Rules of the Game in the Ukrainian Corruption and the Concept of the Ukrainian Version of Capitalism: the Principles of Interpretation in the Context of European Integration

  • Abstract:

    The fundamental mistake in terms of assessment and analysis of the Ukrainian reality – search for “rules of the game” that operate in the Ukrainian territory. They are efforts to be found, systemized, detailed, turned in any particular methodology suitable for an easy understanding. In fact, in the Ukrainian crisis reality for the past 25 years, no rules of the game, even at the psychological, even at the subconscious level, have been established. On the contrary, the format of competition for resources during 1990-2015 completely destroyed any rules of the game, including party-Soviet (“nomenclature”), and state and governmental. The biggest phenomenon, a peculiar incident in this context, to our mind, appears even “disorganization of corruption”. Ukrainian corruption during the last quarter of a century has passed the stage of decay. There is no doubt, that Ukrainian corruption, as well as any similar system is clannish, it has its own hierarchy and logical sequences that allow referring to it almost as a kind of institution. However, its institutional nature has passed the stage of “decentralization”, from powerful-party character with a clear hierarchy “from bottom to top” to full independence of hundreds of provincial clannish organisms, which in their turn experience internal decay nowadays. The fight against “corruption” in its turn completely discredits the Ukrainian power itself in the situation when salary for the officials of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine – the legislative body of the state, is given “in envelopes”. Officially, an expert on economic and financial issues in the Ukrainian parliament receives only 40-55% of that amount which he actually receives. This case, though anecdotal, but, in our opinion, is the most demonstrative. It demonstrates all the absurdity of declared by the authorities’ “fight against corruption”, and shows a complete ideological weakness of state institutions available today.