If in 2014 the apprehension by the society of the decentralisation that is being implemented in the country was not formed, today this apprehension has transformed into specifics and people are aimed at the outcome of the reform. This was said by Oksana Harnets, the Manager of the DESPRO Swiss-Ukrainian Decentralisation Support Project in Ukraine, comparing the results of surveys on the apprehension of the reform that were held by the method of focus groups.
"In 2014, we carried out the first survey by the method of focus groups to understand which were the most painful things in the mind of people in terms of decentralisation: what they are afraid of, what they expect, how they apprehend the reform At that time, there was no apprehension, I would say, it was not formed, it was neutral. The word 'decentralisation' was heard everywhere, but there was no understanding of the processes related thereto. Now, the situation has changed. People began to speak about practical things. If in 2014 the keynote of the discussion was 'what is the decentralisation?', in 2015, 'how it will take place', now it refers to the 'results we want to obtain", Oksana Harnets stated.
She noted that the DESPRO Decentralisation Support Project in Ukraine by learning the need of the society for some or other information on the reform of local self-government and decentralisation of power, jointly with the expert community, prepared answers to all those questions articulated by people, communities and provided the society with such information in various forms - from booklets, pamphlets, articles to video commercials. Oksana Harnets called the comprehensive discussions, like round table discussions that are also arranged for by the DESPRO Project, with the participation of both experts and heads of already amalgamated communities who may share their specific positive experience, an important instrument for the provision of required information to people.
The "Rada" TV channel's weekly programme "Decentralisation is the Power of Community" devoted to topical questions of the reform of local self-government, decentralisation of power goes on air owing to the arrangement by the Communication Group at the Central Office for Reforms and under the auspices of the DESPRO Swiss-Ukrainian Decentralisation Support Project in Ukraine.
DESPRO is the Swiss-Ukrainian Decentralisation Support Project in Ukraine financed by the Swiss Confederation through the Swiss Cooperation Office (SDC) and implemented by the Swiss resource centre and consulting company (Skat).

For more details on the survey please see the DESPRO publication DECENTRALISATION: how is the opinion of people changing?
Short link to the news: http://despro.org.ua/~mWD97