Decentralization Of Power In Ukraine Research Articles

ЗАБЕЗПЕЧЕННЯ ЖИТТЄЗДАТНОСТІ ТЕРИТОРІАЛЬНИХ ГРОМАД УКРАЇНИ В УМОВАХ ПОДОЛАННЯ ФІНАНСОВИХ ТА ІННОВАЦІЙНИХ ВИКЛИКІВ

Decentralization of power in Ukraine is one of the priority reforms of the modern state system, which has caused serious changes in the financial and innovation policy of territorial communities, and also acts as an institutional basis for the economic progress of territories, which requires an in-depth analysis of the financial capacity of territorial units and their innovative activity to identify potential and threats on the way to sustainable development. The purpose of the research is theoretical substantiation and development of management approaches to eliminate financial and innovative challenges of territorial units in conditions of decentralization of power, in particular in Transcarpathian region, as well as providing practical recommendations on strengthening local budgets and promoting innovative progress. The object of the research is the financial self-sufficiency and innovative activity of the territorial units of Ukraine, in particular the Transcarpathian region. The methods of the research used in the research are general scientific methods, in particular, historical, dialectical, comparative, phenomenological, systemic analysis and the method of generalization. The hypothesis of the research is that effective management of financial resources and purposeful development of innovative activity in territorial communities will contribute to stable economic growth in conditions of decentralization. The statement of basic materials. The decentralization of power in Ukraine has led to significant changes in the financial and innovation policy of territorial communities, providing greater autonomy in the management of local budgets and increasing responsibility for their effective use. In Transcarpathian region, the reform process took place more slowly due to the uneven distribution of resources and economic assets, which limited the even development of communities. Despite these difficulties, decentralization has created conditions for strengthening financial independence and stimulating innovation at the local level. During 2021-2022, a general increase in revenues to the budgets of territorial communities was observed, in particular due to the contributions of six districts of Transcarpathia, which confirms the positive impact of the reform on economic development. However, the war in Ukraine negatively affected the financial capacity of communities, creating new challenges that require innovative solutions and adaptation to ensure sustainable economic growth. The originality and practical significance of the research lies in the development of management mechanisms for overcoming financial and innovative challenges of territorial communities, in particular in the Transcarpathian region. Conclusions and perspectives of further research. Decentralization of power is a positive change for the financial and innovative development of territorial communities, as it has managed to significantly increase their self-sufficiency. Further scientific research should focus on a more detailed thorough analysis of the impact of decentralization on the financial capacity of territorial communities of the Transcarpathian region, as well as an assessment of the effectiveness of existing and potential innovative strategies at the local level.

Reform of Decentralization of Power in Ukraine under Conditions of War: Legal Regulation, Management Features and Directions for Improvement

The purpose of the article is to reveal the reform of the decentralization of power in Ukraine under conditions of war. In the concept of the territorial community of Ukraine, ancient European traditions of Ukrainian local self-government and modern standards of the European Union have been successfully embodied. The productive interaction of citizens, the state, and international organizations contributed to formation of Ukrainian territorial communities. It has been proven that the personal income tax is one of the main sources of filling community budgets. For 9 months of 2022 local budgets of the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine received 16,364,124 Ukrainian hryvnias (UAH) as personal income tax, which is 34% more than for the same period in 2021. Methodology: The specifics of the research subject, as well as its purpose and tasks determined the use of general scientific and special methods of scientific cognition. Stabilization and restoration of territorial communities in Ukraine require the introduction of a new three-level effective and transparent system of strategic planning: state strategy — regional strategies — community strategies. For restoration and stimulation of regional development strategizing should contain definition of the following four functional types of territories: territories of recovery, poles of economic growth, territories with special conditions for development, territories of sustainable development.

