QUALITATIVE LEVEL OF RURAL POPULATION LIFE AS A PREREQUISITE FOR SUSTAINABLE SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF REGIONS

Abstract

During last years the degradation of Ukrainian villages has occurred, and they disappear every ten years from the map of Ukraine. The current state of rural areas is characterized by a decrease in the number of social infrastructure facilities, an increase in unemployment, which leads to the outflow of young people to industrial centers, and the greater part of rural population is the older generation and pensioners. Therefore, the study of problems in rural areas of Ukraine is relevant and special attention is drawn to theissue of the revival of Ukrainian villages. The aim of this article is to study socioeconomic priorities for the development of an important part of national economy of the country – rural areas in the conditions of a modern highly competitive external environment. Underdevelopment and the lack of socio-cultural infrastructure in most villages are causes for the decline of the village. This is due to the fact that the state did not create the proper conditions for permanent development of rural settlements, eliminating Soviet collective-farm system, where rural population was a single collective that had its own way of life, culture, traditions, motivation for work and achievements of certain results. In rural areas, a poor stratum of the population of the country is formed beforehand, and therefore urban population's negative attitude towards rural population is often observed. Thus, the process of the disappearance of villages continues, which is due to the lack of motivation for rural population to work, the decline of social infrastructure of the village, unemployment, poverty, labor migration, deepening of demographic crisis. Today, there are a number of normative and legislative acts that are aimed at the development of rural areas through the development of agricultural sector, but non-agricultural activities remain undeveloped. Based on the results of implementation of state programs for the development of Ukrainian villages it is established that expected results have not provided a comprehensive approach to the problems of agricultural sector. The preservation of rural areas and the provision of social infrastructure according to social standards and norms have not been achieved. Within the framework of decentralization, the development of all aspects of the life of Ukrainian village should become a priority for the development of the state.