МІСЦЕВІ ІНІЦІАТИВИ ЯК ІНСТРУМЕНТ ГРОМАДСЬКОЇ УЧАСТІ: ПРАВОВІ АСПЕКТИ ТА ЦИФРОВА ТРАНСФОРМАЦІЯ

Abstract

The article examines the main issues regarding local initiatives as one of the tools of public participation. The main problem of the modern development of local self-government in Ukraine is the involvement of the widest possible circle of the public in interaction with local authorities, the activation of the population to participate in the management of the territorial community. The purpose of this study is to analyze legal regulation and the practice of using local initiatives as one of the tools of public participation in interaction with local self- government bodies. The analysis of the legislative framework made it possible to determine that the legal status of local initiatives in Ukraine is defined quite succinctly and generally. In order to improve the legal framework, an attempt was made to develop a separate law, which was never implemented. The main issues of the procedure for the introduction of local initiatives are assigned to the normative acts of local self-government bodies. The presence of a certain identity between local initiatives and a collective appeal, proposal, and electronic petition was noted. A comparative analysis of the practice of using these participation tools in the community was conducted. Analytical information was used regarding the introduction of local initiatives and electronic petitions in the interaction of the community with the Lviv City Council. It has been established that townspeople gave a significant preference to electronic petitions, as a more convenient modern way of conveying their opinion to the authorities. According to the results of the study, a significant impact of digital technologies on the process of using public participation tools in local self- government was determined. It was noted that the realities of today require providing the possibility of using participation tools not only in an offline format (as it is currently defined for local initiatives), but also in an online format. It is emphasized that the use of an offline format for the practice of local initiatives significantly reduces the interest in this participation tool from the public.