There is often a perception among government officials that the main purpose of communication in the anticorruption domain is moralizing. Meanwhile, communication campaigns should not be the main factor in changing people’s behavior, but rather an auxiliary tool for promoting the alternatives created. For the same purpose, the state should establish a dialog with businesses, encouraging them to also look for legal alternative ways (as opposed to existing informal practices) to solve complex issues in cooperation with the public sector.
A separate aspect of the problem is the inaccessibility of such alternatives due to flaws in the system of government agencies and local self-government bodies. In 2020, Ukraine’s administrative and territorial structure changed, with more than 11,000 village, town, and city councils replaced by 1,470 capable territorial communities at the basic level, while 490 districts were optimized and 136 districts were formed at the subregional level. At the same time, the full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine has significantly exacerbated the problems that have existed in local self-government for years and highlighted the shortcomings that persisted in
2020. Therefore, the reorganization of the system of government agencies and local self-government bodies depends on the legislative definition of the basic principles of the administrative and territorial structure of Ukraine, the procedure for the formation, liquidation, establishment, and modification of the boundaries of administrative and territorial units and the resolution of other issues pertaining to the administrative and territorial structure.