Implementation of Foreign Models of Social Policy into the System of Administration of Social Services at the Municipal Level in Ukraine

Abstract

The article examines the administration of social services at the municipal level in the context of the transformation of Ukraine’s public administration system. The relevance of the topic is determined by the processes of power decentralisation, which transferred a significant share of responsibilities in the field of social protection directly to territorial communities, as well as by the challenges posed by the full-scale war and the significant increase in the number of vulnerable population groups. Under these conditions, the search for effective management mechanisms for organising social services at the local level and the use of best international practices become particularly important. The study clarifies the concept of «administration of social services,» interpreted as a set of managerial, organisational, financial, and control mechanisms for planning, coordination, financing, provision, and evaluation of social services within a community. The main models of social policy in world practice are analysed, including the liberal, conservative-corporatist, and social-democratic models, and their key characteristics, advantages, and limitations, in the context of possible application in Ukraine, are identified. It is established that implementing any model in its «pure» form is impossible due to differences in socio-economic conditions and institutional features of state development. The expediency of applying a convergent approach to the modernisation of municipal administration of social services is substantiated, which involves combining instruments from different social policy models. The key directions of such transformation include developing social contracting mechanisms and involving the non-governmental sector; diversifying funding sources for social programs; digitalising management processes; implementing systems to monitor service quality; and introducing individual case management. The implementation of the proposed management mechanisms will contribute to the development of a modern, service-oriented model of social protection in Ukraine, aligned with European principles of efficiency, transparency, and accountability in public governance.