TRANSFORMATION OF THE SOCIAL WELFARE SYSTEM AS A PREREQUISITE FOR STRENGTHENING THE SOCIAL RESILIENCE OF SOCIETY IN THE CONTEXT OF MODERN CHALLENGES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35774/Keywords:
social welfare, social resilience, social risks, transformation, digitalization, system, social services.Abstract
Introduction. Social welfare serves as a fundamental mechanism for managing social risks and functions as a key stabilizer of societal processes. However, the challenges of martial law and the large-scale destruction of social infrastructure underscore the urgent need for a radical transformation of this system in the Ukrainian context. The comprehensive overhaul of its mechanisms should form the bedrock for ensuring the long-term social resilience of the country and its subsequent post-war recovery.
The purpose of the study is to provide a theoretical and conceptual substantiation of the foundations for transforming the social welfare system as a core institutional prerequisite for strengthening the social resilience of society under contemporary challenges.
Results. Based on the synthesis of modern scientific approaches, it is demonstrated that this category should be considered as a dynamic capacity of society to counteract large-scale crisis impacts at individual, group, institutional, and societal levels. Given the deep regional differentiation of the war’s impact on Ukrainian households, the necessity of adapting the public finance system to new realities has been justified through the decentralization of social expenditures and the deployment of flexible mechanisms for financing local programs, accounting for the financial and economic potential and specific characteristics of individual communities.
A conceptual model for the transformation of the social welfare system has been proposed, the architecture of which entails reforming the social services market, the digitalization of governance while enhancing the targeting of social assistance, as well as ensuring the comprehensive reintegration and development of human capital to increase individual self-reliance. Key institutional barriers on this path have been systematized, including the high level of undeclared income, lack of integration between databases and registries, insufficient legal regulation of emerging forms of employment, insufficient market readiness of municipal social service providers, staff shortages in local communities, and stereotypical perceptions by businesses regarding older workers and persons with disabilities. It is determined that overcoming these constraints requires the development of applied financial models to attract private investment capital into the community social sector, particularly through the implementation of voucher-based funding and social impact bond mechanisms.
Conclusions. This study demonstrates that the comprehensive transformation of Ukraine's social welfare system is a pivotal instrument for strengthening long-term societal social resilience. The practical implementation of the proposed model and the mitigation of identified institutional barriers will help establish an adaptive financial and managerial foundation for the post-war recovery and sustainable socio-economic development of Ukraine.
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