Methodological Approaches to Analyzing the Level of Territorial Development in Ukraine

Abstract

The article examines methodological approaches to the analysis of the level of territorial development in Ukraine. The main approaches to the analysis of the level of territorial development, which are contained in official documents and serving as bases for development of methodological recommendations, are allocated, in particular: 1) methods of preparing a socioeconomic analysis of community development; 2) development of profiles of communities; 3) methods of formation and implementation of forecast and program documents of socioeconomic development of the united territorial community; 4) methodology for taking into account the Sustainable Development Goals in the development strategies of territorial communities. The territory as an object of development is considered from various aspects: economic, socio-cultural, ecological, and political. The concept of «territory» is usually associated with spatial characteristics and is considered as a limited part of the land surface with a certain area, geographical location and other spatial features. However, in the case of interpreting the territory as an object of development, this concept should be considered as a separate, identified by geospatial features and administrative subordination territory with the appropriate structure, conditions, properties and characteristics. The main principles on which methodological approaches to the analysis of the level of territorial development should be based are allocated, i. e.: consistency; integration; focus on the needs of the local community; public participation; scientificity; validity and objectivity; sustainability; rational use of resources; monitoring and evaluation. It is emphasized that in Ukraine there is currently no single methodological approach to the analysis of the level of territorial development, and the existing methods turned out to be imperfect and require revision. In particular, only certain methodologies of analyzing the level of territorial development are in use, as well as certain methods of taking into account the Sustainable Development Goals in the development strategies of territorial communities, although this does not comply with the principles of consistency, sustainability, and integration. The necessity of developing a unified methodological approach to the analysis of the level of territorial development in Ukraine, which would take into account a comprehensive analysis of the current state of territorial communities and the compliance of their development with the Sustainable Development Goals, is substantiated.

Keywords

• territorial development
• territorial community
• decentralization