Decentralization Reform Research Articles

КОНВЕРГЕНТНІ ТА ДИВЕРГЕНТНІ ТЕНДЕНЦІЇ ІНКЛЮЗИВНОГО РОЗВИТКУ СІЛЬСЬКО-МІСЬКИХ АГЛОМЕРАЦІЙ УКРАЇНИ: МІЖНАРОДНИЙ ТА УКРАЇНСЬКИЙ КОНТЕКСТ

The article deals with the theoretically and practically relevant problem of the manifestation of convergent and divergent trends in the inclusive development of UTC and regions of Ukraine, which are identified as rural-urban agglomerations. For our country, the specified issue is of crucial importance both from the point of view of the successful completion of the reform of decentralization of public power and management, which began in the pre-war period, and the prospects of her accession to the EU. In view of this, the purpose of the study is to justify the scientific approach to the definition of essential features, which are used to monitor the manifestation of convergent and divergent trends in the inclusive development of ruralurban agglomeration formations. For her implementation, the following tasks were formulated: to reveal the differences between the Ukrainian and international context of convergence; to propose classification signs by which manifestations of convergent and divergent tendencies should be monitored; to characterize the scientific approach to defining the club convergence version of the inclusivity of rural-urban agglomerations. The achievement of the research goal was facilitated by the use of scientific works of Ukrainian and foreign scientists on the specified problem, systemic, institutional and synergistic approaches, of the principle of interdisciplinarity, comparative method, methods of SWOT-analysis, analysis and synthesis. The kinship of the processes of convergence and inclusivity, which take place in a common space, is argued: as a result of inclusive development, contradictions within such paired dichotomies as “alienation (detachment) ‒ involvement” are overcome; “exclusivity (exclusion) ‒ inclusiveness (inclusion)”; “segregation – integration”; thereby manifesting its essential and morphological similarity with convergence and divergen, which in this sense appear as a form of inclusion and exclusion, integration and disintegration. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the defined essence of the club convergence versionof the inclusive development of rural-urban agglomerations according to administrative-territorial, demographic-settlement, resource, industry and socio-spatial feature. Based on the results of the research, certain generalizations were made, practical recommendations were given, and it was noted that the proposed scientific approach opens up new opportunities for identifying convergent-divergent trends of inclusive development at the level of individual UTC and districts.

ПАРАДИГМА ІНКЛЮЗИВНОГО ТЕРИТОРІАЛЬНОГО РОЗВИТКУ УКРАЇНИ В КОНТЕКСТІ РЕФОРМИ ДЕЦЕНТРАЛІЗАЦІЇ

The article reveals the prerequisites and essential characteristics of the model of inclusive development of socio-spatial formations. The purpose of the study is to substantiate the conceptual foundations of the formation of a scientific-applied paradigm of inclusive territorial development, the objects of which are UTC and districts that were formed in the process of implementing the decentralization reform. For its implementation, a number of tasks related to the disclosure of the essence and features of the formation of a scientific and practical paradigm of inclusive territorial development were formulated; determination of key demographic characteristics of UTC and districts in the cross-section of oblasts and regions of Ukraine; analysis of available criteria for evaluating the inclusive development of these socio-spatial formations. In particular, it is about the expediency of going beyond such normative criteria for assessing the economic capacity of territorial communities as the area of the territory of the community; population size; the number of students in general secondary education institutions; index of fiscal capacity of the budget; share of local taxes and fees in local budget revenues. This is confirmed by international practice, in particular, the decisions of the 48th World Economic Forum, which presented a new aggregate index of inclusive development, which overcomes the limits of purely economic indicators. The results of the study also indicate the expediency of taking into account the system of economic and socio-demographic indicators in the framework of the definition of the inclusive capacity of UTC and districts, proposed by domestic scientists. The scientific and practical novelty of the conducted research consists in the creative application of world paradigmatic theoretical and methodological provisions to the urgent tasks of conceptualizing the scientific-applied paradigm of inclusive development of UTC and districts as continuous socio-spatial formations. Based on the results of the study, conclusions were drawn, in particular, regarding the positioning of the paradigm of inclusive territorial development as a worldview-institutional-activity model for improving the territorial organization of society. The social purpose of this model is to overcome territorial injustice, eliminate spatial disparities and significant socio-economic differences between the countryside and the city, and improve the well-being of the population. It was noted that further research should be focused on the development of a system of criteria that characterize the inclusive capacity of the UTC and districts of Ukraine, taking into account their specificity and regional affiliation.

