DANYLIW RESEARCH SEMINAR ON CONTEMPORARY UKRAINE

Since 2014, a greater number of municipalities in Ukraine have created their own de facto local police forces, known as “municipal guards.” While their legal status remain uncertain, some are seen as having become the private armies of powerful local politicians. The paper, based on survey research and interviews, questions the prevailing wisdom that wars produce stronger central governments, pointing to trends towards the devolution, and perhaps democratization, of public order maintenance. 

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Matthew Light (photo p. 5) is an Associate Professor in the Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies at the University of Toronto. His research focuses on policing and public safety in the post-Soviet region. 

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Aaron Erlich is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at McGill University His research is on Ukrainian politics and public opinion. Paper co-written with Anne-Marie Singh, University of Toronto.