By Oleksandr Vrublevskyi, expert consultant of the DESPRO project on starostas’ activity and cooperation of hromadas

Against the background of the undoubted successes of amalgamated hromadas, one can observe some of negative phenomena, sometimes caused by the old-fashioned psychology of some officials. This publication will feature the feudal lord syndrome, which, unfortunately, is peculiar to many of the heads of AHs.

The feudal lords as individual landowners had a certain style of thinking and behaviour based on it, which together reflected their moral values, traditions and customs. One of the characteristic moral features of the feudal environment was the so-called paternalism (Lat. paternus – paternal). With regard to the feudal lord syndrome in modern realities, this phenomenon will be considered in the context of the powers available to the AH head among other local self-government entities and peculiarities of the psychology of his personality as an official of the corresponding level.

Some heads of AHs, striving to continuously obtain maximum results from their own managerial activities and prove their leadership, sometimes act in a manner that may violate the harmony of the three-branch system of checks and balances laid in the local self-government, that should be under mutual control of the AH head, council and the executive committee.

Thus, the feudal lord syndrome can be defined as a combination of certain psychological settings and behavioural manifestations of an official entitled with powers, that enable his self-affirmation in the office environment and / or the satisfaction of his paternalistic manifestations of patronage.

P.S. Additional questions to the author of the publication can be put in the Forum of Starostas http://forum.decentralization.gov.ua

The full version is available in Ukrainian – please click HERE