Level Of Local Self-government Research Articles

Distinction of Competencies in the Legal Regulation of Social Security in the Context of Federalization

The article considers interaction forms in the field of legal regulation of social security between state authorities: federal and regional. In social security law, as in a number of other branches of Russian law, the combination of various levels of legal regulation is essential for the implementation of the constitutional right of people to social security, while leading to a number of problems in rule-making and law enforcement. The right to social security guaranteed by the Constitution of the Russian Federation to categories of persons in need of it, providing them with material support measures provided for by laws of social risks in a timely manner and to the fullest extent possible, in conditions of federalism, can be implemented with the participation of state authorities at all levels of legal regulation, from the federal to the level of local self-government. It was concluded that the state authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation have a wide range of powers, the use of which allows them to more effectively implement the right of people to social security.

LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT AS THE BASIS FOR THE AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE AGRARIAN POLICY IMPLEMENTATION IN THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

The development of modern democratic states implies respect for the principle of subsidiarity, which means bringing down decisions and their execution to the local level. The decisions regarding the use of agrarian potential in the Republic of Serbia are still under the jurisdiction of the central government authorities, which contributes inadequately to the overall stability and development of agriculture in modern geopolitical correlations. The goal of this paper is to point out to the necessity of understanding the need to enable as much as possible the authorities at the local self-government level of the Republic of Serbia to implement the strategic goals of agrarian policy while improving permanently their agricultural capacities. Based on the research on the opinions of relevant state and local authorities and on empirical and theoretical arguments, the authors support this claim and provide a new perspective for the content of agrarian policy, as well as the development of the rich agricultural potential that the Republic of Serbia has at its disposal.

Some Aspects of the Regulatory Environment of Local Self-Government in Federal Cities

The issues of legal regulation of the organization and functioning of all government bodi es have always been the subject of numerous studies, discussions and even disputes. The rapid new reorganization of the legal foundations of the unified system of public power that started in 2020, having passed the federal and regional level of state power, "stumbled" at the level of local self-government. The draft federal law No. 40361-8 "On General Principles of Organization of Local Self-Government in the Unified System of Public Power", which was submitted to the State Duma of the Russian Fe deration on 16 December 2021, has so far remained at the level of "proposals and comments for the second reading". This allows us to focus on the analysis of problematic issues of the current situation with the legislative basis of local self-government in Russia in order to avoid and take into account in the future existing errors and shortcomings, as well as to improve the current system of legal regulation of local self-government as soon as possible. The Authors of this study attempt to analyze and draw the attention of other researchers, representatives of federal and regional legislative authorities to the existing obvious problems in the legislative regulation of local self-government in federal cities. Specific examples of the texts of the laws of Moscow, St. Petersburg and Sevastopol, allow us to draw disappointing conclusions about the significant abuse by the legislators of these constituent entities of the Russian Federation of their rights to regulate certain issues of organization and functioning of local self-government in the territory of federal cities. Evidently, the existing conflicts should be eliminated as soon as possible and taken into account by the federal legislator in the formation of future legislative framework for determining the specifics of local self-government in federal cities. The current situation seriously affects the principle of direct and immediate effect of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, as well as the priority of federal legislation over regional legislation on issues of joint jurisdiction of the Russian Federation and its constituent entities.

Territorial Public Self-Government in Municipal Entities of the Constituent Entities of the Siberian Federal District

Today, the issues of involving citizens in decision-making process of public authorities have become the main vector determining development of democratic countries of the world. Most of all, this trend is felt at the level of the power closest to the population — at the level of local self-government that often uses the institute of territorial public self-government (TPSG) in Russia. The paper defines the state of the legal institution under consideration in Russia using the Siberian Federal District as the case study. Based on the results of the analysis of legislation, the collected material on TPSG (concerning the number, forms of TPSG work, forms of interaction between TPSG and public authorities, etc.), identified TPSG‘s organizational and operational problems, the author concludes that in the state conditions have been created that promote TPSG formation. Consistent resolution of the tasks will allow us to move to a new level of engaging the population in participation in local government.

Концептуальні засади реформи місцевого самоврядування в Україні та результати її реалізації

The article summarizes and systematizes the theoretical aspects of the formation of local self-government, taking into account the European experience of implementing administrative and territorial reform, outlines the range of problems that arose in the process of decentralization reform in Ukraine during 2015-2021, identifies the positive and negative consequences of local selfgovernment reform in Ukraine. A significant number of communities do not have the resources to perform new functions, the transfer of certain functions to the local level is not always appropriate, there is a need to consider the possibility of "recentralization" of certain powers from the local level to a higher one. The district level of local self-government was almost leveled and it cannot represent the common interests of communities. At the legislative level, there is no clearly defined division of powers between local self-government bodies and executive bodies. This creates a threat of "creeping" centralization of resources, when the government can transfer certain powers to the local level without financial support.

Problém vertikálnej finančnej nerovnováhy pri výkone prenesených kompetencií na úrovni miestnej samosprávy na Slovensku

The problem of optimising financial relations in the budgetary system with respect to its vertical and horizontal structure often manifests itself in the form of vertical and horizontal fiscal imbalances, when the revenues of public administration units at its different levels or at the same level do not correspond to the expenditures related to the performance of the delegated responsibilities. The aim of the study is to map, using the case study method, the problem of vertical fiscal imbalance in the performance of delegated responsibilities at the level of local self-government in the Slovak Republic. Research ousomes show that municipalities overwhelmingly do not know the costs of performing delegated responsibilities (cost-center accouting is notu sed) , and thus we cannot legitimately determine vertical fiscsal imbalance scope. Identifying the sope of vertical fiscal imbalance througth the cost-center accouting is the starting point for its solution by the functionalisation of inter-level financial relations so that the revenues of public administration units at its different levels correspond to the expenditures associated with the performance of the delgated responsibilities.

FORMATION OF THE REVENUE PART OF THE LOCAL BUDGETS OF UKRAINE UNDER THE CONDITIONS OF THE MARTIAL LAW

Purpose. The purpose of the article is to study the structure and volume of revenues of local budgets of Ukraine during martial law, comparing them with pre-war indicators to determine possible additional sources of revenue at the level of local self-government. Methodology of research. In the research process, general scientific and empirical methods based on a systemic approach were used. The methods of statistical data processing and grouping were used to analyse the dynamics of tax and non-tax revenues of local budgets, as well as the method of system analysis. Findings. The article examines and analyses the dynamics and structure of revenues of local budgets of Ukraine under martial law. The negative impact of a full-scale war on the revenues of local budgets, in particular on non-tax revenues, revenues from capital operations and inter-budgetary transfers, has been established. To ensure the financial stability of local authorities, the authors proposed reserve sources of income, such as the employment of internally displaced persons, the creation of new jobs, including through the relocation of business entities, the elimination of shortcomings in the management of communal enterprises and their removal from unprofitability, more effective management of land resources, in particular, review of existing lease agreements, inventory, systematic land accounting, timely review of rent, formation of a base of tax payers for land, etc. Originality. This article provides a detailed analysis of the influence of martial law on the formation of the revenue part of local budgets of Ukraine, taking into account the latest statistical data and legislative changes. In addition, a number of reserve sources of income for local budgets are proposed, which can be used to ensure the stability of financial resources in the conditions of martial law. Practical value. The results of this study can be used for the development of effective mechanisms for the formation of the revenue part of local budgets in the conditions of martial law and ensuring the stability of finances at the local level. Key words: local budgets, revenues of local budgets, tax revenues, non-tax revenues, revenues from capital transactions, inter-budget transfers

Фінансово-інвестиційний вимір вирішення екологічних проблем в умовах нової глобальної природоохоронної архітектоніки: імплементація передового іноземного досвіду

It is substantiated that under wartime conditions, formation of a new global nature protection architectonics and decentralization of power, the solution of ecological problems of socioeconomic development passes into a new financial and investment dimension, which requires diversification of sources of financing of capital investments and current costs in environmental protection. It is determined that in the dynamics of the nominal amount of financing of capital investments and current expenditures in environmental protection in the context of the main nature protection measures in 2000–2020, in general, there is an upward trend, which is caused by inflation-devaluation processes, rather than a real increase in assignations to environmental projects both in the public and corporate sectors. It is identified that in 2000–2020 there was a significant difference between the amounts of financing of capital investments and current expenses in the direction of increasing the amount of financial support for the operation and maintenance of environmental infrastructure, rather than their renovation and modernization. It is substantiated that the chronic deficit of financial and investment support for solving ecological problems is caused by excessive unification of sources and methods of financing the renewal of the network of environmental infrastructure objects and rationalization of the use of natural raw materials, which requires diversification of fiscal, budgetary and credit investment instruments of the environmental protection industry. It is determined that increasing investment flows in the environmental sphere of Ukraine depends on the inclusion in the range of priorities of the national environmental policy of the dominants of international environmental conventions, primarily the New Climate Agreement, which will allow obtaining financial preferences from global environmental funds and foreign governments. It is substantiated that the intensification of environmental activities at the level of local self-government will become possible due to an increase in the share of deductions of the natural resource rent and environmental tax to special funds of budgets of territorial communities, which will ensure targeted linking of eco-resource payments to solving the most pressing ecological problems of territorial entities

