CRITERIA FOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL POLICY AS A GUARANTEE OF SOCIAL SECURITY IN UKRAINE

Abstract

The article aims to elucidate the nature and scope of the principal criteria through which social policy could be evaluated for its effectiveness, and thus, its capacity to serve as a genuine guarantor of social security in modern Ukraine. It has been determined that Ukraine lacks strategies (concepts) or programmatic documents specifying clear goals and objectives for ensuring the population's social security, hindering the establishment of definitive criteria for the effectiveness of state social policy. The author highlights the current necessity for developing and adopting such acts, which should include, among other aspects: specific tasks for executing the state's social function (to be determined by the entities responsible for ensuring modern Ukraine's social security); scientifically substantiated, feasible, and anticipated outcomes of fulfilling these duties; and potential and actual risks associated with achieving the state's social security objectives by those obligated to do so. It is identified that there are six key indicators for evaluating the effectiveness of social policy as a guarantor of social security in Ukraine. The first criterion is the accessibility of social policy, encompassing the range of individuals covered, the actual conditions for acquiring and exercising social rights, and the protection of these rights when infringed upon. The second criterion is the adequacy of social policy, ensuring that the provided social services, benefits, and entitlements are objectively sufficient to meet social needs and address issues leading to socially precarious conditions for individuals. The third is the fairness of social policy, acknowledging that different population groups may face unique social risks and thus have distinct needs in the social sphere, necessitating proportional resource distribution within the social policy framework. The fourth criterion is the coherence of social policy, characterized by economic feasibility, optimal fiscal management, and the establishment of stable financing sources for social protection programs. The article concludes by summarizing the findings of the study.