ФІНАНСОВИЙ МЕХАНІЗМ РЕАЛІЗАЦІЇ СТРАТЕГІЙ СТАЛОГО РОЗВИТКУ ТЕРИТОРІАЛЬНИХ ГРОМАД

In today's conditions of rapid changes in the economy of territorial units, it is a difficult task to forecast the implementation of their development priorities. This, in turn, determines the need to define for each territorial community a specific vector of strategic development based on scientifically based approaches. Objectively assessing the financial state of communities, it is extremely difficult to predict the implementation of the priority directions of development of individual territories in the future. Therefore, the issue of strategic planning in the conditions of the modern decentralization reform increases attention to the financial mechanisms for the implementation of the strategic goals of the sustainable development of territorial communities. It was determined that the basis of the functioning of an effective system for achieving the goals of sustainable development, set at the strategic level, is the financial support of this process. It has been proven that the effective use of financial tools in the strategic planning system makes it possible to ensure the implementation of planned measures for the long term. In this context, the article substantiates the theoretical and methodological foundations of the effective functioning of the financial mechanism for the implementation of strategies for the sustainable development of territorial communities. It is substantiated that the implementation of sustainable development strategies of territorial communities consists of two conditional stages (planning and implementation) and, accordingly, the process of financial support includes such conditional stages (funding and direct financing). The main elements of the financial mechanism for the implementation of sustainable development strategies of territorial communities, which gradually implement their functions to achieve the specified parameters, have been identified. It is justified that when implementing programs and projects at the system level for the implementation of sustainable development strategies, it is advisable to use investment financing tools.

Пропозиції до законодавчого забезпечення щодо напрямів просторового розвитку територіальних громад різних видів в Україні

The reform of local self-government in Ukraine has created conditions for the effective operation of all territorial entities related to local development. Its practical implementation is aimed at the use by territorial communities of: various types of their own potential for development, search for opportunities for cooperation, development of local economy and infrastructure, creation of incentives for socioeconomic growth; instruments for long-term and short-term planning, when the general goals defined in the strategy are specified in programs and implemented through projects; conditions for obtaining high-quality services of European level; providing opportunities for the full-fledged life of citizens in their territories. At the present stage of implementation of the decentralization reform in Ukraine, the request for the formation, in accordance with European principles and values of conceptual provisions for determining the directions of spatial development, of territorial communities of various types is more relevant than ever, which, in turn, actualizes and makes promising the need to update the legislative framework regulating these issues. A wide range of developments and the urgent expediency of forming and improving the legislative framework for use in public administration of territorial development (in particular, in the context of overcoming the consequences of military aggression against Ukraine) determines the relevance of further development and implementation in Ukraine of an effective system of regulatory and legal support for the formation of directions of spatial development, its stimulation, development of strategies, solving existing socioeconomic problems, using certain management and development tools, including through the introduction of an expanded and multi-level classification of regions, territorial communities, etc.

