Katie LaRoque, Elana Goldstein: Are local initiatives with regional authorities the best way to combat Ukraine’s chronic corruption?

The International Republican Institute’s (IRI) latest poll on Ukraine includes some figures on corruption that may seem shocking those unacquainted with Ukraine. For example, one quarter of respondents who visited a medical establishment over the last 12 months say they were asked to pay a bribe. But this is hardly surprising to those who follow the events in Ukraine closely. It is no secret that Ukraine suffers from endemic corruption, and the Ukrainian people know it. Corruption continues to be the main issue in Ukraine (in addition to the war in the Donbas), and calls for robust anti-corruption reform have continued in the wake of the 2014 Revolution of Dignity.