DIRECTIONS OF EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT IN TERRITORIAL COMMUNITIES

The article reveals the main content of the administrative-territorial reform as a key element of the evolution of social relations. Decentralization of power in Ukraine creates an opportunity for effective implementation of institutional changes. It was found that the functioning of territorial communities requires a serious modernization of their education system. It was found that the main tasks of the continuation of the decentralization reform in the post-war period will be reforming in the field of education, strengthening the level of responsibility of local selfgovernment bodies for the decisions made, harmonious distribution of resources of territorial communities, mutual support and assistance in the restoration of destroyed infrastructure, prioritization of the human factor and social values . It was determined that the State Regional Development Strategy for 2021-2027, adopted in 2020, is a key document for the development of territorial communities focused on a dignified human life in a united, decentralized, competitive and democratic Ukraine, the purpose of which can be achieved on the basis of strategic goals. It has been proven that Ukraine has a number of competitive advantages to fulfill the tasks of the Strategy, including the level of human capital development in the country. The works of domestic scientists who are engaged in researching the process of human capital development in the dynamics of modern changes in all spheres of life are analyzed. It was revealed that potential opportunities for the development of human capital decreased during the period of full-scale war. Ukraine suffered both direct and indirect losses of human capital, the causes of which were: forced migration, killing of civilians, deaths of soldiers, non-payment of wages by employees, destruction of educational infrastructure, failure to provide educational services in full to all participants of the educational process. It is justified that in order to restore of human capital in the post-war period, measures should be aimed at creating a favorable environment for the return of Ukrainian citizens to their homeland and building an effective system for the formation and development of human capital within the country, which can be directly influenced by the development of education in territorial communities. It was concluded that the factors that will affect the achievement of strategic goals in the field of education are the clear definition of specific directions and tasks of the development of the education system in territorial communities.

Accountability and controllability of local government bodies under the conditions of the reform decentralization of power

The article substantiates the relationship between the principles of accountability and control of local self-government bodies in the conditions of the reform of power decentralization. The legal support of these principles, as well as their correlation, is analyzed.
 Issues of controllability and accountability of local self-government bodies are actualized in the conditions of decentralization of power in Ukraine. The role of the state in the management of community affairs is significantly narrowed, as is the control of state authorities over the legality of the activities of local self-government bodies. This, in turn, shifts the burden of such control to the community, civil society institutions, and individuals and legal entities. In such conditions, the development of public control in the state as a whole and complex institution is actualized, as well as the content of accountability as a control tool is transformed and expanded.
 Increasing the influence, expansion of resources and powers of local self-government bodies requires appropriate balancing on a democratic basis. Accountability and control become important in the context of ensuring the responsibility of local self-government bodies, the strengthening of which is due to the decentralization of power.
 Accountability as a principle of local self-government is not limited exclusively to the obligation to periodically report on the activities of municipal bodies or officials, it is a system of specific relations between accountable and authorized subjects, the goal of which is the real achievement of openness and democracy. Controllability means that the activity of a certain subject is subject to control - by state bodies, civil society, and internal control subjects.
 These democratic principles of local self-government did not receive effective and perfect legal implementation mechanisms. The discretionary powers of local self-government bodies allow for the regulation of relevant procedures in the charters of territorial communities, but this does not happen due to their low initiative.

Implementation of the principle of decentralization of power in Ukraine

The article examines the history of decentralization of state power in practice in the countries of the European Union. The characteristics of local self-government as a key subject of decentralization of power are given, and the principle of subsidiarity is revealed. The problems of implementation of the decentralization of state power are outlined, in particular foreign and domestic experience. The article analyzes and systematizes the key risks and problems that arose during the implementation of local self-government reform and financial decentralization in Ukraine.
 The factors that caused the residents of local communities to resist the reform or passive attitude to the creation of united territorial communities were identified and investigated, in particular, economic (expectation of a decrease in the financial capabilities of communities as a result of unification), socio-cultural (the presence of ethnic, cultural and other differences between residents neighboring communities), psychological (distrust of the central and local authorities, fear of the reduction of social sphere facilities, etc.), geographical (deterioration of access to service centers), ecological (attempts of community residents to avoid moving harmful industries to their own territory).
 The geographical unevenness of the pace of the unification of territorial communities during decentralization has been revealed. The main reasons and forms of resistance of district councils and district state administrations to the decentralization reform have been clarified.
 Attempts to reform local self-government in Ukraine have been made since the declaration of its independence, but they have always been hindered by the lack of consensus among the political elite regarding the vision of the external and internal political vector of the state's development in general and approaches to the administrative-territorial division and organization of local authorities in particular. One of the key problems that arose from the very beginning of the reform was ineffective communication between the authorities and citizens, which caused an information vacuum on the ground. As sociological polls showed, citizens of Ukraine had rather low awareness of the features of the decentralization reform.
 Attracting highly qualified specialists to manage them turned out to be a difficult problem for the newly created united territorial communities. The low quality of personnel is usually related to the fact that most of the united communities are formed exclusively from villages, which cannot provide employees of local self-government bodies with competitive salaries and high standards of living.

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.