МУНІЦИПАЛЬНА РЕФОРМА В УМОВАХ ВОЄННОГО СТАНУ УКРАЇНИ: ЗАКОНОДАВЧЕ РЕГУЛЮВАННЯ ТА ПРОБЛЕМИ РЕАЛІЗАЦІЇ

The article examines theoretical and legal approaches to identifying problematic aspects of legislative regulation and the practice of implementing municipal reform in Ukraine under martial law. Attention is drawn to the fact that even in the conditions of martial law, the further need for reforming local self-government is determined as an integral prerequisite and factor for the implementation of the strategic course of the state - integration into the European Union. Attention is drawn to the fact that municipal reform is a process that includes a certain set of organizational and legal measures that lead to significant changes in the system of local self-government, determined by social needs and the principles of the formation of effective local self-government according to European standards (decentralization and subsidiarity), aimed at satisfying the interests of the citizens of the respective territory in all spheres of life and coordinating the interests of the state and territorial communities. The problems of legislative regulation and the practice of implementation of municipal reform are analyzed and it is emphasized that in today's difficult conditions it is critically important to continue legislative activities to improve the development of local self-government institutions, primarily related to European integration procedures and the complex of post-war state reconstruction. It was established that the first direction is obviously the territorial concept, which, in turn, requires clear definition and specification regarding the procedure, grounds, criteria for the post-war formation of territorial communities and the legislative definition of their administrative centers. The second direction is directly related to the scope of competence of local self-government bodies, executive authorities and their officials, because a number of unresolved problems remain relevant today. The third direction is aimed, first of all, at increasing the amount of financial capabilities of local self-government bodies, necessary for the implementation of their legally defined powers. Issues of administration and providing access to local taxes and fees are characterized by considerable importance, in particular, the revision of the issue of personal income tax. The need for the adoption of bills that will regulate issues related to communal property, legal responsibility of local self-government bodies, mechanisms for involving and stimulating the public in decision-making, improvement and further development of various forms of people's power, local democracy, formation of competitive principles of service in local self-government bodies, etc., remains relevant. An extremely positive state achievement is the fact of continuation and categorical refusal to suspend the further implementation of the decentralization reform in the martial law regime. It should be noted that, although the current situation is characterized by a decrease and a slowdown in the adoption of decentralization bills, such changes are temporary, because they are mostly caused by a shift in legislative focus and priorities towards solving the problems of martial law. Keywords: reform, municipal reform, European integration, local self-government, decentralization.

ВИРІВНЮВАННЯ ВЕРТИКАЛЬНИХ ФІСКАЛЬНИХ ДИСБАЛАНСІВ В УКРАЇНІ

The article identifies the peculiarities of the system of vertical fiscal imbalances equalization in Ukraine in the context of decentralization. The discrepancy between the financial resources of local budgets and the scope of delegated powers to provide social services guaranteed by the state causes vertical fiscal imbalances, which are levelled in Ukraine by providing subventions from the state budget. The author analyses the structure and dynamics of intergovernmental transfers to local budgets from the State budget to equalize vertical fiscal imbalances for the period from 2012 to 2022. It is established that the decline in the volume of subventions to local budgets since 2019, as well as the decline in the share of intergovernmental transfers in local budget revenues and the simultaneous decrease in the share of intergovernmental transfers in state budget expenditures should not be interpreted as evidence of the decentralization reform success, since such a decline is a consequence of other processes - numerous reforms and changes in the priorities of state policy on regional development. The constant redistribution of expenditure powers delegated to local budgets by the central government, which is reflected in the dynamic change in the structure of intergovernmental transfers, demonstrates the inconsistency of public policy and the turbulence of the budget system, as well as the unsystematic nature of vertical equalization processes. The functions and responsibilities of different levels of government in the provision of state-guaranteed social services are not clearly delineated in Ukraine. The amount of state grants and subventions, which has been decreasing annually since 2019, is insufficient for local budgets, as evidenced by their chronic deficits. It is proposed to eliminate vertical fiscal imbalances by clearly distinguishing between own and delegated powers of local budgets to provide state-guaranteed social services, assessing their cost, and the relevant increasing the resource base of local budgets by assigning a larger percentage of national taxes, including personal income tax, to local budgets.

