Foreign Economic Activity Activation of the Region in the Context of Euroregional Cooperation: Theoretical and Methodical Approaches

Abstract

Summary Subject and purpose of work: The subject of this paper concerns theoretical and methodological approaches to the analysis of foreign economic activity of the region in the context of Euroregional cooperation, which is an important factor of socio-economic development of the country. The main purpose is to identify such economic categories as “foreign economic activity activation of the region”, “organizational and economic mechanism activation of foreign economic activity of the region in the context of Euroregional cooperation” as well as to develop a methodological scheme for the diagnostics of foreign economic activity of regions in the context of Euroregional cooperation. Materials and methods: In order to clarify theoretical concepts and identify similarities and differences in their definitions, the method of morphological analysis was adopted. This made it possible to systematize different options in terms of their characteristics and create new, hypothetically possible objects. Hence the research methods, of comparison, theoretical generalization and data systematization, etc. were applied. Results: Some interpretations of the key definitions of the categories “foreign economic activity activation of the region”, “organizational and economic mechanism activation of foreign economic activity of the region in context of Euroregional cooperation” were worked out and methodical principles of analysis of foreign economic activity of the region were offered. Also, foreign economic activity diagnostics of regions in the context of Euroregional cooperation was carried out and interregional differences were defined. The results of the study can help derive recommendations for the introduction of foreign economic activity activation of the regions. Conclusions: On the basis of the evaluation of Ukraine’s foreign economic activity in terms of exports, imports and the trade balance in 2010-2019, three periods were identified: 2010-2012 – before the crisis, 2013-2015 – economic crisis and its consequences, and 2016-2019 – the period after the crisis recovery and of unstable developmental trends. Significant interregional differentiation in the levels of the development of foreign economic activity of the regions of Ukraine was revealed. The leading regions in terms of foreign economic activity have proved to be Kyiv city, Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions.