PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS OF DECENTRALIZATION: CONCEPTS AND CONCEPTS

Abstract

In the history of ancient empires, medieval kingdoms, and modern states, questions about which level of power to transfer the right to collect taxes and make decisions, and to what extent to leave these powers at the central level or to delegate them to local officials, have always been relevant. Decentralization is one of the ways of bringing the government closer to citizens and ensuring their active participation in governance. The purpose of the article was to consider the concepts and philosophical principles on which decentralization is based, for a better understanding of its philosophical context. Decentralization has been considered as a system of governance where the powers of lower levels of authorities are expanded, and some of the functions that once belonged to the central government are transferred to local self-government bodies. Various approaches and concepts defining the role and goals of decentralization in the management and development of society are analyzed. It was determined that the general content of decentralization is described by such three characteristics as deconcentration, delegation and devolution. Each of these concepts was considered in more detail in the article. The main principles on which the concept of decentralization is based were determined, including the principle of unity and systematicity, complementarity, subsidiarity, democracy and resource security. The key among these principles is the principle of subsidiarity, which is directly related to local self-government and covers the procedure of distribution and redistribution of powers between administrative levels of state power. These principles contribute to the creation of a more balanced and democratic system of public administration. The role of the system of local self-government in Ukraine in the conditions of a full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation is analyzed. The experience of community functioning in Ukraine during martial law confirms both the independence of communities in the process of making important decisions and the need for legitimate control over all local processes by the central government. The decentralized system enables to fully protect the interests of the population through the functions and powers of local authorities.