Why do Ukrainians oppose land sales? The problem of legitimacy of private land tenure in post-Soviet society

Abstract

ABSTRACT Millions of Ukrainians own land plots but cannot sell them, as the free land market is still restricted. The government of Ukraine is delaying the liberalization of the land market, given the negative attitude of most Ukrainians to the sale of agricultural land. At the same time, the phenomenon of ambivalent consciousness is observed in Ukrainian society, when the negation of the land market and the recognition of land ownership are combined. The article shows that the introduction of the land market encounters not only the resistance of people with anti-market views, but also the general problem of legitimacy of private property as a social institution. Based on a nationwide survey conducted in August 2019 by the Institute of Sociology of the NAS of Ukraine, respondents were asked to determine an acceptable option for land ownership. A detailed analysis of the factors supporting the various options of land ownership indicates that the problem of legitimacy has not only a socio-cultural basis, but also due to chronic impoverishment of the population and the unfinished process of social modernization.