Public Administration in Post-Communist Countries

12  ◾  Public Administration in Post-Communist Countries

with a unitary system of governance, local government management is a reflection of how the

central government is operating.

Mussari and Cepiku (2007, p. 360) observe that “during communism, local governments were

characterized by little political autonomy and high levels of social and economic responsibility.”

e result of this lack of a history of autonomy coupled with pressure for service provision has

strained many state and local governments to breaking point. ree of the authors collaborated in

conducting training programs for over 500 Ukrainian local government managers from 1994 to

1999. In a 2001 article, they described Ukrainian public management as woefully underfunded

and hampered ...