Predlozi za unapređivanje liderstva na različitim nivoima obrazovnog sistema u Republici Srbiji

The content of this work is based on proposals for improving leadership at different levels of the educational system in the Republic of Serbia. As in most countries, four key levels can be distinguished in the Republic of Serbia that make up the basic structure of the education system: school, local self-government, school administration and the Ministry of Education and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia. Bearing in mind the importance of leadership in the educational system, this paper offers suggestions for its improvement at each of these levels. At the school level, teachers who recognize leadership as a skill and potential quality would be directed onto the leadership track with the aim being prepared in time for arriving at a leadership position. At the level of local self-government, we propose a sort of cooperation and exchange of experiences between leaders and teachers schools located in geographic proximity. At the school administration level, we offer presentations concerning successful leadership; that is, presentations of the work of a successful principal at the end of each school year. At the highest instance of the educational system, the Ministry of Education and Technological Development, we suggest mandatory education and training of future principals/leaders, so that they have a good starting position that would be improved on through practice. The goal of this paper is the acquisition of new, relevant and necessary leadership competencies, both in leadership positions and before arriving at a leadership position in order to have a good starting point that would be improved through practice.

МІСТОБУДІВНЕ, ЕКОЛОГО-ГІГІЄНІЧНЕ ОБҐРУНТУВАННЯ НОРМУВАННЯ САНІТАРНО-ЗАХИСНИХ ЗОН ДЛЯ ОБ'ЄКТІВ ІНФРАСТРУКТУРИ – АВТОМОБІЛЬНИХ ЗАПРАВНИХ СТАНЦІЙ ЯК СКЛАДОВА ЗАБЕЗПЕЧЕННЯ ДЕРЖАВНОГО УПРАВЛІННЯ

B a c k g r o u n d . In connection with the shortage of land resources in the largest cities and megalopolises, the issue of the location of existing automobile refueling stations (ARS) and the design of prospective residential buildings close to them, as well as the location of projected ARS in already established suburban areas, are becoming increasingly important. This is happening against the background of rapid motorization of modern society. This also necessitates the formation of new approaches to solving modern problems in the planning and development of the territories of settlements, namely state regulation on the standardization of sanitary protection zones (SPZ) for modern ARS. The purpose and task of the research is to carry out the ecological and hygienic substantiation of the regulation of SPZ for infrastructure objects – modern ARS, taking into account their differentiation in terms of capacity and degree of impact on the environment and the level of fire safety, as a component supply of public administration, to regulate the urban planning situation and make administrative and management decisions. The subject of the study is the achievement of safe conditions for the location of ARS on the territory of populated areas by means of ecological and hygienic standardization of the SPZ for them. The object of the study is the ecological, hygienic and fire safety of ARS for the population of residential and public buildings adjacent to the territory of the ARS as a component supply of public administration. M e t h o d s . In the research process, abstract-logical, theoretical, modeling, instrumental and statistical and method of legal regulation – standardization of SPZ of infrastructure objects – modern ARS. R e s u l t s . The article presents the results of comprehensive studies on the justification of the standardization of new SPZ for modern ARS according to urban planning, ecological and hygienic criteria and the level of fire safety as a component supply of public administration. The establishment of SPZ for ARS is substantiated, taking into account their differentiation in terms of capacity, the state of implementation of environmentally friendly fuel handling technologies and the level of fire safety, which is important for making administrative and management decisions regarding the development of the territories of settlements adjacent to them. The introduction of environmentally friendly equipment and modern technologies, the implementation of environmental protection measures during fuel storage at ARS are effective measures, both at the local self-government level and at the state level, which will slow down climate change on Earth. According to the research results, the classification of ARS according to the ecological and hygienic characteristics of gross emissions from sources of atmospheric air pollution is proposed: small, medium and large ARS, which is important from the point of view of urban planning. С o n c l u s i o n s . On the basis of a comprehensive approach, the adequacy of the standard SPZ of 50 m for small and mediumcapacity ARS has been proven, and the creation of a new safe for the health and life of the population, from the point of view of urban planning, the size of the SPZ of 100 m for large-capacity ARS has been substantiated. It is proposed to approve the new standard of 100 m for high-capacity ARS at the state level by making changes to the existing regulatory framework of urban planning and sanitary legislation. It is substantiated as a component supply of public administration, the introduction of the range of changes in the sizes of SPZ for modern fire- and explosive-hazardous facilities in the legislation and practice of Ukrainian entrepreneurship on the basis of urban planning, ecological and hygienic justification and the level of fire safety. The vector of further research should be aimed at the further implementation into the national urban planning, environmental and sanitary legislation of the requirements of the EU Directives, foreign experience in strengthening fuel quality control, ARS emission control and the introduction of advanced technologies and environmental protection measures at ARS, the use of modern transport to reduce negative impact on the environment and adjacent residential and public buildings, which will serve the formation of modern, environmentally conscious, independent domestic entrepreneurship.

