SOCIAL ASPECT OF POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION OF UKRAINIAN SOCIETY

Abstract

The most important task of the socially-oriented economy of the state in the market economy, which is still being formed in Ukraine, is the activity on social protection of all strata of society and the elaboration of an effective social policy strategy. Also, an important and topical factor of social development of the country is, of course, its orientation to European social norms and values. One of today's problems in the social sphere of Ukraine is the lack of a long-term, unified and integrated strategy of social development that would be understood by the people who would receive its support and restore confidence and respect for the authorities. The main areas of social protection that are urgently needed to modernize today are the fight against poverty and equalization of incomes of the various strata of the population, pensions and medical care, since these areas cover the entire population and are the most costly and subsidized from the country's budget.. In our country, there are now a number of problems in the realm of social policy implementation on the ground, due to various factors. The low level of professionalism of officials who deal with social problems and reluctance to engage in them, as well as the residual financing principle, are the main obstacles to social growth.  In the whole social development of Ukrainian society, and therefore in social policy directly, the human factor has always been and remains decisive. It is about value orientations, about the moral principles of people, their norms of behavior. That is, in essence, social policy must first focus on the activation of the very human factor. One of the negative factors in the development of social policy is the consequences of the Soviet model of traditional paternalism, when the majority of the population does not have the will to solve their problems and they translate them into the state. Thus, Ukraine's social policy should be pursued in two directions: first, targeting the support of the most vulnerable groups of the population, and secondly, the introduction of long-term programs for improving the effectiveness of the social protection system.