Territorial Communities as Heterarchical Systems and Problems of Effective Management

Abstract

The objective of the study is to analyze advanced principles for effective governance of public resources of territorial communities as heterarchical systems in the context of reforming the administrative and teritorial system in Ukraine, to make it conform to the European local self-government system.

The study is relevant to the Ukrainain context, as the territorial system existing in Ukraine conforms to nethier the European system for nomenclature of territorial units for statistics nor the principles for effective governnance of administrative and territorail units. Bearing in mind environmental issues and living standards of the population, effective management and control of the shared public resources is the most critical problem for Ukraine.

In focus of the analysis is the conception of effective management of common resources of local community, with a detailed review of Elinor Ostrom’s book “Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action” (published in 1990). It is shown that heterarchical system with multiple hierarchies constitutes the basis for socio-economic objects. Local government is the heterarchical system for local communities self-government, which interacts with the hierarchical (government) governance system. The European system of territorial (spatial) local government is associated with the administrative-territorial system in Europe. Ukraine also requires the administrative-territorial structure of the European standard (which corresponds to the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics, and appropriate system for local government.