Decentralized model of financial and investment provision of nature protection and nature exploitation activities: specific formation in urban and rural territorial communities

It has been established that increasing the efficiency of solving the problems of improving the environment and the rational involvement of natural resources in the reproductive process depends on the formation of a decentralized model of financial and investment support for nature protection and nature exploitation activities, which will make it possible to strengthen the investment focus of natural resource and environmental payments, which are concentrated in local budgets. It is substantiated that the key element of the decentralized model of financial and investment support for nature protection and nature exploitation activities is the increase in the share of the transfer of environmental tax and rent and fees for the use of other natural resources to local government budgets with their further accumulation in special environmental funds. It has been proven that it is worth applying a differentiated approach to the formation of a decentralized model of financial and investment support for nature protection and nature exploitation activities for urban and rural territorial communities, based on the significant gap between the size of the public financial potential in these categories of communities. It has been established that the formation of Environmental Protection Funds, where 100% of environmental tax, 30% of rent and fees for the use of other natural resources will be concentrated, should be the main link of the decentralized model of financial and investment support for nature protection and nature exploitation activities in urban territorial communities. 10% of the net profit of utilities. Making informed decisions about land use in both urban and rural territorial communities requires appropriate information support. It is substantiated that additional sources of filling the Environmental Protection Funds of urban territorial communities should be considered the receipt of funds accumulated in connection with the emission of green bonds of a local loan, the implementation of public-private partnership agreements, the participation of local governments in the implementation of grant programs, the receipt of financial assistance from international environmental protection organizations and governments of foreign countries. It was established that in rural territorial communities, the dominant role in financial and investment provision of solving environmental problems should remain at the oblast level of local self-government and regional executive power.

The role of non-governmental public associations in protecting the rights of persons with disabilities in Ukraine during the war

The problems of persons with disabilities in general and with mental disabilities in particular, which have become even more acute in Ukraine with the beginning of the full-scale armed aggression of the Russian Federation, have been highlighted. The purpose of the study is to determine the role and place of public associations in the process of realizing and protecting the rights of persons with disabilities, in particular persons with mental disabilities (permanent psycho-intellectual disabilities), during the war period, as well as formulating recommendations for improving the state of observance of rights and freedoms this category of persons. The objective impossibility of the population social protection state bodies, which are located in or near the places of hostilities, to perform their functions due to the existing danger for workers, as well as the impossibility of transferring these bodies to a remote work format, has been established.
 The use of a number of general scientific and special research methods has made it possible to analyzed the situation with respect to the rights of the specified category of persons in Ukraine in current conditions. A significant increase in the role and effectiveness of civil society institutions, in particular non-governmental public associations, has been noted. A conclusion has been made regarding the need to strengthen cooperation between these social service providers. It has been recommended to expand the participation of representatives of such public organizations in the process of making managerial decisions both at the state level and at the level of local self-government.
 Monitoring and analysis of the dynamics of the effectiveness of both state bodies of social protection of the population and non-state public associations in Ukraine by studying the opinion of the final beneficiaries, such as persons with disabilities, has been defined as a promising direction for further research.

