Prospects for the Evolution of the Hybrid Institutional System of Modern Ukraine.

Abstract

There are peculiarities of hybrid institutionalization in the context of prospects for further democratization of political system in Ukraine. It is clarify the concept of democratization, distinguish it from such terms as institutionalization and transformation; establish the criteria for differentiating between hybrid and democratic institutionalization; define the opportunities for the Ukrainian political system to get out of the institutional trap. It is convinced that the difference between hybrid and democratic dynamics of political institutions lies in the facade nature of the former and the ability of the latter to reproduce itself, to adapt to new challenges by gradually changing particular functions of political institutions, while preserving characteristics and peculiarities of a system as a whole. In conditions of democracy, political stability is rather volatile because of a change
in configurations of actors and their strategies. However, due to the established formal institutions and procedures and the consent of all policy makers to abide by the ‘rules of the game’ they have set, the political system is capable of self-regulation. It is the ability to reproduce a political system applying democratic methods that promotes successful transition to democracy. At the same time, a hybrid political system is not able to ensure adaptation to
external challenges. It becomes significant in times of crisis in society. The system begins to gravitate towards authoritarianism, leading to aggravation of the situation, escalation of social conflicts, and social explosion in the form of mass actions of civil disobedience. In Ukraine prevalence of informal authoritarian practices has always led to gradual decline of democratic reforms. Institutionalization of a political system may pass through the following cycles. Weariness of institutional uncertainty in Ukraine leads to increase in the role of populism as a mechanism for legitimizing and exercising political power. Rapid development of the media, mostly their networks, intensifies the populist tendencies in modern politics. The results of the research testify to the hybrid nature of the political regime and institutional changes, contradictions between formal and informal institutions that obstruct democratization of the political system, highlight the prospects for institutionalization of democratic institutions by providing alternatives or assigning formal
characteristics to authoritarian practices. Hybrid institutionalization is capable of ensuring only the situational balance of the political system, but does not ensure the natural evolution of relations and processes. The issue of further democratization of the political system in Ukraine implies its removal from the state of hybrid stability, characterized by a constant change in the formal characteristics and characteristics of the political system maintaining the
leading role of informal institutions and procedures that do not lead to real institutional changes, despite the inefficiency of the whole institutional system.
Later political research should involve such an important aspect as the search for mechanisms of purposeful influence on the transformation of political institutions to ensure dynamic stability, constant self-development and self-improvement of democratic institutions.