This dissertation work is the first dissertation study of Ukraine as a social state in the context of its historical development in the national constitutional law science and one of the first works devoted to the study of the functioning of the social state and the provision of social rights in Ukraine in special legal regimes.
It is substantiated that the application of an axiological approach to the periodization of the concept of the social state in Ukraine will allow studying the development of society and social statehood through values that reflect the dynamics of social change.
It is proposed to update the periodization of the development of the social state concept in Ukraine, according to which three periods are distinguished: formation (from the ninth century to the seventeenth century), development (from the seventeenth century to the nineteenth century) and systemic formation (from the twentieth century to the present).
The social state was defined as an axiological concept aimed at realization of social values (dignity, equality, freedom, justice, security, social solidarity), which is achieved through the implementation of high standards of social policy by the state, development of the legislative framework for regulation of the social sphere and the relevant legal procedure.
It was established that the development of the social state concept in Europe should be considered from the moment of the first ideas and works on state-building in ancient times, to consider the place of man and his relationship with the state in different historical periods, to analyse the formation of values that form the basis of the social state concept. On this basis, three periods are distinguished: 1) the formation of the fundamental ideas of the social state concept (from antiquity to the middle of the fifteenth century; 2) development (from the second half of the fifteenth century to the end of the nineteenth century); 3) systematic formation of the social state concept in the modern sense (early twentieth century to the present).
It was proved that the axiological foundations of the social state are dignity, social equality, social security, social justice, social freedom, and social solidarity.
It was established that social solidarity as an axiological basis of the social state is considered in several aspects: 1) as consolidation of society (harmonization of interests and views of its members with a view to improving the standard of living, creating good conditions for the development of individual abilities of a person, and promoting human dignity and a decent standard of living); 2) as social partnership (creation of organizational and legal forms for harmonization of interests, and reaching compromises by combining joint efforts of groups); 3) as the basis for the emergence of civil society. As a result of the practical realization of social solidarity, new relations
emerge in society: between the state and society; between social groups; between government institutions and society.
The dissertation study reveals the thesis that the formation of the social state in Ukraine is gradual, but the steps taken by the state do not have a systematic nature and strategy for the development of the social sphere, which is primarily due to a change in approach, since the initially chosen liberal model of social reforms did not bring the expected result, and the current economic and political conditions have led to the need to find new strategic solutions. The main problem of Ukraine's slow development as a social state is the actual inability to implement constitutional provisions at a sufficient level.