A programmatic approach to the infrastructure management of united territorial communities

Relevance in the research topic. The objective necessity and relevance to develop conceptual system principles for the reforms management in housing and community amenities as a programme is explained by the current sphere`s position. It is unprofitable, needs subsidies, and resource support having high energy consumption rate. Among national housing and community amenities` hot button problems we should admit its financial and economic management, management of the conditions and state support line, preservation and maintenance of the housing stock, energy saving, etc. The main provisions of the reform`s programme principles will allow to determine the main development trends in housing and community amenities, sector`s further recovery and will provide the conditions for its effective functioning. At the same time, one should take into account that higher management efficiency in housing and community amenities should simultaneously correspond to the higher level of consumer welfare and the quality of life. Problem statement. Problems of housing and community amenities management require special attention amid current reforms of administrative-territorial system and decentralization of power in Ukraine, since its maintenance is provided by local state authorities and united territorial communities (UTC) formed as a result of reforms. Analysis of recent research and publications. Zapatrina I., Kachala T., Kyzym M., Tyshchenko O., Povazhnyi O. and others dealt with the modern aspects of solving housing and community amenities` development problems [1-3]. Unsolved parts of the general problem. Nowadays the problem of housing and community amenities` management reform is still relevant. Thus, there is a need to model the management process of housing and community amenities` regional programmes. Study task and objective. The study objective is to develop theoretical and methodological principles, and practical measures for housing and community amenities management programme using modelling. To achieve the study objective we defined and solved the following tasks: to form and substantiate the management model of the reform programme and economic development of UTC housing and community amenities amid decentralization of power in Ukraine; to build a systemic financially stable management algorithm for the provision of UTC housing and community amenities services. Research method and methodology. General scientific (analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, and group analysis) and special (abstraction, economic and mathematical modelling, etc.) methods of studying economic phenomena and processes were used in the study. The main material. The housing and community amenities reform programme (the Programme) for UTCs should include improvement of current management system of housing and community amenities enterprises, development of market relations in the sector, reduction of costs and losses of energy carriers in housing and community amenities enterprises, implementation of effective energy-saving policy, support for self-organization types (homeowner associations, public associations) as partners of the Programme implementation. General management and funding of housing and community amenities are delegated to local executive bodies, which govern the majority of communal enterprises and housing and community amenities organizations. Amid national administrative and territorial system reform – to UTCs. Let us model the financial mechanism of housing and community amenities reform Programme in UTCs. Financing of housing and community amenities in UTCs is provided in case of self-financing at the expense of community budget funds. Income taxes of housing and community amenities enterprises are put to local budgets. At the same time, local budget funds cover the losses of housing and community amenities enterprises and, if necessary, fund the construction of new facilities. In the short run, the following options for the UTC budget are possible, namely: higher housing and community amenities debts may lead to stagnation (invariance) or lower budget profitability; profitability or reduction of housing and community amenities debts will ensure the budget revenue growth. In the long run, the further debts growth of housing and community amenities may lead to stagnation (revenue invariance), then to UTC incomes shortage and their bankruptcy. Conclusions. Based on the studied problems, the main goals of the current stage of the reformation process were set: to improve the quality of housing and community amenities services and management system, to build an effective system of market interaction between providers and consumers of housing and community amenities; to optimize the use of resources, real estate and housing infrastructure; to optimize price-making system for housing and community amenities services. In order to achieve the set goals, tree-based models were proposed: an oligopoly model of housing and community amenities providers; an oligopoly model of housing and community amenities consumers; finance management model for housing and community amenities using PPP mechanism; a model of the resource management information system; a model of the optimal price-making system in housing and community amenities. Parameters modelling of the reform Programme in housing and community amenities for different-sized local UTCs was made. The model of financial mechanism for the implementation of housing and community amenities reforms in UTC was proposed.

Multi-vector management model of decentralization program management in Ukraine

Multi-vector management model of decentralization program management in Ukraine

REGIONAL MODEL OF TERRITORIAL PLANNING: INFLUENCE OF FACTORS OF MILITARY AGGRESSION AND POST-WAR PERSPECTIVES

The processes of decentralization of power in Ukraine contributed to changes in the urban planning system. The transfer of part of the management powers from central authorities to territorial communities determined the special attention of local aspects of development in the formation and implementation of strategic areas of territorial planning. The article examines certain aspects of regulatory support for the development and implementation of strategic plans at the level of territorial communities. The change in the population's requests for the formation of strategic guidelines for development has a socio-political and socio-economic basis. The article determined that after the start of full-scale military aggression, the development processes of territorial communities slowed down significantly, and in the territories where active hostilities are taking place, they stopped altogether. Large-scale destruction and damage to real estate, infrastructure, material and technical support of communal services, cultural-historical and architectural heritage, destruction of networks and highways as a result of military aggression will require the formation of new approaches to ensuring territorial planning processes. The article defines that the priority will be the need to restore the territories to create conditions for the peaceful life of the population. New challenges will need to be taken into account in the territorial planning system. Opportunities to update Soviet and post-Soviet planning systems and bring them in line with European standards is one of the key tasks of post-war reconstruction, which is analyzed in the study.

