Assessment of the state of socio-economic development of single-industry towns as an instrument of strategic management of their integrated development

Background. In the context of implementing national priorities in spatial development and ensuring sustainable economic growth of territories, the problem of comprehensive assessment of the state of socio-economic development of single-industry towns is becoming increasingly important. It is shown that for substantiating strategic decisions regarding single-industry towns, a formal status and fragmentary characteristics are insufficient; a holistic understanding of the conditions and obstacles to their development is required. The proposed approach is based on the use of comparable statistical indicators and is oriented towards the practical task of differentiating the priority directions of strategic development of single-industry towns. Purpose — identifying the conditions and obstacles to their development and determining the priority areas for the strategic development of single-industry towns by conducting a comprehensive assessment of their socio-economic development based on key statistical indicators. Method and methodology. Data from official statistics on single-industry municipalities and town-forming enterprises are used. The main method applied is statistical analysis, supplemented by methods of dynamic and structural analysis. Results. The assessment results confirm that the use of a unified system of indicators, including demographic, labour, economic and investment parameters, makes it possible to link the state of single-industry towns with the tasks of strategic management of their integrated development: the identified relationships make it possible to substantiate the priorities of state support and to determine the set and focus of instruments depending on the current state of a single-industry town. Practical implications. The approach to comprehensive assessment can be used by public authorities and development institutions as an instrument for differentiating state support measures and setting priorities for the strategic development of single-industry towns, including those having the status of supporting settlements.