Transformation of Ukraine's social policy in the context of decentralization and European integration: political and legal aspects

Abstract

In the context of modern social transformations, state social policy appears as a fundamental instrument for regulating key spheres of society's life. Scientific interest in the above-mentioned issues is due to the request for the formation of strategic priorities for ensuring the social stability of the state. Currently, social policy acquires the status of a determining factor of systemic development, integrating and coordinating an extensive network of social relations. The purpose of the article is to analyze the transformation of social policy in Ukraine in the context of decentralization and European integration. The measures implemented within the framework of the reform of public authority and their impact on the functioning of the social sphere are considered.

The methodological basis of the study was a comprehensive approach that combined the analysis of scientific sources, a comparative study of domestic and foreign experience, sociological methods of public opinion research and expert assessments. Structural-functional and statistical methods were used, as well as content analysis of publications, reports and results of sociological research, which provided a thorough study of socio-political processes.

The achievements and problematic aspects of the implementation of the decentralization reform in the context of building the “social state” model were analyzed. It is argued that the current assessment of the effectiveness of the reforms is discrete (intermediate) in nature, taking into account exogenous challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and full-scale military aggression, which caused a significant correlation of strategic goals and the prolongation of the deadlines for the implementation of planned measures. It is noted that the intensification of migration processes and the dynamic change in the number of internally displaced persons deform the demographic landscape of the country, which actualizes the search for innovative approaches to the architectonics of the provision of social, educational and medical services. It is stated that the large-scale destruction of infrastructure facilities and other destructive consequences of the war act as critical barriers to the effective modernization of social policy.

It is emphasized that a separate factor in the transformation of the social sphere is the European integration vector of Ukraine's development, since the process of European integration requires the implementation of the norms of the European Social Charter and EU directives into national legislation. The systemic vector of modernization is the need to harmonize the national regulatory framework with the imperatives of the European Union, which actualizes the reform of the institutional foundations of social policy. The implementation of the principles of inclusiveness, social convergence and strengthening the role of social dialogue is considered not only as a requirement of European integration progress, but also as a strategic tool for achieving social consensus and ensuring the stability of the state in the conditions of post-war reconstruction.

The imperative of overcoming the divergence (gap) in the levels of well-being of the population of Ukraine and the member states of the European Union as a key condition for successful integration (using the example of Poland and Germany) is stated. It is noted that the decentralization of management is identified as a fundamental driver of intensification of the quality and inclusiveness of social services at the level of territorial communities. Further prospects for the transformation of the domestic model of social policy are correlated with the vector of state strategic priorities and European integration guidelines, which provide for the transition to a human-centric development paradigm.