Butusov O. Monitoring of the Region’s Competitiveness

This thesis colligates scientific-theoretical, methodological and applied principles of forming and monitoring the regional competitiveness. The author's approaches to understanding the essence of the regional competitiveness and the main factors influencing it are analysed. It is substantiated that competitiveness of the region is a dynamic phenomenon that constantly varies under the influence of various factors and requires constant monitoring. The domestic and foreign approaches to the essence and monitoring of the region’s competitiveness are researched and systematized. The legislative support of monitoring the socio-economic development in Ukraine is analysed and the conclusion is made about its imperfection as regards the necessity to define a system of monitoring indicators, which should provide the opportunity for comparative analysis and systematic monitoring of the level of regional development in Ukraine. The possibility to apply the European experience of monitoring the regional development on a competitive basis in Ukrainian practiceis substantiated. Based on the fact that one or several economic or social indicators cannot fully reflect the competitiveness of the regions, as well as their comparison with other territories, the consolidated indexestimation method can be one of the ways that allow a comprehensive evaluation of competitiveness. The state and dynamics of the regional development in Ukraine were studied by basic and variable components, and the integrated estimation of their competitiveness was carried out. There was developed the author's methodology for monitoring the competitiveness of the regions using the breakdown of indicators into the following categories: infrastructure and accessibility of the region; economic efficiency of production potential; human capital; openness of the region; management; innovations. A total of 105 indicators were analysedby31 criteria. The analysis of the regions of Ukraine showed that, in general, a part of their competitiveness components under research did not improve within the time horizon analysed, and within the limits of certain selected criteria, interregional differentiation intensified. There was proposed an approach to an integrated evaluation of the Ukrainian regions ‘competitiveness which is based entirely on the use of economic and mathematical methods of research with the maximum application of indicators that have the statistical base necessary for calculations and available from official sources of the national statistics. According to ranking the regions resulting from the integrated estimation of the Ukrainian regions’ competitiveness, the highest places in the ranking by the majority of the basic components indexes were expectedly taken by such regions as Kyiv Oblast, L’vivOblast, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, and Poltava Oblast. Methodological and organizational provision for the system of monitoring the regions’ competitiveness was formed. It was determined that the organization of the regions’competitiveness monitoring system should be based on the co-operation between governmental and independent institutions with active involvement of the public. The principles, stages, and periodicity of monitoring the regions’competitiveness are substantiated. An important stage in effective monitoring of the regions’competitiveness should be the formation and adoption of managerial decisions, on the basis of which short-, medium- and long-term programs for raising the level of the region’s competitiveness can be designed. The economic-mathematical models of forecasting the indicators of the region’scompetitiveness as the basis for making strategic management decisions were constructed and calculated. The correlation-regression analysis of the influence of regional competitiveness indicators on the GDPper capita made it possible to identify the most influential factors. Besides, a methodology for establishing "top-points" of raising regional competitiveness on the basis of correlation analysis was developed for five regions-leaders and five worst regions according to the level of the Regional Competitiveness Index, There was proposed the solution to the problem of increasing the regions’competitiveness by creating a mechanism for realizing the competitive advantages of the region on the basis of monitoring its competitiveness. This mechanism to implement the competitive advantages of the region should be a process in which the activity aimed at achieving the goals is considered not as a one-time, but as a series of continuous, interrelated actions – management functions, within the system of information and analytical support of the process of monitoring the region’scompetitiveness and taking managerial decisions.