СУЧАСНІ ТЕНДЕНЦІЇ В УПРАВЛІННІ РЕГІОНАЛЬНИМ РОЗВИТКОМ В УКРАЇНІ

Regional policy is always about balanced and sustainable development of regions, constructive competition between regions, and ultimately, the creation of poles of socio-economic growth. The military invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine undermines many achievements in regional development management. The focus of regional policy in Ukraine has been forced to shift from searching for innovative components to create points of socio-economic growth to policies aimed at rebuilding and restoring critical infrastructure and basic living conditions. The current realities faced by the regions necessitate a revision of the provisions of the State Strategy for Regional Development for 2021–2027 (hereinafter referred to as the State Strategy), regional strategies, and strategies for the development of territorial communities. Additionally, it is necessary to determine a new mechanism for the utilization of funds from the state regional development fund. The war has created a new and unique situation in the regional development of Ukraine, characterized by significant changes in the political, socio-economic, security, and environmental spheres of life in the occupied, de-occupied, and unaffected regions that have been influenced by the war in one way or another. This situation requires new approaches to regional policy to address existing problems and tasks. The modern trends in regional development management in Ukraine have been identified, the impact of decentralization reforms on regional development has been analyzed, and the transformation of institutional support for territorial development and the prospects of regulatory and legal support for regional development management have been studied.

ДЕЦЕНТРАЛІЗАЦІЯ ДЕРЖАВНОГО УПРАВЛІННЯ ТА ІНСТИТУЦІЙНІ ТРАНСФОРМАЦІЇ СИСТЕМИ МІСЦЕВИХ ФІНАНСІВ УКРАЇНИ

B a c k g r o u n d . Strengthening the financial basis of local self-government takes on archival importance, considering the economic circumstances of the wartime and post-war reconstruction of the territories of Ukraine. In this regard there is a need to improve the local finance management system and develop its institutional support in conditions of financial decentralization. Theoretical and practical aspects of management in the field of local finances, inter-budgetary relations, financial relations of local self-government bodies in the context of decentralization are considered in the works of domestic scientists: V. Bodrov, V. Vakulenko, I. Volokhova, N. Honcharuk, V. Gornyk, A. Degtyar. The strengthening of the financial basis of local selfgovernment in the process of the post-war recovery of the economy of Ukraine is studied in the works of Z. Varnalij, I. Vertsiuk, Ya. Zhalilo, M. Kosheliuk, I. Ozymok, O. Sokolova, U. Thomann and others. Implementation of financial decentralization, management of local finances is considered by such foreign scientists as: J. Buchanan, A. Wagner, R. Musgrave, W. Oates, P. Samuelson, J. Stiglitz, H. Zimmerman, F. Fukuyama, J. Schumpeter and others. It remains expedient to search for institutional mechanisms for further reforming the financial relations of local self-government bodies, models for managing inter-budgetary relations, sources of financing local budget expenditures, and expanding public control mechanisms in the process of managing local finances under conditions of decentralization. The purpose of the article is the scientific and theoretical justification of the institutional transformations of the local finance system of Ukraine and the development of practical recommendations regarding the mechanisms of its development in the context of the decentralization of state administration. The tasks of the article are to consider the existing problems and outline the prospects for ensuring the processes of financial decentralization, to propose mechanisms for the necessary institutional transformations in the system of local finance of Ukraine and tools for their implementation. M e t h o d s . The article was carried out with the help of modern theoretical and cognitive methods, the dialectics of the processes of public administration and local self-government in the conditions of financial decentralization and reforming of local finances. Methods of system analysis, synthesis and comparisons, historical, logical, deductive methods and modeling were also used. The research used the theory of public choice, public goods and the structural-functional approach to improve the management of budget funds in conditions of decentralization. R e s u l t s . It is claimed that the pre-war experience of active implementation of the decentralization reform in Ukraine gave positive results, from which it is necessary to move on, and further develop and improve this vector. It was determined that institutional transformations should take place within the framework of financial support system structural elements of local self-government – budgets of different levels. The mechanisms of the necessary institutional transformations in the local finances system in Ukraine and the tools for their implementation are proposed. In particular, such a method of improving the local finances system as budget cooperation is proposed. The Law of Ukraine norms "On Cooperation of Territorial Communities" have been analyzed and proposals have been made to expand the regulatory influence of the specified law regarding budget cooperation procedures. Attention was focused on the importance of training modern personnel of local self-government bodies that implement policies in the sphere of budget, finance and prices. The importance of the development of the institution of civil society is also emphasized. Emphasis is placed on the expansion of models and forms of self-organization bodies cooperation of the population in the processes of control and supervision of the local self-government bodies activities in the local finances field in Ukraine. C o n c l u s i o n s . Therefore, the goal of institutional transformations of the local finance system of Ukraine in the context of decentralization is to significantly expand the capabilities of local self-government bodies to independently manage all socio-economic processes at the level of territorial communities and to establish connections between regions, the symbiosis of which can bring the desired effect for the economy of the entire country. Such changes should be synchronized with the changes envisaged by the plan for Ukraine to acquire the status of an EU member state. Our proposals are designed to improve the quality of local self-government and encourage further scientific research in the field of local finance management in Ukraine.

