Assessment of sustainable development of rural areas

Purpose. The purpose of this work is to improve methodical approaches to the assessment of the development of rural areas, to propose generalising indicators by which the integral indicator of their assessment is determined, and to propose the stages and forecast of strategic management of the sustainable development of rural areas of Ukraine. Methodology / approach. Methods used: dialectical method of cognition; method of analogies; statistical; abstract and logical. To assess the ecological and social development of rural areas, a methodological approach developed at the State Institution “Institute of Economies of Nature Use and Sustainable Development of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine” was used within the framework of measuring regional human development. A methodical approach to assessing and forecasting the scale of sustainable development potential involves the calculation of integrated indicators of the ecological state and social development based on spatial and demographic data. Results. It was found that the actual tax payments made by agricultural enterprises to Ukraine’s consolidated budget decreased by 27.5% (2019–2023), while their share in total tax revenues declined by 33.7%. In rural areas, the unemployment rate rose by 13.1%, and the working-age labor force decreased by 4.1% (2015–2021). Ecological passports of territorial communities largely lack sufficient information about the state of rural areas, limiting the potential for sustainable development analysis and planning. A model for assessing the ecological condition and social development of rural areas based on integrated indicators has been proposed. An algorithm for evaluating sustainable development was developed, incorporating the identification of key regressors, the formation of an indicator system, the calculation of integral indices, and their validation using real data. The stages of strategic management for sustainable development of rural areas over a six-year planning horizon have been presented, accounting for decentralisation processes, ecological balance maintenance, and the development of social infrastructure. Originality / scientific novelty. Methodological approaches to assessing rural development have been improved, and a three-tier system of integrated indicators considering environmental, social, and economic factors has been proposed. A comprehensive set of relative indicators for evaluating the socio-ecological development level of rural areas has been developed and substantiated across the following dimensions: environmental conditions, population reproduction and settlement, employment opportunities, and living standards. Practical value / implications. The study’s findings will promote the sustainable utilisation of the resource potential of rural areas, enhance community incomes, improve quality of life, and support environmental preservation, which is particularly significant in the context of Ukraine’s post-war recovery.