Podcast

In this episode:

• How ASCs were created for people and by people who believed in the principles of ‘less corruption, less bureaucracy, more comfort’ for every Ukrainian.
• Who and how contributed to this reform.
• How Luhansk once competed with Vinnytsia for leadership in change.
• Why space, transparent walls and architectural solutions are important for public trust in the state.

In this episode:

• How the team and the mechanism of transparent procurement were ‘forged in steel’ and what were the most important stages;
  
• The hard work of the key inspirers of this complex but very successful reform;
  
• Find out what is the secret of the success of the public procurement policy implementation. First-hand answers from a person who, together with his team, has implemented dramatic changes for the better.
  

‘Any reform is always about compromise, and without starting, you don’t know where the boundaries of this compromise are,’ says Sayenko. Together with his team, he implemented the reform,
to make the bureaucratic state apparatus stand at the crossroads of citizens’ interests and to ensure that the bureaucracy was able to fulfil the political agenda.

This podcast is not only about policy implementation, but also about choice. The choice to serve the state. The choice to understand that every signed document is not just a piece of paper, but people’s lives. The choice to develop the country, even when resistance seems insurmountable.

Listen and learn from the experience of change leaders, discuss and share with your friends and colleagues, because reforms do not happen by themselves – they are created by people, just like the country we live in today and want to live in tomorrow.

This episode presents the second part of the discussion on civil service reform. Our guest is Oleksandr Starodubtsev, a man who not only promoted the reform at the level of civil society, but also tried to change the system from within, heading the National Agency on Civil Service.

We talk about why the civil service is key to Ukraine’s European future, what political decisions can destroy or accelerate reforms, and what needs to be done to make government agencies truly work for people, not just for the sake of process. We also discussed changes in organisational culture as a key element that distinguishes effective reform from imitation.

‘Systemic reforms cannot be done in one law or resolution. They require a long preparation and implementation, which is why decentralisation has become successful’, Ivan Lukerya.

Listen to the interview:

• How the reform took place from the perspective of a change agent;
  
• How to think and act to make systemic changes a reality;
  
• Resistance and sabotage in the government, parliament and on the ground;
  
• About the first elections in amalgamated communities;
  
• How decentralisation came in handy during the war.
  

Listen to find out how ideas become actions and actions become changes

This is not about official reports, but about reality:

• How did the reform get off the ground?
  
• What did it mean to recruit people from scratch?
  
• How was the concrete system of corruption and unprofessionalism destroyed?
  
• What are the challenges facing the patrol police today?
  

‘The Patrol Police has become the first proof that change is possible. It is not just a new service – it is a different system of work, a different vision, different approaches. When sceptics argued: ‘It won’t work,’ the patrol police were already working. And this experience has become an important impetus for the whole country.’
– Oleksiy Biloshytskyi

Changes start with small steps. They are possible when there is a team, a clear vision and a desire to act.

You will hear about how progress in the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention was made possible, the first legislative changes in 2012, important steps in 2021, the resistance of the tobacco industry, business fears and public support – 84% of Ukrainians supported the changes, even those who smoke.

Listen to the full version of the 7th episode of the podcast created at the Kyiv School of Public Administration to hear the inspiring story of how we managed to unite efforts to protect the health of millions and what lessons can be learned from this success story.

What we often call a ‘bad habit’ is actually a microcosm of deeply rooted practices: domestic, emotional, agricultural, and even social. The research identified more than 30 reasons why Ukrainians continue to burn dry vegetation — from a lack of alternatives to an emotional attachment to fire, from habit to revenge on neighbours.

In this episode:
• what has been implemented and what has not
• how behaviour is changing in communities where choices are available
• and what is needed to replace smoke with good practices.

Listen. Share. Talk about what matters and make a difference!

The reform has been compared to climbing stairs – slowly, with stops at each floor, sometimes even for coffee. The reform of the MFA and the diplomatic service is a long, tedious, but necessary process, and this issue will allow you to better understand its course and cause-and-effect relationships.

The episode also tells how the war, despite all the difficulties, has opened up an opportunity to demonstrate the strength of the diplomatic service and launch real, tangible changes: increased gender equality, youth engagement, and intensified public communication.
But most importantly, real transformations are impossible without a systematic approach, financial and human resources determination, openness to external expertise and readiness for an honest audit of the state of affairs.

DMITRO ROMANOVYCH:
How to quickly implement a reform that works

Today we will discuss the following:

• How and why the idea of reform arose;
  
• What went wrong with the first attempts;
  
• How to bring together stakeholders with different interests and reach an understanding;
  
• The role of political leadership and bureaucracy;
  
• How to build and maintain trust in the state;
• An iterative approach to public policy in practice.

This is an honest conversation about difficult decisions, crisis situations, compromises — and how to achieve results despite everything.

Together, they discuss:

• how the idea to submit borscht to UNESCO came about;
• what ‘public diplomacy through food’ means;
• how bureaucracy can become an ally if you know the rules of the game;
• and why each of us can be part of big changes — even through borscht.

Listen, think, share — and remember: change doesn’t just happen — it’s made by people taking action.

Today we will talk about the following:

• How to make Ukraine recognisable in a region where we have never been?
• Why is Zelensky called ‘Churchill with an iPhone’ in Australia?
• How is the Kremlin promoting its game in the global South — and what does this threaten?
• What is Ukrainian diplomacy doing when news from the front disappears from the world’s headlines?

This broadcast is about those who are fighting for Ukraine with words, symbols and convictions.

Together, they discuss:

• How does the multilateral pre-trial dispute resolution mechanism work?
• What is the power of ‘policy work’ — and what does it take for it to truly change the rules of the game?
• Why are 90% of individual recommendations implemented, but only half of systemic ones?

This episode is about the depth that experience brings. About changes that don’t happen on their own. And about those who build trust in the system.

Listen and share.

The focus of the conversation is the state: not as an abstraction, but as a system that must function. We speak frankly about

• worldview and systemic barriers that hinder the implementation of public policy
  
• why public policy is reduced to ‘just writing a law’
  
• and why lawyers involved in the formation and implementation of public policy substitute it with formalities.This is a sincere and profound conversation about how to overcome institutional stagnation, develop systems thinking, and why a democratic state cannot function without the involvement of civil society.If you are concerned about the state of socially important issues, feel that ‘something is wrong’ but cannot explain why, this episode is for you.

  Listen, think, share — and remember: change does not come on its own — it is made by people of action!

The conversation focuses on:

• How the old, post-Soviet paper-based social support system was restructured to meet modern challenges
• How and by whom the unified social register, electronic case management and digital tools to help people were created
• How to act when the old system breaks down under the pressure of war: millions of displaced people, loss of funding, chaos — and yet problems must be solved and people must be served

We take an honest, no-nonsense look at:

• how state systems change when there is no room for error;
• why healthcare reform is not about ‘money following the patient’,
• but about responsibility and trust;
• how the Ukrainian Health Centre works and why it has become the
• think tank driving change;
• what it means to carry out reform under the pressure of war whilst
• simultaneously building a system that must function after victory.

The conversation focuses on:

• A culture of remembrance during wartime
• A minute’s silence as a new social ritual
• Pressure from communities on the state
• The problem of the invisibility of losses
• What to do with symbols of remembrance (flags, burial sites)

We discussed:

• Who actually makes decisions in hromadas
• The executive committee as a ‘shadow centre’ of governance
• Decentralisation without clear boundaries of responsibility
• Martial law and the concentration of power
• What lies ahead for local self-government