SCIENTIFIC APPROACHES TO ASSESSING THE LEVEL OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF TERRITORIAL COMMUNITIES IN UKRAINE

Abstract

The article identifies the theoretical and methodological foundations for assessing the level of sustainable development of territorial communities in Ukraine and substantiates the necessity of forming a comprehensive system of indicators in the context of decentralization and European integration processes. It is proven that the absence of a unified and practically applicable assessment toolkit significantly complicates strategic management at the local level and reduces the effectiveness of managerial decision-making. The study emphasizes the importance of localizing the Sustainable Development Goals and adapting international approaches to national conditions, taking into account the specific features of community development. The structure of the assessment system, which includes economic, social, environmental, and institutional components, is substantiated, and the key principles of its formation, including relevance, balance, accessibility, comparability, and adaptability, are defined. It is noted that at present, until the emergence of full-fledged local statistics, the set of such indicators will necessarily have a compromise nature, combining the requirements for reflecting aspects of sustainable development with the real availability of statistical data and other information on community activities. It is argued that a well-designed system of indicators should ensure both the comparability of results across communities and the flexibility needed to reflect local specificities and priorities. Furthermore, the proposed approach to indicator development enables a balanced combination of standardized and variable metrics, which enhances the analytical value of the assessment results. The findings highlight that the implementation of such a system contributes to improving the quality of strategic planning, strengthening institutional capacity, ensuring transparency and accountability of local authorities, and fostering evidence-based policy-making for sustainable community development. In addition, the practical applicability of the proposed framework is emphasized as a basis for continuous monitoring and timely adjustment of development strategies.