Формы непосредственной муниципальной демократии: грядущие трансформации

Introduction. The subject of the study is the novelties of the draft federal law “On the general principles of organizing local self-government in a single system of public authority” in terms of the legal regulation of direct municipal democracy. It is distinguished by a significant reduction in the existing forms of direct participation of the population in the implementation of local self-government, while not offering any new ones. Though in the course of the development of the state and society in Russia over the past two decades, new democratic mechanisms and tools have appeared. Empirical analysis. The authors analyzed the current legislative norms regulating the forms of direct democracy at the level of local self-government and provided a legal assessment of the reduction of their list in the given draft law. The researchers revealed the necessity of preserving the institution of voting on the recall of elected persons of local self-government, which is at the same time one of the types of municipal legal responsibility, in the draft law. In search of additional forms of direct democracy at the local level, the institution of public control was considered. Understanding its goals and objectives through the prism of local self-government indicated that it can act as an effective tool for the population in assessing the activities of municipal authorities. Results. The study concludes by proposing to supplement the forms of citizens’ participation in the implementation of local self-government, enshrined in the named bill, with a new form of “public control over the activities of local self-government bodies”.

Theoretical-legal and comparative aspects of the concept of participation democracyas one of the political-legal grounds of municipal authority

Introduction. The article deals with the study of the essence and features of participatory democracy as one of the political and legal foundations of municipal power. Recognition of Ukraine as a social, democratic and legal state, as well as the establishment of a European integration course contributes to the improvement of legal provisions dedicated to the regulation of political activity of citizens and, in particular, participatory democracy. In today’s world, participatory democracy is a reflection of the practical positive European experience of citizen participation in the political and managerial sphere of society at the local level. Although, at first glance, participatory democracy seems to be a manifestation of purely political activity, not all forms of public activity belong to participatory democracy, just as participatory democracy is not limited to the political sphere. Summary of the main research results. The author studies the existing approaches to the interpretation of participatory democracy, and provides his own definition with the identification of specific characteristics, including: 1) public involvement in the management of state and public affairs at the local level; 2) territorial community as the smallest economic unit of participatory democracy; 3) the procedure for the response of public authorities to the institutions of participatory democracy is enshrined in law; 4) the basis of participatory democracy - direct public political participation; 5) participatory democracy is an independent form, along with direct and representative democracies. Two factors of actualization of participatory democracy are singled out: 1) the process of decentralization of public power - the reform of local self-government; and 2) the spread of information technology and the emergence of society as a post-industrial. The author states the following: 1) at the normative level there is no consolidation of democracy of participation; 2) in the scientific literature, along with the concept of “participatory democracy” there are also “local democracy”, “inclusive democracy”, “democracy of participation”, which are considered synonymous; 3) in the legal doctrine there is no common understanding of the concept of “participatory democracy”, which is due to the numerous views of scholars on the interpretation of this concept. Conclusions. It has been established that participatory democracy is a special form of democracy, the core of which is the direct public political participation of citizens at the level of local self-government, which contributes to the proper implementation of municipal public authority. It is noted that under the influence of information technology (informatization process), participatory democracy is gaining a new way of implementation, which is being transformed into e-participatory democracy, which is one of the components of digital democracy.

TRANSITION TO A SINGLE-LEVEL SYSTEM MUNICIPALITIES: CONSEQUENCES FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT

In 2022, a large-scale reform of local self-government began: a corresponding bill was submitted to the State Duma. It provides for the embedding of local self-government into a single system of public authority in the Russian Federation, reforming the territories of municipalities and the powers of local self-government. The article examines the problem of transition to a single-level model of local self-government with the rejection of the settlement level, proposed by the legislator. Based on the analysis of the previous experience of municipal construction in the Russian Federation, foreign experience, statistical data, scientific concepts, expert opinions, the necessity of the presence of local governments at the level of settlements, the inadmissibility of liquidating the settlement level of local self-government is proved. The statement is substantiated that all the problems of the settlement level lie not in the organizational, but in the financial plane. The issue of the status of village elders and territorial public self-government bodies is raised in connection with their new powers and the need to increase this status from public amateur bodies to local governments. It is argued that the transfer of powers of local self-government to state authorities will not lead to a more effective solution of issues of local importance, since it will not reduce the costs of solving these issues, will not reduce the number of managerial personnel, but will only change the budget from which these expenses will be carried out, therefore, the solution of the issue - in the redistribution of public finances in favor of local budgets. The necessity of preserving settlements, the need to stop the process of reducing the number of municipalities, based on the geopolitical position of the Russian Federation, is substantiated. Ways of solving personnel and financial issues in order to preserve rural settlements are proposed.

