Local Self-Government as the Foundation of Democracy and a Guarantee of Societal Resilience
Political Science is not only about presidents, elections, Trump, or Iran. It is also about power at the meso and micro levels—within regions and local communities. After all, democracy is the rule of the people, and it is at the local level that democratic governance is realized most directly and most fully. At the same time, in the context of Ukraine’s resistance to Russian aggression, the local level—both through local self-government and grassroots volunteer initiatives—has become a key source of the resilience of Ukrainian society and the state. In this regard, Lviv represents a textbook case, having emerged as a major hub for internally displaced persons while providing essential volunteer support and humanitarian logistics.
At our University, the educational cluster in the field of local self-government is led by an experienced scholar and practitioner, Svitlana Bula, PhD in Political Science, Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Philosophy.
Dr. Bula teaches the courses Local Self-Government, Local Politics, and Regional Political Processes. As part of these courses, students not only attend lectures and participate in seminar discussions but also have the opportunity to meet with leading practitioners and public officials working in local governance. During the most recent academic semester, guest lectures were delivered by: Bohdan Shuster – Head of the Lviv Community Office in Vynnyky, Department of Community Administration, Department of Urban Agglomeration of the Lviv City Council, and Member of the Executive Committee of the Lviv City Council (https://filos.lnu.edu.ua/news/zustrich-studentiv-3-ho-kursu-spetsialnosti-politolohiia-z-nachalnykom-viddilu-ofis-lvivskoi-hromady-u-m-vynnyky-bohdanom-shusterom), Oleh Volskyi – Mayor of Zhovkva (https://filos.lnu.edu.ua/news/zustrich-studentiv-3-kursu-spetsialnosti-politolohiia-z-miskym-holovoiu-zhovkvy-olehom-volskym).
Future political scientists also have the opportunity to gain first-hand insight into the work of local self-government institutions in real-world settings. Dr. Svitlana Bula regularly organizes study visits to various local government bodies and administrative institutions, enabling students to observe the practical functioning of local governance.
During the 2025–2026 academic year, Political Science students visited the Lviv Regional Council, where they met with two distinguished public administration professionals: Olha Yurchuk, Head of the Department of Legal Analysis and Investment Activity Monitoring, and Iryna Khoroshykh, Head of the Department of Organizational Affairs and Cooperation with Local Self-Government Bodies. The visit also included a simulation session, allowing students to apply their knowledge in a practical decision-making exercise.
Among the distinguished graduates of the Lviv Political Science programme who have built successful careers in local self-government are Oleh Volskyi, Mayor of Zhovkva; Sviatoslav Kherovych, Secretary of the Zhovkva City Council; and Bohdan Shuster, Head of the Lviv Community Office in Vynnyky. Another notable alumnus is Vitalii Diakiv, who served as the head of Davydiv Village Council. At the time of his election, he was the youngest elected village head in Ukraine and achieved this distinction while still a university student. Other successful graduates include Nelia Vasiuta, a member of the Lviv City Council and an active volunteer, among many others.
In addition to her teaching activities, Dr. Svitlana Bula is actively engaged in research on local politics and regional political processes. In 2021, she supervised the successful PhD dissertation of Volodymyr Hnatiuk, entitled “The Functioning of Political Processes at the Regional Level in Ukraine: The Cases of Zakarpattia, Lviv, and Chernivtsi Regions (2010–2015).”
As one of Ukraine’s leading experts in local politics, Dr. Bula regularly serves as an external reviewer and official opponent for doctoral dissertations in the field. During the past year alone, she participated as an official opponent in the public defenses of Stepan Rishko’s dissertation, “Decentralization and the Reform of the Public Administration System in the Slovak Republic” (defended on 11 July 2025), and Yurii Sadovyi’s dissertation, “Political-Institutional and Socio-Economic Development of the State: Interconnections and a Comparative Analysis Based on the Countries of Central and Eastern Europe” (defended on 18 June 2026).