ТИПОЛОГІЧНІ ОЗНАКИ СІЛЬСЬКО-МІСЬКИХ АГЛОМЕРАЦІЙ УКРАЇНИ ЯК МАРКЕРИ ЇХ ІНКЛЮЗИВНОЇ СПРОМОЖНОСТІ

The article reveals the specifics of rural-urban agglomerations of Ukraine, which are the product of the historical evolution of the settlement system and the consequence of management decisions in the process of implementing the decentralization reform. The purpose of the study is to determine the inclusive ability of rural-urban agglomerations based on their typology according to certain signs and generalized characteristics. Its implementation was facilitated by the performance of tasks related to the disclosure of the features of these agglomeration formations, the identification of their typological features and the calculation of the integral index of their inclusive ability. At the same time, the procedure for identifying the inclusive ability of agglomerations is considered as a theoretical reconstruction of their essential characteristics based on the conducted comparative typological analysis. The inclusive ability of agglomerations is positioned as the presence of appropriate conditions and opportunities, the ability and psychological readiness of the human community to create within rural-urban formations of inclusive environment in which interpersonal harmony, well-being and social justice prevail. The solution of current research problems was carried out on the basis of the use of fundamental scientific works and modern periodicals of Ukrainian and foreign scientists, the application of the interdisciplinary principle, systemic, synergistic, institutional approaches, of a statistical and comparative methods, methods of analysis and synthesis, deduction and induction, SWOT-analysis and others. It has been that the status of rural-urban agglomerations, have those united territorial communities (UTС) and districts that are «mixed» in terms of population composition and other characteristics that distinguish rural and urban socio-spatial formations. The inclusive ability of rural-urban agglomerations has been revealed based on generalized typological characteristics at the level of districts, which cover all manifestations of inclusion of cohesive rural-urban communities in the process of creating an inclusive environment. The scientific novelty of the study is the substantiation of the methodology for calculating the integral index of the inclusive ability of rural-urban agglomerations, which takes into account their degree of centrality, demographic and spatial characteristics, population concentration, towns, functionality, of a sectoral and socio-spatial orientation of development. The main scientific provisions and recommendations of the study can be used in the practical activities of the UTC and districts.

Investments in green business and corporate governance by Ukraine’s cooperation with the European Union

For the successful increase capital investments on ecological protection and increase current expenditures on ecological protection the recommendations on green business and corporate governance, taking into account the modern European experience are developed. The following actions to control the decentralization reform and implement measures to increase investment in improving energy efficiency and energy independence of rural areas are researched. Unstable growth of capital investments on environmental protection in Ukraine is analysed. Indicators of current expenditures on ecological protection in Ukraine are studied. The necessary to develop success in the implementation of environmental innovations and increased spending on environmental innovations for increase employment and economic growth is researched. Ukraine has unstable increase in ecological protection investments compared with the countries in the European Union, which indicates the need for implementation green innovations for the reform of Ukraine’s circular economy. The economic and mathematical model will allow to increase the objectivity and efficiency of decisions regarding the recommendations on green business and corporate governance, taking into account the modern European experience.