THE REFORM OF THE DISTRICT LEVEL OF LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT: STATUS AND POSSIBLE OPTIONS FOR ITS FURTHER IMPLEMENTATION

Topicality. The urgency of the article is substantiated by an excessive centralization of powers and financial and material resources of the executive branch, the inability of territorial communities at the district level to exercise their powers, limited access to public services due to lack of funding and deterioration of local government infrastructure as well as reduced professionalism of officials. There is a need for scientific substantiation of scenarios for further implementation of the decentralization reform in terms of determining the rational balance of powers and tasks to be allocated to the district level of government with an appropriate financial support. The experience of forming enlarged administrative-territorial entities at the district level in Ukraine is a modern interpretation and development of European approaches to the definition of functional areas and statistical units according to NUTS-3, which determines the relevance of this study not only at the national but also at the Pan-European level within the context of development of applied principles of the regional development theory.Aim and tasks. The objectives of this study are: to analyze the state of the reform of local self-government at the district level, to consider possible options and scenarios for further implementation of this process, to determine a list of powers that should be transferred to the district level, and to propose measures of material, financial and organizational support.Research results. The peculiarity of a new districts formation in Ukraine is that the districts, which include regional centers, have a number of population several times higher than in other districts of the region. This does not comply with the European standard NUTS-3, which specifies a number of population in districts from 150 thou people to 800 thou people. The concept of local self-government reforming and territorial organization of power provides for the transfer of powers at the district level from executive power bodies to executive bodies of district councils; however the executive bodies of district councils have not been created yet, given that the relevant adjustments to the legislation have not been made. On September 17, 2020, the Verkhovna Rada adopted the Law of Ukraine "On Amendments to the Budget Code of Ukraine to Align the Provisions of Budget Legislation in Connection with the Completion of Administrative and Territorial Reform." This legislative act abolishes personal income tax revenues directed to district budgets, which is the main source of their funding. The district level is also excluded from the system of horizontal equalization, hence district budgets will not receive a basic subsidy and will not be engaged in direct inter-budgetary relations with the state budget and they are excluded from the list of "recipients" of educational and medical subventions. The revenues structure of district budgets’ general fund, which is enshrined in the new Article 64 of the Budget Code of Ukraine, narrows their revenue base dramatically. The district level of local self-government is almost leveled, and it is deprived of most powers and financial resources, as a result, it cannot represent common interests of territorial communities at the basic level, which contradicts a principle of subsidiarity, and an issue of expediency of further existence of the district level of local self-government will be raised in the near future. The article considers possible options for further reform of the district level of local self-government, namely: (1) liquidation of the district level of local self-government, (2) preservation of existing state of the district level of local self-government, (3) preservation of the district level of local self-government, while giving it authority and financial resources to represent the common interests of territorial communities of the basic level. A draft of powers, which should be transferred to the district level of local self-government, has been proposed.Conclusions. The amendments to the legislation made in 2020 have led to a situation where the district level of local self-government was deprived of a larger share of its revenues and was significantly limited in its powers. As a result, the local self-government at the district level cannot fully represent common interests of territorial communities of the basic level in accordance with Article 140 of the Constitution of Ukraine and the principle of subsidiarity. This raised a question on expediency of the existence of the local self-government at the district level. Possible options for its further reform have been considered in the article. The most expedient option is to preserve the district level of local self-government and provide it with powers and financial resources so that it would be able to represent common interests of territorial communities of the basic level. The list of powers to be transferred to the district level has been determined.

PROBLEM ASPECTS AND DIRECTIONS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF INTERMUNICIPAL COOPERATION OF COMMUNITIES IN THE SPHERE OF IMPROVING THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF SUPPORTING INNOVATIVE ACTIVITIES

