STAGES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN UKRAINE

Abstract

This study examines the evolution of strategic planning for regional development in Ukraine, tracing the institutionalization of state-level legislative frameworks and public policy mechanisms since independence. The author identifies five distinct developmental stages delineated by pivotal regulatory enactments, structural economic reforms, and administrative decentralization processes. Each evolutionary period catalyzed significant transformations in intergovernmental fiscal relations, fundamentally altering the mechanisms through which regional entities accumulate, manage, and leverage their endogenous financial potential. The research substantiates that contemporary regional strategic planning transcends baseline administrative compliance, functioning as an integrated adaptive system oriented toward long-term sustainable development amidst macroeconomic volatility and institutional uncertainty. Consequently, regional state administrations, local councils, and self-governing territorial communities must prioritize expanding fiscal autonomy, diversifying municipal revenue streams, and maximizing overall resource efficiency. Furthermore, the findings demonstrate that effective decentralized strategic planning yields substantial institutional benefits: it accelerates regional socioeconomic dynamism by orchestrating collaborative multi-stakeholder governance among municipal authorities, business associations, civil society organizations, and youth initiatives; reinforces territorial self-financing through tax base broadening and small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) support; and improves regional creditworthiness to attract critical private capital. Ultimately, this historical periodization provides policymakers, regional economists, and public administrators with actionable analytical tools to design resilient, place-based development strategies that synchronize local financial capacities with overarching national modernization objectives.