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.

Interaction of executive authorities in the process of optimization of powers of local government bodies

The article is devoted to the definition of forms and directions of interaction of executive bodies of the basic level in the process of optimizing the powers of local self-government bodies, carried out as a result of the decentralization reform.
 Based on the analysis of the provisions of normative legal acts, the author identifies the system of executive bodies organized in Ukraine. It is proved that the executive bodies, which are formed at village, settlement, city and district councils in the city (in case of formation), are represented only at one - local level. It was found that the executive bodies of state power are formed at three levels - higher (national), central (regional) and local (municipal) levels.
 It is argued that as a result of the reform of decentralization of power in Ukraine during 2015-2021, the powers of local governments were significantly expanded by transferring a significant part of such powers from public authorities to local governments.
 Based on the analysis of the provisions of the legislation of Ukraine, the forms of interaction between state executive bodies and executive bodies of local self-government at the basic level are determined. It is argued that the most common form of cooperation between executive bodies is the implementation of measures of state control and supervision over the implementation of delegated powers by executive bodies of local self-government, in particular in the field of landscaping, land protection and cultural heritage, social security and more. It is proved that the reporting of state executive bodies to local councils on the implementation of powers delegated to state bodies is one of the forms of interaction between executive bodies at the basic level. It is established that other forms of interaction of executive bodies at the basic level are information interaction and cooperation through the formation of joint executive bodies and the conclusion of agreements on joint activities.

Ukrainian Reform of Decentralization Processes Consolidating the Sustainable Development: Environmental and Legal Aspects

The strategic vision of sustainable development for Ukraine is based on ensuring national interests and accomplishing international commitments proceeding to sustainable development. Sustainable development involves decentralization and implementation of regional policy, which is based on a harmonious combination of national and regional interests regarding ecology. This article aims to identify and analyze environmental and legal components of the decentralization of power in Ukraine as a means to sustainable development provisions. The main focus of ecological decentralization is placed on land resources. This is due to the peculiarities of the national system of environmental law (natural resource and environmental regulations) of Ukraine. The article highlights the main and additional areas of environmental decentralization. It analyzes the legislation and the practice of its implementation in the sphere of natural resources reallocation, territorial communities’ demarcation, and their planning process. The roles of cadasters, registers, and electronic databases in maintaining natural resources for the successful decentralization of power are analyzed. The legal perspectives for the decentralization of environmental control are also outlined. The status of financial and ecological resources redistribution in the process of decentralization is highlighted along with the ways of its subsequent improvement. The conclusion suggests the ways for the improvement of legislation and the practice of its implementation to accomplish successful decentralization reform.

Directions of improvement of administrative and legal support of state social policy in the conditions of decentralization of power in Ukraine.

Directions of improvement of administrative and legal support of state social policy in the conditions of decentralization of power in Ukraine.

PREPARATION OF FUTURE SOCIAL WORKERS TO WORK WITH THE ELDERLY

The urgency of the problem of preparing future social workers for social work with the elderly in the local community is determined by the following factors: the reform of decentralization of power in Ukraine, which provides for changes in the administrative-territorial structure of the country and shifting the focus to address many social issues, social work with the elderly, on territorial communities; demographic trend of increasing the number of elderly people; the growing demands of the elderly to the conditions of their lives and ways of self-realization; shortage of professional social workers motivated to work with the elderly. The purpose of the article is to analyze the possibilities of the educational program "Social Administration in the Territorial Community" in the field of knowledge 23 "Social Work" Master's degree in social work with the elderly in a united territorial community with a focus on strengths perspective and the disclosure of the practical implementation of this task in the educational process of Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatiuk National Pedagogical University. The research methods are as follows: analysis of normative documents, scientific works in order to clarify theories, perspectives, approaches, models of social work with the elderly in the local community; systematization of theoretical positions, as well as generalization and correction of theoretical and methodological positions for scientific substantiation of theoretical and practical aspects of professional training of students of master's degree in specialty 231 "Social work" to implement an approach focused on community strengths in social working with the elderly. The article reveals the experience of teachers of the Department of Social Work and Management of Socio Cultural Activities of Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatiuk National Pedagogical University on the implementation of theoretical and practical components of training future professionals based on the prospects of strengths in social work with the elderly.

