FEATURES AND PROBLEMS OF UKRAINE'S SOCIAL POLICY IN THE CONDITIONS OF MODERN CHALLENGES
Abstract
The purpose of this article is to study the peculiarities and problems in the implementation of national social policy in the context of contemporary socio-economic challenges. The study proves that state policy priorities have shifted in favor of militarization in the context of military operations. This shift in priorities has led to a decrease in the share of consolidated state budget expenditures allocated to social purposes. The study compares the share of consolidated state budget expenditures on social objectives in Ukraine and the EU, which is 16.3% versus 32.3% in 2023, respectively. It has been proven that in Ukraine, the share of expenditures on social protection, health care, spiritual and physical development is significantly lower than in the EU. It has been determined that education is the only social expenditure item that accounts for a larger share of GDP in Ukraine than in the EU. Based on the author's calculations, it has been proven that during 2021-2024, categorical assistance prevailed in the structure of social payments in Ukraine (accounting for 62.3% in 2024), while the share of targeted social assistance decreased significantly. Based on an analysis of the structure of social payments, a change in the priorities of national social policy is justified. The author has determined that until 2021, the priority of social policy was to support impoverished segments of the population in the housing and utilities sector, children, and mothers, and from 2022 onwards, to support internally displaced persons. The author believes that the existence of a significant number of social benefits that are below the subsistence minimum is an indicator of the low effectiveness of social policy. The study proves that a negative phenomenon in national social policy is the existence of a number of social benefits that are set at a fixed amount that has not been revised for more than five years. The author argues that the existence of a number of social benefits whose growth rates are lower than the inflation rate is not in line with the objectives of adequate social protection of the population. Based on a comparison of the legally defined and actual subsistence minimum in Ukraine, it has been proven that the former is extremely low and does not meet the objectives of adequate social protection of the population. The author argues that the existence of a significant list of social benefits and privileges, the size and growth rates of most of which do not correspond to social standards and the level of inflation, respectively, indicates the need for their revision and consolidation.
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