STRATEGIC PLANNING IN THE FACE OF UNCERTAINTY

Abstract

The article examines the issues of strategic planning in Ukraine at the state and local levels, identifying the existing problems in the context of a long-term external threat. The analysis of strategic documents that determine the vector of the state regional policy for the long-term period has been made. This article addresses the problem of strategic regional development planning in Ukraine amidst the ongoing war with. Each country develops and implements its own regional policy based on national priorities and socio-economic development status. State regulation of regional development is conducted through instruments and mechanisms of state regional policy. It is emphasised that the State Strategy for Regional Development (hereinafter – SSDR) is the main instrument of the State regional policy of Ukraine. SSRD serves as the primary planning document for coordinating state policies in regions and implementing sectoral strategies. Special attention is focused on the problems of harmonising planning documents to achieve flexibility in implementation at the regional and local levels. The author's vision of optimising planning documents and eliminating duplication is proposed. The problems of development and implementation of short-term programmes of economic and social development at the regional and local levels are investigated. The existing problems of state regulation in the issue of synchronisation of strategic and budget planning are identified. The author's model of coordination of the development strategy, action plan for its implementation and the local budget is formulated. Based on the results of the study, the author emphasises the need to reconsider the feasibility of developing and implementing a number of planning documents. The conclusions highlight that the decentralization reform in Ukraine has promoted strategic planning at both state and local levels. SSRD has become a document setting the direction for long-term state regional policy. In such realities, there is an urgent need to optimize planning documents to reduce bureaucratic burden, eliminate duplication, ensure clear linkage to budget capabilities, and maximize flexibility under uncertainty.