LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT, ECONOMIC RESILIENCE, AND CONSTITUTIONAL LAW IN UKRAINE’S MARTIAL LAW CONTEXT

Abstract

The present article examines the manner in which local self-government functions as a constitutional resilience mechanism in Ukraine during periods of martial law. The study focuses on the operation of decentralisation, fiscal autonomy and local public finance under conditions of extreme security pressure, and on the influence of these factors on the protection of human rights and the maintenance of social stability at the hromadas level. The analysis seeks to comprehend the interplay between constitutional precepts, institutional frameworks, and emergency legislation with local economic capacities during periods of large-scale warfare. The research employs doctrinal legal analysis, qualitative case studies, constitutional texts and Ukrainian public finance data. The text goes on to consider wartime changes in local budget policy, the emergency redistribution of funds, and the role of subnational authorities in ensuring the continuity of services, particularly with regard to the social rights of vulnerable groups. Prior to 2022, decentralisation had substantially strengthened hromadas, with concomitant improvements in accountability and participation. However, the introduction of martial law created hard constraints, generating tension between centralised wartime governance and local autonomy. Nevertheless, many local self-government bodies demonstrated a strong capacity for adaptation, particularly with regard to maintaining social services, humanitarian supply chains and emergency local development solutions. These findings highlight the need to update constitutional and budget legislation to reflect wartime realities and future reconstruction scenarios. Securing stable local revenue streams, integrating European municipal standards and embedding decentralisation as a constitutional principle of resilience should be given strategic priority. By demonstrating how local self-governance can continue to protect rights under existential threat, this article makes a contribution to comparative constitutional law. It provides insights that are relevant to Ukraine’s post-war constitutional settlement and EU integration trajectory.