Methodological approaches to analysis of rural territories’ development in terms of decentralization

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to reveal methodological approaches to analysis of the development of rural territories in Ukraine. The authors note that the complex analysis and evaluation of the results of rural areas’ development is an integral part of formation and implementation of the strategy of diversification of rural territories’ development in Ukraine. The paper emphasizes that the availability of analytical information on the state of development of rural territories is a prerequisite for making grounded decisions on diversification of rural territories in the regions of Ukraine and improving the quality of life of rural population. The methodical approaches to the analysis of territories’ development have been considered. The paper proves that the definition of the peculiarities of social, economic and ecological development of rural territories makes it possible to elaborate effective practical recommendations for the diversification of the development of a separate rural consolidated community. A methodology for analyzing the development of rural territories in Ukraine has been developed. It covers the consistent implementation of the following stages: the assessment of the development of rural territories in Ukraine, the diagnosis of rural territories in the region, the characteristics of the preconditions for diversification of rural consolidated communities, the modeling and development of strategic directions of diversification of rural territories in conditions of decentralization, monitoring of changes in the development of rural territories and control over the implementation of the goals of diversification of rural territories in terms of decentralization. The application of the proposed methodological approaches to the analysis of the development of rural territories in the context of the implementation of the decentralization reform can serve as the basis for making informed decisions regarding the strategy of diversification of rural territories, increasing the competitiveness of rural consolidated communities. This is possible on the basis of the diagnosis of rural development and the identification of priority areas for economic activity for each of them, which should be the ground for implementation of modern regional policy in the context of decentralization of authorities.