The dissertation presents a socio-geographical study of local development within
the hromadas of Cherkasy region in the context of decentralization. Based on the analysis
of previous studies, the conceptual and terminological apparatus of the socio-
geographical study of local development has been improved. The concept of "local
development" is systematized, the characteristic features of local development are
highlighted. The components of the local development system are defined.
It is determined that in the process of decentralization, new basic-level units of the
ATS - hromadas - have been formed, which have become the basis for the formation of
the local development system. Against this background, local development in Ukraine
should be identified with hromadas as the basic units of the country's administrative and
territorial structure.
The current directions of foreign and national research on local development are
analyzed and their main directions are highlighted. Four approaches to the interpretation
of the concept of local development are allocated: economic, social, integrated,
municipal. The approaches of international organizations to defining local development
policy are elaborated.
The article assesses the capacity of territorial communities as the basis of local
development potential. The criteria (indicators) for a preliminary assessment of the level
of capacity of hromadas in Cherkasy region, proposed in the Methodology for the
formation of capable territorial communities of the Ministry of Regional Development,
are analyzed. The need for additional analysis of infrastructure development indicators,
namely the presence of public service institutions on the territory of the hromada capable
of ensuring the proper level of public service provision, in particular in the field of
education, culture, health care, social protection, and security in the event of emergency
situations, is substantiated. There are 3 types and 10 subtypes of hromadas that
characterize their capacity and level of local development. For hromadas with a low and
medium level of capacity, measures to improve the quality of public services have been
proposed. The first group of such measures relates to the creation of new public service
institutions that are absent in the hromadas, the second - joining neighboring hromadas
that have higher capacity and are able to provide quality public services. It was
determined that the development of local territories is closely related to their potential
and attracted resources, defined as state financial support, external migration of the
population, investments, and the implementation of state programs and infrastructure
projects. It is noted that cities are more competitive than villages and urban-type
settlements, and this is due to several factors, such as the concentration of skilled labor,
capital, and city-centricity in logistics.
The presence of hromada development strategies, their content, and compliance
with the Methodological Recommendations of the Ministry of Regional Development on
the procedure for developing, approving, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating the
implementation of hromada development strategies were analyzed. The approved
strategies of 30 hromadas of Cherkasy region were analyzed and evaluated according to
four criteria: definition of a clear content part, list of measures and deadlines for their
implementation, compliance with the regional development strategy, presence of clear
methods and measures for monitoring the implementation of the strategy. It is determined
that only 8 out of 30 strategies fully meet the requirements and needs of community
development, 13 need to be improved, 9 need significant improvement, and only 2
strategies provide for monitoring tools. The author identified areas for improving
hromada development strategies.