BUDGET POLICY OF HYDROCARBON TRANSPORT ENTERPRISES IN THE FIELD OF DECARBONIZATION

The socio-economic situation of each community, regions and the country as a whole, the implementation of functions and tasks of all authorities, the efficiency of public services and the effectiveness of all participants in the budget process depend on properly organized management of the budget process. The budget process is a continuous process of consistent action aimed at ensuring the sustainable functioning of the budget sector and funding other priority programs and activities. With the implementation of administrative-territorial reform and decentralization of power in Ukraine, the system of inter-budgetary relations and budget equalization in particular has changed. To strengthen the financial base of local budgets, the vector of regulation was shifted from equalization “by expenditure” to equalization “by income”. However, the introduction of a new system of financial equalization is associated with a number of risks. Ukraine’s oil and gas industry has always been one of the main budget-generators, but the activities of its enterprises are accompanied by the risks of man-made disasters, the consequences of which lead to greenhouse gas emissions. In this article, the authors emphasize the need to form a carbon tax as a compensator for the greenhouse effect and the formation of a quality socially responsible budget policy of enterprises that transport hydrocarbons. A brief overview of the principles and grounds of budget policy of Ukraine. An analysis of carbon pricing initiatives has been made. A list of determinants influencing the decarbonisation process is proposed, and carbon pricing should be based on economic and environmental assessments of man-made risks, as none of the available carbon pricing instruments in the world set the price at a level that would reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.

ДЕЦЕНТРАЛІЗАЦІЯ ВЛАДИ В УКРАЇНІ ЯК ЗАСІБ СТВОРЕННЯ ТА ПІДТРИМКИ ПОВНОЦІННОГО ЖИТТЄВОГО СЕРЕДОВИЩА ТЕРИТОРІАЛЬНИХ ГРОМАД

The article researched the process of decentralization of power in Ukraine since 2014 and its legal regulation, highlights the stages of reform, systematizes its main achievements within the first stage (from 2014 to 2019) and the second (from 2020 to present), outlines and summarizes the key problems of community development and possible ways to solve them. Based on the analysis of the publications in which the solution of the problem was initiated, the author found that the attempts to improve the administrative- territorial structure of Ukraine, made at the national level before 2014, did not bring the expected results, and therefore the focus is on the process of subsequent reforms. With this in mind, the purpose of the study, its main research objectives and methodological tools are determined. The author emphasizes that the reform of the state policy of Ukraine in the field of local government is based on the best world achievements in this direction, on the basis of the analysis confirms the general correspondence between the number of persons living in a particular region of Ukraine and the number of established communities, and that community development problems are more pronounced within rural areas away from administrative centers. The proposed ways to solve the outlined problems will contribute to the creation and maintenance of a full-fledged living environment of communities.

AMALGAMATED TERRITORIAL COMMUNITIES AS A BASIS FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF DECENTRALIZATION OF POWER IN UKRAINE

The peculiarities of the amalgamated territorial communities as a basic condition for the introduction of a course of decentralization of power in Ukraine are considered in the article. It has been found that globalization can often exclude the democratization of the development of territorial communities and society as a whole, as there can be a gradual loss of one of the fundamental elements of democracy, namely: the right of the community to participate in the management of public affairs, especially at the local level, and therefore it was concluded that the sustainable development of the regions and the state as a whole was formed through the transfer of power to the ground, that is, decentralization. The need to define the category of "territorial community" on the basis of the scientific works of world and European economists and domestic specialists in public governance has been proved and five approaches to determining the essence of the concept of "territorial community" have been identified. The author's definition of the concept of "territorial community," which corresponds to the modern political and legal realities of Ukraine, is provided. The characteristics of an amalgamated territorial community are systematized and grouped. A complex of components has been developed that are the basis for the creation and functioning of an amalgamated territorial community of Ukraine in the context of decentralization of power. Strategic and operational problematic issues of formation and development of the amalgamated territorial communities are identified, and ways to overcome them are proposed. Incentives provided to these communities by the state and other regulators have been systematized and studied to motivate them to overcome problematic issues of formation and development of the amalgamated territorial communities of Ukraine. It has been proved that cohesion is an important factor in ensuring socio-economic development, financial self-sufficiency, and investment attractiveness of the amalgamated territorial community. It was concluded that the introduction of the institution of amalgamated territorial communities provides an opportunity for its members to receive rational assistance to solve various problems of the changing present.