Implementation of power decentralization reform in Ukraine under martial law

Implementation of power decentralization reform in Ukraine under martial law

Електоральна активність як індикатор суспільної консолідації

The article is devoted to the analysis of the level of electoral activity of Ukrainian citizens in the national elections during the years of independence. A statistical analysis of voter participation in presidential, parliamentary elections, local self-government elections, and nationwide referenda held over the past decades has shown significant differences in the indicators of electoral activity. The dependence of the level of indicators of this activity on the urgency of the socio-political situation at the time of the elections was revealed. It is shown that the key factors in increasing the level of electoral activity are voters’ awareness of challenges and threats to the processes of state formation, as well as the desire to influence the vectors of the country’s civilizational development, the choice of ways and forms of state policy implementation.The thesis about the determinism of the level of electoral activity during the national elections by the public demand for the correction of the domestic and foreign political directions of further development is substantiated. It is shown that the low level of electoral activity during local self-government elections is an evidence of awareness of the priority of reforming power relations at the central level and a demonstration of the dependence of local authorities on them. The need to strengthen the decentralization reform, as well as the development of potentially effective forms of direct democracy – nationwide and local referendums as effective tools for studying and taking into account public opinion, fulfilling the needs and interests of citizens, is emphasized. Mobilization is defined as a key aspect of citizens’ electoral activity – as a form of public reaction to the aggravation of political situation in the country. It is shown that the level of electoral activity largely depends on motivational and meaningful prerequisites – a set of motives, values, beliefs, attitudes, interests and other factors that influence the electoral behavior of citizens.A significant increase in the level of electoral activity against the background of threats to democratic development and state-building processes indicates the rooting of democratic values in the mass consciousness, the attitude to the realization of not only personal or group, but also socially significant interests. It is argued that the level of social consolidation increases in the conditions of challenges to the democratic progress of the country, the emergence of threats to its independence or the strengthening of foreign political influences. It has been proven that precisely in such key periods of state formation, electoral activity becomes an evidence of social consolidation, a peculiar indicator of it.

일본의 지방분권개혁과 정당정치의 동학

이 연구의 목적은 1990년대 이후 현재까지 추진 중인 일본 지방분권개혁의 내용과 방향성의 변화를 정부 여당의 전략적 대응의 관점에서 재검토함으로써, 중앙의 정치 동학과 지방분권개혁의 상관을 명확히 하는 것이다. 분석 결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 1990년대 행정적 분권화의 추진 동력은 정계 재편에 있다. 자민당 단독정권 붕괴 이후 정치개혁을 내건 신당 세력의 영향력 및 자민당-사회당 간 연립정권의 정당성 확보가 개혁을 촉진하는 요인으로 작용하는 한편, 자민당의 저항을 우회하기 위해 실현 가능한 개혁에 초점을 둔 타협적 결과를 낳았다. 둘째, 2000년대 재정적 분권화를 가능하게 한 것은 작은 정부론과의 이념적 조응이다. 여기에 수상의 권력자원 동원전략과 자민당의 선거전략이 상충･타협하면서 지방재정 건전화와 지방의 재정 자율성이 공존하는 양면적 재정 분권화가 도출되었다. 셋째, 제2차 분권 개혁은 민주당과 자민당 간 정권교체의 역학이 작용하면서 지방과의 연계 약화를 회피하려는 전략적 고려로 정책에 변용이 나타났다. 그 결과, 현재 지방분권개혁은 수상관저 주도의 중요 정책 추진을 위한 하위과제로 위치하면서 정치적 분권화로 이행하기 어려운 상황이 지속되고 있다.

Accountability of local government bodies in the conditions of decentralization of power in ukraine: theoretical and legal aspects

