Innovative strategies to minimize the risks of the rural population with regard to sheltered employment caused by the coronavirus pandemic and institutional constraints

The research presents the results of the final stage of the study, obtained during the implementation of the project “Assessment of the impact of quarantine measures related to COVID-19 on the agricultural sector and food security of the state and development of an algorithm for minimising the adverse consequences” № 2020.01/0313 of the competition “Science for Human and Society Security” at the expense of grant support from the National Research Foundation of Ukraine. The research is a continuation of the publication in the journal “Ekonomika APK”. 2021. № 4. С. 51-67. The impact of quarantine restrictions related to COVID-19 on the labour market and employment in rural areas. The purpose of the research – explore the strategic areas of minimising the risks of the rural population in the field of social and labour relations related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The monographic approach is used for a comprehensive and in-depth study of ensuring the sustainability of the labour sphere and social protection of the population in extreme conditions and identifying the cause-and-effect relationships of their development. The application of systematic and comprehensive analysis provided an opportunity to explore strategic areas for increasing the economic capacity of amalgamated territorial communities, activating the market orientation of family farms, and other micro and small forms of entrepreneurship and institutionalising protected employment in the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors. Regulatory and positive approaches contributed to the identification of prospects for the quantitative transformation of private peasant farms into family-type commodity enterprises by 2030. Due to the grouping, strategic priorities for ensuring productive employment of the rural population were identified. Using abstract and logical tools allowed the development of intermediate conclusions and proposals to minimise the socio-economic risks of agricultural workers in the context of the spread of the pandemic caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Scientific and other publications on the issues of ensuring the sustainability of social and labour relations and incomes of peasants in the context of the spread of restrictions on economic activity, proposals for a radical change in the solidarity system of social protection, reducing inequality in access to basic requirements of socially vulnerable categories of the population are highlighted. The genesis and development of the theories of “helicopter money” and unconditional basic income as fundamentally new post-industrial models of stimulating the economy and social protection of the poor, the conditions of their application and possible macroeconomic consequences are considered. The priority areas of preventing risks to the productive and protected employment of agricultural workers were highlighted. These are, in particular, institutional capacity and resource sufficiency of rural amalgamated territorial communities; systemic and long-term support of market activity of micro and small business entities; institutionalisation of employment of members of family farms and other forms of small-scale entrepreneurship. Anti-covid strategic areas of small business development and extension of the system of compulsory state social insurance to self-employed workers in private farms were further developed. Proposals for improving relations in the labour sphere of the agricultural sector and social protection of the rural population can be considered during the development of strategic areas of support for micro and small businesses and self-employed persons in extreme conditions of rural society