Polish experience of partnership between local authorities, civil society, and business in local governance: lessons for Ukraine

Анотація

This article examines the Polish experience of partnerships between local authorities, the public, and the business sector as a key element of the modern local governance system and explores the possibilities for adapting this model to the context of local self-government development in Ukraine. It has been established that the Polish model of local governance has developed a comprehensive institutional system of partnership that encompasses legally enshrined cooperation with non-governmental organizations, participatory budgeting mechanisms, public-private partnership instruments, local action groups, advisory bodies, and other forms of citizen participation in management decision-making. Based on an analysis of statistical data, legal acts, and analytical reports from international and national organizations, the specific features of the functioning of the Polish partnership governance system were identified, and a comparison was made with current local governance practices in Ukraine. It has been demonstrated that in Poland, partnership is integrated into the local policy system as a permanent institutional mechanism for implementing public tasks, whereas in Ukraine, interaction among the government, the public, and the business sector is largely project- or grant-based, or crisis-reactive. It has been found that, despite a significant level of civic engagement, the development of the volunteer movement, and the spread of digital participation tools, Ukrainian local communities face problems such as insufficient institutionalization of partnership mechanisms, uneven financial capacity, staffing constraints, and dependence on external funding for civil society organizations. The feasibility of using certain elements of Polish practice to improve local governance in Ukraine is substantiated. The paper proposes introducing mandatory cooperation programs among local communities, civil society organizations, and businesses; creating community recovery budgets; forming municipal public-private partnership packages; developing local co-financing funds; and establishing tripartite partnership councils. Attention is paid to the risks of adapting the Polish experience, including budgetary instability, the formalization of civic participation, corruption risks during the implementation of public-private partnership projects, inequality in communities’ resource capacities, and the public sector’s dependence on grant support. Keywords: local governance, decentralization, partnership, civil society, business, participatory budgeting, public-private partnership, Poland, Ukraine.

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