DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOCIAL ECONOMY IN POLAND: EXPERIENCE FOR UKRAINE

Abstract

The development of the social economy contributes to the well-being of the population, which is one of the main tasks of any state. The existence of certain social problems in Ukraine requires an analysis of foreign practices of implementing social goals to increase living standards. In the context of European integration aspirations, such a state for Ukraine is the neighboring Poland. To address these issues, the positive experience of social economy development and employment in Poland is analyzed and the possibilities of its application in Ukraine are outlined. The practice of social economy in Poland is considered, Ukraine and Poland are compared on particular social indicators (number of social security institutions, unemployment rate, employment rate, average monthly wage, self-employment level), the directions of social development in Poland are outlined with emphasis on their possible application in Ukraine. Taxonomic methods for determining the social development of Poland and changes in the labor market of both countries are considered. The main determinants of the Polish model of social economy are highlighted: stable economic development, which contributes to raising living standards; low unemployment; developed social infrastructure; increase in average wages; developed private social security sector; labor market stability and its ability to adapt to new challenges. A number of problematic issues in the development of the social economy in Ukraine are highlighted, in particular, the low level of wages compared to neighboring European countries; high unemployment; low level of self-employment; high level of shadow economy. Based on the analysis of the positive experience of Poland, a number of possible directions of social economy development in Ukraine are outlined.