The article describes the principle of accountability of local self-government bodies in the conditions of decentralization of power in Ukraine.Decentralization as one of the reforms of the public power system is aimed at building a truly democratic and effective governance in Ukraine, in accordance with international and European standards and approaches. An essential feature of such governance is its transparency and accountability.It is proved that the reform of decentralization of power affected the content and purpose of the principle of accountability of local self-government bodies. The modern interpretation of the principle of accountability of local self-government is broader, between the duty of local self-government bodies and their officials to report on their activities.The law establishes minimum requirements for the implementation of the principle of accountability of local self-government bodies in the form of periodic reporting, while broad discretionary powers allow them to form their own communication strategies and plans, to choose various forms of communication and feedback with the community. The principle of accountability of local self-government bodies is closely related to the involvement of the public in decision-making at the local level and the development of public control. It creates the basis for the application of facilitation and mediation practices in the community.Implementation of the principle of accountability is mandatory and requires active and voluntary actions of local self-government bodies and officials. This distinguishes the principle of accountability from the principle of openness. The imperative requirement of accountability is a means of restraining local governments in their autonomy, which has been significantly expanded and deepened as a result of the decentralization of power.The key goal of the reform is the ability, efficiency, independence, self-sufficiency and independence of local self-government from the state. This, in turn, causes a number of risks and threats to the rule of law, anti-corruption security, interests of the community at the local level, etc. Therefore, a properly constructed system of checks and balances in local self-government is perhaps the most effective guarantee of ensuring the rule of law. In this system, the principle of accountability has a leading role, therefore it deserves systematic scientific attention.

Features and methodological approaches to determining the indicators and the level of capacity of the territorial communities of Ukraine

The capacity of territorial communities is the main indicator of the success of the decentralization reform. Applying the current methodology to determine the capacity of communities showed its essential and technical flaws. The methodology was developed at the beginning of administrative decentralization; therefore, it does not reflect the real capacity of communities, but the presence of conditions for their formation. The primary basis for an objective determination of community capacity is the selection of the relevant indicators and methodological approaches to the development of its assessment scale. The article analyses the approaches of academics and practitioners to determining the list of indicators for the assessment of community capacity. It was established that the set of indicators depends on the scientists' interpretation of the concept of "capable community", it is characterized by fragmentation (financial indicators dominate) and is developed without proper reasoning. Considering these features, the study justified the appropriateness of using the econometric methods and the results of monitoring the activities of communities to analyse their capacity. An information base (27 indicators across 25 communities of Poltava, Volyn and Lvov regions) of the study, which can be considered representative in terms of the regional representation and different types of communities, was formed. Based on the application of correlation and factor analyses, ten (three socio-economic, two infrastructural, and five financial) indicators, which are among the most important indicators of community capacity, were identified. These indicators were selected considering the number of significant correlations and the value of factor loadings. The study established that the current approach to determining the level of community capacity does not enable a proper assessment of existing disproportions. The study proposes to determine the level of community capacity by calculating an integral indicator and to develop a scale of criteria taking into account its deviation from the average values for the country.

Multi-vector management model of decentralization program management in Ukraine

Multi-vector management model of decentralization program management in Ukraine

Pro-poor Growth and Governance in South Asia—Decentralisation and Participatory Development

The launch of the SAPNA study “Pro-poor Growth and Governance in South Asia: Decentralisation and Participatory Development”, during the 21st Annual Conference of the Pakistan Society for Development Economics was most fortunate. The presence of Minister Daniyal Aziz in the Chair was not accidental. When the Prime Minister of Pakistan visited Sri Lanka recently, he was presented with a copy. He immediately saw in this Pro Poor Growth Strategy, the link between Pakistan’s attempt at decentralisation reforms to deepen political democratic processes and the need for a more balanced growth path, which could also result in greater economic democracy. He suggested that Minister Aziz chair this session and evolve a more holistic conceptual framework to guide his own work in the National Reconstruction Bureau.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM IN POLAND AS A LESSON FOR UKRAINE FOR THE POST-WAR PERIOD

