Regionalist Origins of Centralisation in Ukraine

Regionalism in Ukraine is often perceived as a threat for territorial integrity and democratisation. However, Ukrainian regionalist parties, that call for severe decentralisation during electoral campaigns, tend to promote centralisation when in national office. Indeed, their pre-electoral and post-electoral positions on the centre-periphery relations significantly differ. Strong regionalist parties follow their pre-electoral agendas mainly for effective bargaining with strong centralist parties. When in national office, they promote centralisation, which is beneficial for territorial interest groups they represent – territorially bounded heavy industries that require central investment.