The relevance of the development of inter-municipal cooperation of territorial communities of Ukraine in the sphere of ensuring stimulation of the spread of innovative activity as a key factor in strengthening the competitiveness of local economic and economic complexes has been revealed. The purpose of the study was to identify problematic aspects and substantiate proposals regarding directions and means of improving inter-municipal cooperation of communities in the field of improving the infrastructure to support innovative activities. Objective and subjective factors – characteristics of the deterioration of innovative activity parameters in Ukraine, which are also characteristic of the level of local self-government – have been determined. Systemic obstacles to the establishment and development of inter-municipal community cooperation in the field of infrastructure development supporting innovative activities and innovative business have been identified and characterized. A sequence of measures for the formation of inter-municipal community cooperation in the field of innovative infrastructure development has been developed, which involves the gradual completion of such stages as (1) diagnostic analysis of the endogenous and exogenous environment in order to determine promising market and innovation niches, where a technological breakthrough can give the best result, based on needs of economic and social development; (2) assessment of quantitative and qualitative characteristics of scientific, technological and innovative potential; (3) identification of strategic types of economic activity; (4) determination of competitive advantages and limitations of prospective development. The scientific novelty of the research results lies in the further development of the methodological foundations of cooperation between territorial communities in the field of economics. The applied value of the research results lies in the formation of the algorithm of actions of local self-government bodies on the way to the development of innovative infrastructure to support innovative business.

СТРУКТУРА КОМПЕТЕНЦІЙ ОРГАНІВ ВИКОНАВЧОЇ ВЛАДИ ТА ОРГАНІВ МІСЦЕВОГО САМОВРЯДУВАННЯ В УМОВАХ ДЕЦЕНТРАЛІЗАЦІЇ

The structure of competencies of the executive power bodies and local self-government bodies in the conditions of decentralization has been studied. It was found that the demarcation of the subjects of management, powers, and competencies of local self-government bodies and local state authorities in Ukraine acquires not only a legal but also a political character. It has been established that there is a direct dialectical relationship between competence and decentralization at the national level and competence and decentralization at the level of local self-government. In such a chain of procedural objectification, the key term will be the competence of local self-government bodies, as a system of authorized subjects - authorized bodies and self-governing subjects, as well as structures functioning at the local social level, formed by society itself to satisfy the collective, group and individual needs of its members. It is substantiated that the application of the principle of subsidiarity determines the effective formation of the competence of local self-government bodies. Guided by this principle, social problems are solved at the lowest or most decentralized (farthest from the center) level, at which it is most effective: state executive authorities should play an auxiliary (subsidiary) and not a subordinate (subordinate) role, performing only those tasks that are not can be effectively implemented at the local level.

LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT IN A CRISIS CAUSED BY THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: THE CASE OF SERBIA

This research examined whether there is an elaborate system of protocols, protection, and prevention in place at the local self-government level in the event of a crisis caused by an epidemic or pandemic. The core idea of this paper was to evaluate the protocol's effectiveness at the local self-government. Analysis was conducted using responses of 16 local self-government authorities. During a crisis caused by an epidemic/a pandemic of infectious illnesses, surveys were done as a cross-section documenting and detecting the current state of local self-government functioning. Methods used in the study are defining the objectives of the research, conceptualization, analysis of legal regulations, economic analysis, and decomposition of the problem. Key results and arguments of this paper expanded existing research thus there are only certain empirical data from areas that have been affected by the infectious disease caused by the epidemic/pandemic. Data was collected, processed, and systematized to serve in model formulation. As a brief conclusion, this study suggested protocol effectiveness at the local self-government level representing the idea that emergency and crisis management should be organized to preserve the health and livelihood of the population in the area affected by the pandemic of infectious diseases and thus enable the functioning of economic activities and society as a whole.

Seizmičko mikrozoniranje kao osnova za "spuštanje" analize seizmičkog rizika na nivo lokalne samouprave

Analyzes of seismic hazard and seismic risk in the Republic of Serbia are mostly handled by national institutions, while seismic microzoning is neglected in most cases even though it is an important element in those analyses. The work will deal with problems in the division of responsibilities and tasks in this area, as well as the importance of the work itself, which results in the resilience of infrastructure and society in general when natural disasters are involved. The paper presents different types-levels of seismic microzoning and explains the benefits of their application when planning and designing construction facilities and infrastructure, and above all "lowering" the assessment of seismic and geological risk to the level of local self-government. The importance of carrying out field investigative geological and geophysical works was emphasized both for the needs of a more precise analysis of the seismic risk at a specific micro location, and from the aspect of geological risks that must be taken into account when conducting a detailed seismic microrezonization. Through concrete examples, all the effects that end users such as cities, municipalities and individual users can have from seismic microzoning are explained. Also, it was shown how new technologies can help to map hazards and risks, share data, and all in favor of a multi-hazard approach in defining and assessing risks, as well as in the further application of preventive measures.