Prepared by Yulia Tyshchenko and Yulia Kazdobina, UCIPR experts
The Report presents results of the regional focus groups (expert discussions) on integrated principles of ethics as applied to the Ukrainian MP activities and covers the understanding of parliamentary ethics principles by focus group participants, their attitude towards deputy immunity, conflict of interests, accountability, transparency of their work and reporting standards to the constituents and voters. The Report also analyzes reasons for violations of the paliamenaty ethics principles by MPs.
In September 2015, experts of the Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research (UCIPR) held focus groups to study the opinion of respondents on the application of ethical standards and rules in the work of the Ukrainian parliament (the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine) and its memners. The discussion was focused on ethical rules that regulate professional activity of the Ukrainian MPs (in particular, in the area of political corruption, conflict of interests, accountability mechanisms, procedures for working with lobbyists and possible manifestations of ethnic or gender inequality), their understanding by target groups and attitude towards them.
The focus groups were held in Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Lviv, Kyiv and Cherkassy (5 focus groups in total).
The selection of focus group participants from different regions and different expert communities made it possible to analyze their approaches to and opinions on the issues of parliamentary ethics.