MEETING IN RZESZÓW: THE POLISH EXPERIENCE OF STATE REFORM AND LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT
On April 10, 2026, a working meeting took place in the city of Rzeszów between researchers of the Kuras Institute of Political and Ethnic Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and Jan Rokita, a politician and publicist who served as Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Internal Affairs and Administration (1991–1993 and 1997–2005). The event was held within the framework of the tenth seminar “State Structure in Action.”
During the meeting, key aspects of Poland’s state system reforms implemented over the past decades were discussed, along with their impact on the system of local self-government. Particular attention was paid to the experience of decentralization, the distribution of powers between central and regional authorities, as well as mechanisms for involving communities in public policymaking.
The meeting with Jan Rokita confirmed the relevance of the Polish experience for Ukraine, which is currently undergoing an active reassessment of models of territorial governance. Poland’s local government reform of the 1990s, which laid the foundations for effective decentralization and strengthened community capacity, can serve as an important reference point for Ukraine—taking into account both its achievements and the challenges faced by Polish society during its implementation.
The event was attended by staff members of the Department of Political Institutions and Processes of the Kuras Institute of Political and Ethnic Studies of the NAS of Ukraine, including Doctor of Political Sciences and Corresponding Member of the NAS of Ukraine Galyna Zelenko, Doctor of Political Sciences Tetiana Liashenko, as well as Candidates of Political Sciences Nataliia Kononenko, Svitlana Sytnyk, Rostyslav Balaban, Svitlana Brekharia, and Igor Symysenko.
