Volunteering and fake volunteering in Ukraine: a new research direction through the prism of informal institutions

This study delves into the emergence of fake voluntarism, a novel form of deception observed in Ukraine following the onset of the Russo-Ukrainian war. The full-scale Russian aggression not only spurred the expansion of the volunteer movement but also fostered the proliferation of spurious volunteerism, primarily motivated by the pursuit of personal gain. We conceptualize these contrasting social practices as informal institutions, diverging in their functions. While traditional volunteering falls into the category of ‘complementary’ informal institutions, following G. Helmke and S. Levitsky's typology, fake volunteering represents ‘competing’ institutions that not only diminish the efficacy of formal institutions but also erode the credibility of genuine volunteer efforts. This research aims to expand the scope of study of informal institutions in wartime conditions, in particular, to contribute to the discussion on the reasons for Ukraine's resilience during the war and the challenges of overcoming internal threats. While volunteerism in various forms is an essential element of state resilience, fake volunteerism, along with other corrosive institutions, undermines it from within. Drawing on the open-source data, we extract distinctive attributes that enable the differentiation between these phenomena. Additionally, we delve into the structural factors that foster opportunities for fake volunteering in wartime Ukraine, including inadequate legal oversight, the persistence of personal exchanges, and a high level of trust in volunteers. These conditions, exacerbated by escalating economic pressures and social uncertainties, collectively contribute to the emergence of pseudo-volunteering. Our proposed model of fake volunteering allows for a better understanding of this institution's underlying nature. The research offers a novel perspective in explaining new social practices arising from wartime conditions and offering practical insights for establishing legal and social safeguards against fraud during periods of war and post-war reconstruction.