The Dubno District Military Administration (DMA) developed and successfully implements the “Community Assessment Compass” – its own analytical tool for measuring the financial capacity of the 19 communities in the district. Its unique feature lies not only in its comprehensive set of 13 indicators, but also in its focus on internal dynamics and comparisons between communities within a homogeneous cluster. The RMA team submitted the results of this work to the Decentralisation portal, calling for professional dialogue.

The Decentralisation portal regularly publishes a ranking of the financial capacity of communities, compiled by independent experts based on a model covering the whole of Ukraine. This tool provides a nationwide overview. For this reason, when alternative, more detailed approaches to analysis emerge at the local level, allowing us to see the unique local context, we find them extremely valuable.

The Dubno DMA has demonstrated precisely this approach. In their letter to the Decentralisation portal and in their analytical justification, they emphasise that their aim is not to contrast their methodology with the national one, but to complement it by looking at the situation ‘from the perspective of a specific corner of Rivne region, where behind every figure there are specific people and specific management decisions’.

What makes the “Community Assessment Compass” unique?

The main difference lies in the perspective. Whilst the national ranking compares each community with all 1,331 communities in the country, the methodology used by the Dubno DMA compares communities within a homogeneous district cluster. This shows which communities demonstrate better dynamics and efficiency relative to their neighbours with similar starting conditions.

In addition, the analytics of the district administration expands the standard list of indicators by adding a sectoral breakdown of expenditure on healthcare, education, housing and utility services, and social protection per capita. This provides an opportunity to assess not only the community’s “financial weight” but also the structure of its obligations to its people, which takes on particular significance under martial law.

When different assessments show more

The most interesting finding of the study is the comparison of the two assessment systems. As noted in the rationale, 7 out of 19 communities in Dubno district received different capability ratings in the national and local rankings. For example, three communities that are classified as having a “critical” level in the national assessment fall into the “low” category in the DMA assessment. This is not an error, but a consequence of different comparison logic: rural communities with incomes of UAH 5-6 thousand per person naturally find themselves at the bottom of the national ranking, but within their own cluster they may demonstrate stable and effective performance.

Comment by Nadiia Petruniak, Coordinator of the Decentralisation portal:

‘We welcome initiatives where data is not simply used at the local level, but where efforts are made to interpret it and conduct a more in-depth analysis. It is important, however, to clearly distinguish between the different levels of assessment: the portal publishes the results of calculations made by independent experts using a standardised national methodology, which ensures that all communities in Ukraine can be compared.

We are always open to publishing high-quality regional research that complements and enriches the national picture. The work of the Dubno DMA is an excellent example of how, with access to the same data from the State Treasury Service, a practical tool can be created for day-to-day administrative work. Their invitation to dialogue is exactly what we strive for: for the platform to be a place for professional discussion, rather than merely a conduit for ready-made solutions. We are delighted to publish their detailed analysis and are convinced that this experience will be useful for other districts.’

Invitation to dialogue

The Dubno RMA not only shared its vision but also expressed its willingness to continue the dialogue, having produced a range of in-depth analytical reports: from an analysis of the defence burden on local budgets to models of veterans’ policy and the transformation of the healthcare network.

This case clearly demonstrates that true analytics is not just a single “correct” table, but a multidimensional process where each level of analysis reveals a unique perspective on the problem.

Download in Ukrainian: Assessment of the capacity of communities. Analysis of financial indicators for the communities of Dubno district (PDF)