This book is an in-depth analysis of some unexpected consequences of international aid for transition in a post-communist state. Examining the reform efforts of relations between Kiev and the regions of Ukraine, Duncan Leitch explores how and why fiscal decentralization and regional policy programs initiated by the Ukrainian government and supported by the Western donor community failed to achieve a sustained outcome. Drawing on concepts from Institutional Theory, Comparative Politics, and Development Studies, Leitch explains the complex interactions between external donors and the domestic recipients of their advice. His findings throw a light on the narrow circumstances under which short-term success can be achieved, but also point towards the failings of the donor community to lay the groundwork for lasting reform. A valuable resource for anyone working in the development sector in Eastern Europe or beyond, this book provides a new outlook on the political realities of the reform process, the relevance of international advice, and the domestic pressures leading to the Maidan uprising of 2013.

Dr. Duncan Leitch studied economics, philosophy, social sciences as well as Russian and East European affairs at the Universities of St. Andrews and Birmingham. He has worked as a consultant on the reform of public administration in Russia as well as Ukraine since 1993, and has been employed by the European Union, the UK's Department for International Development, the Canadian International Development Agency, and other institutional donors. His articles have appeared in Non-Profit Management & Leadership and the Ukraine Weekly. Author of the foreword: Dr. Kataryna Wolczuk is Reader in Politics and International Studies at the University of Birmingham.