AMALGAMATED TERRITORIAL COMMUNITIES AS A BASIS FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF DECENTRALIZATION OF POWER IN UKRAINE

The peculiarities of the amalgamated territorial communities as a basic condition for the introduction of a course of decentralization of power in Ukraine are considered in the article. It has been found that globalization can often exclude the democratization of the development of territorial communities and society as a whole, as there can be a gradual loss of one of the fundamental elements of democracy, namely: the right of the community to participate in the management of public affairs, especially at the local level, and therefore it was concluded that the sustainable development of the regions and the state as a whole was formed through the transfer of power to the ground, that is, decentralization. The need to define the category of "territorial community" on the basis of the scientific works of world and European economists and domestic specialists in public governance has been proved and five approaches to determining the essence of the concept of "territorial community" have been identified. The author's definition of the concept of "territorial community," which corresponds to the modern political and legal realities of Ukraine, is provided. The characteristics of an amalgamated territorial community are systematized and grouped. A complex of components has been developed that are the basis for the creation and functioning of an amalgamated territorial community of Ukraine in the context of decentralization of power. Strategic and operational problematic issues of formation and development of the amalgamated territorial communities are identified, and ways to overcome them are proposed. Incentives provided to these communities by the state and other regulators have been systematized and studied to motivate them to overcome problematic issues of formation and development of the amalgamated territorial communities of Ukraine. It has been proved that cohesion is an important factor in ensuring socio-economic development, financial self-sufficiency, and investment attractiveness of the amalgamated territorial community. It was concluded that the introduction of the institution of amalgamated territorial communities provides an opportunity for its members to receive rational assistance to solve various problems of the changing present.

Decentralization of power in Ukraine: strengthening democracy and ensuring population on the basis of balanced nature and resource benefits

The article highlights the main reasons for the decline of rural areas of Ukraine in the period 1991–2021, which are directly related to the seizure of power in independent Ukraine by hostile elements of the fifth pro-Russian column. These so-called governing bodies are constantly discriminating against Ukrainians’ ability to become an independent free people. Their activity or inaction undermines the Constitutional system of Ukraine. And only since 2015, the Ukrainian government under pressure from the people is taking a real course towards decentralization and the transition to full democracy. The statistical data on the decentralization of power and the qualitative transition of our society to democratic forms of life are analyzed, based on the experience of European countries and the whole civilized world. Recommendations on Constitutional changes in the area of decentralization have been formulated to ensure full implementation of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, transition to full democracy for the sake of ecologically balanced development of all territories and territorial communities of Ukraine. The reform of the administrative-territorial structure should take place in order to provide a real opportunity for a person to receive the maximum number of services from the governing bodies of selfgovernment at each level of government. It is the person and the satisfaction of his needs that should be in the center of attention of his chosen leadership, which for the effective implementation of the functions entrusted to him will receive the necessary powers and at the same time bear full responsibility for implementing qualitative changes in communities.

FEATURES OF THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE NETWORK OF GENERAL SECONDARY EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN UKRAINE IN THE CONDITIONS OF MARTIAL LAW

The article analyzes the essence and features of the mechanisms of transformation of the network of general secondary education institutions in Ukraine under martial law. As part of the policy of decentralization of power in Ukraine, which has been implemented since 2014, new principles for the functioning and development of the education system in Ukraine were determined through the adoption and implementation of the Laws of Ukraine "On Education" and "On Complete General Secondary Education". These laws provide for the right of the founders of educational institutions, which are mostly village, settlement and city councils of territorial communities, to carry out the formation, reorganization, liquidation and repurposing of general secondary education institutions. According to statistics, the number of students per educational institution in Ukraine is lower than in most countries of the European Union, which are part of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which indicates the need to reform the existing network of general secondary education institutions. In the conditions of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, the modernization of the school network in territorial communities is an urgent issue, taking into account socio-economic, demographic and other factors. During the review of the current regulatory and legal support for the processes of transformation of institutions of general secondary education, the need to develop a comprehensive approach of reforming the school network was determined, and an approximate algorithm of actions for the founder of an institution of general secondary education was proposed. In the study, recommendations were made regarding the ways to improve the regulatory and legal support of the processes of formation, reorganization, liquidation and repurposing of general secondary education institutions under martial law. In particular, in part of mandatory public discussion and compliance with labor legislation when local self-government bodies exercise their own powers in part of the modernization of the school network of the territorial community.