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This paper presents a dynamic perspective on the processes of farm restructuring following farm acquisitions by large-scale agroholdings in Ukraine. In particular, the paper employs a large dataset of farm-level data and several quantitative techniques to explore how the acquired farms' resource bases are integrated after acquisitions and what outcomes an acquisition brings about for farm growth, profitability and productivity. In general, acquisitions positively affect farm growth and productivity while agroholdings use various resource allocation, resource redeployment and investment/divestment instruments for the post-acquisition integration of farms. The variation in achieving profitable post-acquisition growth of farms is contingent upon a number of farm pre-acquisition characteristics, strategic growth orientations and timing of acquisitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As participatory approaches to rural development are adopted in post-communist countries, there is a growing need to evaluate their success. Centralized and hierarchical governance systems pertinent to these countries may introduce serious challenges for community-driven development (CDD) and newly established community-based organizations (CBOs). We address these concerns by critically assessing whether CBOs in rural Ukraine engage in meaningful partnerships with local governments. In doing so, we examine the link between participation and CBO establishment and clarify how lack of local governments' fiscal autonomy may undermine CBOs' sustainability. We use unique primary data and employ both qualitative and quantitative methods to test hypotheses about how these organizations were established. We find that newly-established organizations are disconnected from local inhabitants and are aligned with the fundraising incentives of local governments. The context of incomplete decentralization reforms common to post-Soviet countries distorts local governments' incentives and, as a result, jeopardizes the sustainability of the CDD efforts. • Low participation and external facilitation undermines "bottom-up" CBOs. • Local governments "benevolently capture" CBOs in rural Ukraine. • Decentralization reforms should incorporate participatory approaches and CDD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]