Melnychuk L. Modernization of public administration of social development of regions of Ukraine in conditions of decentralization

There is a summary of theoretical and methodological approaches to study social development of regions as the object of public administration research. It is then used to state the essence and the content of social development of regions and correct the definition of this notion. The key elements are identified, defined and detailed in the context of social cohesion concept. The essential and structural elements of regional social development are identified. There are general trends and features of regional dynamics of social processes together with the list of the regional development issues in the modern contexts. These all proves the need to strengthen the regional element of government policy in general and the need to activate the regional initiatives to solve particular social problems by themselves. The mail elements for the foundation of public administration activities inside social and humanitarian sphere at the regional level are identified. These elements are characterized by various directions of social and regional policies, their objective definitions and the level of integrity and connectivity between these fields of government activities. The main features of the present model of government policies for the regional social development as well as the key features and issues of government influence on the regional social processes are identified. The system of regional social development planning in Ukraine is formulated and includes the following elements: strategic, special and program-based planning. The specific nature of this system is characterized by the following issues in the planning activities of public administration. The types of the partnership and cooperation are identified. They are essential for the improvement and use of the inner potential of each region, for strengthening the ability of regional systems to solve their development problems. There are social cooperation, public-private cooperation, cooperation between central government bodies and the municipal administration bodies (regional development agreements), cross-municipal cooperation. The limited usage of these tools as the part of public influence on regional development processes is proven. The level of the public administration influence mechanisms on the harmonization of regional social development in Ukraine is identified and evaluated. The list of tools is formulated and classified describing the ways to ensure the equal citizens’ access to the realization of social rights in any part of the country. The European experience of managing regional development is systematized and presented. The importance of taking into account the modernization changes of European regional and social development models to apply for the formation of Ukrainian system of public administration of social development is proven including. The authors’ vision of modeling the government policies of regional social development in Ukraine іs proposed. The conceptual foundations for the modernization of Ukrainian government policy for regional social development is designed and proved. It means the identification of aim, basic principles, tasks, key modernization priorities. The directions of the decentralization reforms are identified and proven. They should be taken into account during the systemic restructuring of the public administration of regional social development and the implementation of it. The directions for the modernization of public administration of regional social development are identified. The recommendations on modernization of public administration of regional social development as well as the practical recommendations that can be used by the central government bodies and municipalities within their social policies are developed and proven. Key words: social development of regions, public administration, mechanisms of public administration, social policy, regional policy, decentralization, modernization of public administration.