The thesis deals with the substantiation of the theoretical and methodological foundations for the improvement of the mechanisms of management and planning of territorial communities, as well as the development of practical recommendations for their functioning in the light of the economic and spatial development of the region and increasing their competitiveness in the current conditions of martial law and post-war reconstruction of territories.
The thesis analyzes the nature of the concept of “territorial community” and defines its role in the economic life of the region and the country in the light of the decentralization reform. It addresses the legal framework for the establishment and development of local government and outlines the author’s vision of a territorial community. The author highlights the main principles on which the structure of a territorial community should be based and which form the basis of management activities of territorial communities and encourage the identification of strategic development directions, including efficiency, institutional approach, etc. The thesis reveals the relationship between the community, the population, and the business sector: the community stimulates business activity and improves living conditions, while the business provides employment and contributes to the local budget. The author analyzes the main approaches to the formation of territorial communities, resulting in suggestions for their development in light of the current challenges of martial law.
The author reveals the main provisions for the development of the state regional policy in Ukraine and addresses the scientific definitions of individual authors on the principles of the state regional policy. Approaches to the formation of functional types of territories based on their capacity, advantages, and the conditions prevailing during hostilities and the introduction of martial law are analyzed. The main strategic goals and ways to achieve them in the regions to increase their competitiveness and strengthen integration through interregional, interterritorial, and cross-border cooperation are revealed.
The thesis analyzes the socio-economic situation of the territorial communities in Zakarpatska oblast in the period of the completion of the decentralization reform and under martial law. The positions of Zakarpatska oblast in terms of the main indicators of socio-economic development of Ukraine are determined, revealing a number of unjustified positions of the region, in which it ranks last. The problems of low activity of communities in Zakarpatska oblast in terms of inter-municipal cooperation and geographical imbalances in concluding partnership agreements with territorial communities of other states are identified.
The author analyzes general approaches to the preparation of Strategic Plans and Socio-Economic Development Plans for the individual village, town, and city territorial communities located in different districts of the Zakarpattia oblast, in particular, the importance of aligning the strategic directions of territorial communities’ development with the strategic priorities of the regional and national levels. The thesis shows that certain approaches to setting strategic goals may have signs of being declarative since they contain a wide range of tasks that, especially in today’s conditions, are not clearly guaranteed by resources.
The author outlines the main approaches to the Concept of Integrated Territorial Development of Territorial Communities as a document that is the basis for shaping the strategic directions and priorities of community development and spatial and land planning. The thesis determines that a territorial community as a closed system with a large number of elements functions on the basis of an integrated interconnection of these elements. The importance of a marketing approach to community planning and management is substantiated, including the possibility of developing a marketing strategy for a territorial community (marketing development plan) as one of the mechanisms for improving the management of local development.
The author analyzes the state and circumstances that have developed in territorial communities and regions during the period of martial law introduced in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The organizational and economic directions of strategic management and development of territorial communities of the region in the light of modern challenges of martial law are determined. The author substantiates the need to create tourism clusters in Zakarpatska oblast, where tourism is one of the leading areas of competitiveness, as well as the importance of aspects of interregional and interterritorial cross-border cooperation for the region, territories, and economic entities of the oblast, which opens opportunities on the way to Ukraine’s preparation for and accession to the European Union.
