Management of territorial community development: the problem of choosing a methodological approach

Abstract

Introduction. An important direction in modern public administration is the management of the development of territorial communities. In the context of contemporary challenges, where it is necessary to determine an effective approach to ensuring their sustainable and harmonious development, the issue of choosing a methodological framework for management becomes relevant. This framework should enable the implementation of the most adaptable model of functioning for the basic territorial unit, which in modern realities is viewed not only as an administrative-territorial unit but also as a local market, a “quasi- corporation”, and a society. In both the academic community and in the practice of local self-government bodies, this issue remains a subject of debate, which has drawn attention to its investigation in the presented scientific work.

The aim of the research is to conduct a comparative analysis of methodological approaches to managing the development of territorial communities and to justify the feasibility of selecting the most appropriate approach for practice in the context of modern challenges.

Methods. In the course of the research, universal methods of scientific cognition related to the specifics of development management were used, as well as a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of various approaches to managing the development of territorial communities.

The results. The research systematized the main types of territorial community development in Ukraine. Specifically, the following types were identified: spontaneous (unplanned), targeted (planned), economic, environmental, social, endogenous, and exogenous. Each of these types plays a certain role in shaping sustainable and competitive territorial communities. A comparative analysis of various approaches to managing territorial community development, highlighted in scientific literature and widely applied in practice, showed that centralized, decentralized, marketing, innovative, communicative, and ecosystem approaches have been used. It was concluded that effective community development management requires an integrated approach. At the same time, it is argued that under modern conditions, the acquisition of the status of an economic development entity by a territorial community indicates the feasibility of applying a marketing approach, which is still not widely used in domestic public administration practice.

Prospects for further research. More detailed study of the applied aspects of the marketing approach in managing the development of territorial entities in foreign and Ukrainian practice deserves further attention.