The war has reduced the intensity of the discourse on decentralization reform in Ukraine, but recent events and statements suggest that this reform will continue, particularly in the political context.
 The purpose of the article is to analyze the local self-government reform in Poland in order to highlight those aspects that were not resolved in Ukraine at the time and will accordingly appear on the agenda in the post-war period.
 The analysis of decentralization in Poland shows that the reform is not limited to a change in the administrative and territorial structure, but is a complex process. In addition, it is a long-term process and involves the implementation of certain measures in other spheres of public administration, in particular with the aim of overcoming shortcomings that were inherent or were not taken into account during the administrative-territorial reform. First of all, this concerns the financial and budgetary sphere, the democratization of local government, the sphere of education, etc.
 Extracting the lessons of the Polish reform for Ukraine, it is possible to hypothesize that in the post-war period, during the resuscitation of the decentralization policy, the following areas of reform will be relevant: the financial and budgetary sphere, the introduction of a system of local taxes based on the principle of "one tax – one level of management"; the administrative-territorial system, namely the presence of state administration bodies at the district level and consolidation of the regional division of the country; political governance at the local, district, and regional levels, namely, the activation of civil society, the introduction of new democratic institutions, and the strengthening of transparency and accountability of local authorities; education etc.
 At the same time, the implementation of these and other directions is impossible without the creation of a political prerequisite – a "unified political headquarter" of the reform, namely the achievement of a consensus of the most influential political forces regarding the principles and directions of the reform. This also follows from the experience of decentralization in Poland.

ЗАГАЛЬНА ОЦІНКА УСПІШНОСТІ РЕФОРМУВАННЯ МІСЦЕВОГО САМОВРЯДУВАННЯ В УКРАЇНІ

The reform of local self-government in Ukraine was called decentralization. Community residents directly consuming medical, educational, administrative and other services received a real opportunity to influence these services. The processes of decentralization as a way of transferring powers to local self-government bodies in Ukraine have been studied for a long time and remain relevant today. The goal is to find and evaluate the success of local self-government reform in Ukraine at this stage of its implementation. Decentralization reform is called for by the need to bring the provision of most primary public services (security, medicine, education, infrastructure, etc.) closer to citizens as consumers of these services. Thus, the quality and efficiency of these services is formed. After all, in the conditions of the ongoing centralization of state power (in the period until 2014), these characteristics significantly worsened. Decentralization reform has become a tool to overcome these trends at the basic level. The strategy for the implementation of the decentralization reform was defined in 5 clear steps, which were completed with varying degrees of success in the period from 2014 to 2022. There is a clear understanding among practitioners that the reforms have given local officials more responsibility and resources, contributed to increasing the capacity, and especially the resilience and resistance of communities in the difficult circumstances of the martial law period, as well as the continuation of the provision of basic services to the people in communities that have been severely affected by the conflict. The effectiveness of the decentralization reform is confirmed by the fact that the vast majority of local self-government bodies continue to function, including being on the front lines and even under occupation. The application of the assessment of the overall success of local self-government reform makes it possible to evaluate the effectiveness of the reform in general, to see the directions of detailing the criteria for the success of the reform, and to create a basis for the development of a multi-criteria model for evaluating the effectiveness of the reform. Further research is aimed at finding and justifying a specific list of criteria for the success of local self- government reform, which could determine both internal efficiency (from the point of view of an individual community) and external efficiency (from the point of view of central authorities).

Framework and Selection of Parameters for the Research of Local Political Regimes in Ukraine

The relevance of the study of local political regimes in Ukraine has been growing since the 2010s. This is due to the need to predict the behavior of local political actors after the transfer of a large number of authorities to them due to the reform of decentralization of power in Ukraine. In addition, practical studies of local political regimes make it possible to highlight the main features of formal and informal relationships between local political actors and central government, covering the essence and effects of the process of decentralization of power in Ukraine. In this sense, the purpose of the article is to: determine the key parameters of local political regimes; analyze the methods used by Ukrainian scientists when studying local political regimes in Ukraine; define the parameters for comparing local political regimes in the Ukrainian context based on a maximalist approach. Given the results of the study, a periodization of the existing studies of local political regimes in Ukraine is proposed, particularly taking into account the existing studies in the format of case studies and regional comparisons. Based on them, the key parameters for the formation of a methodology for comparing local political regimes were identified, which should include indices and indicators for analyzing democracy and the level of decentralization of power within a particular local regime, as well as identifying the influence of local authorities, business and civil society on the processes of forming the agenda and determining strategic directions of socio-economic growth.