FINANCING HOUSING PROGRAMMES AND ITS ROLE IN ENHANCING TRUST IN GOVERNMENT

Abstract

The democratic development of society has shown that the growth of the welfare of the overwhelming majority of the population through the implementation of effective social and economic policy in the country positively influences public attitude to the government and increases the level of trust in the public sector. A successful mechanism to address the social needs of citizens is the development of an affordable housing financing system for the population. The purpose of the study is to analyze the state of affordable housing financing in Ukraine and determine its relationship to trust in the public sector. The article examines the use of state-administrative mechanisms for realizing the housing rights of Ukrainian citizens. Analysis of the current state of implementation of affordable housing programs is proposed, considering the size of mortgage payments and the volume of housing financing. The analysis highlighted the existence of a housing crisis in Ukrainian society as a result of the extremely low level of funding for the sector. The study provides a comparative analysis of the housing affordability index and the level of trust in government in Europe, according to the Global Value Survey. This has helped determine the place of social housing policy in the system of trust relationships between government, local governments and citizens. According to the sociological monitoring platforms, a dynamic analysis of the balance of trust-distrust of the population of Ukraine to the state apparatus and local government bodies was conducted. Based on a comprehensive and critical assessment of the leading affordable housing programs in the country and trust indicators, this study found that the distribution of powers, incentives, responsibilities, and budget funds within the framework of the decentralization process between the central government and local authorities, contribute to the achievement of the main goals of the state's social policy regarding affordable housing, which positively affects the level of citizens trust in local authorities. As a result, it was determined that during periods of economic and political uncertainty, financing of affordable housing is quite important, because due to such actions the state reduces the level of uncertainty, forms positive expectations of citizens, promotes the increase of stability and trust necessary for sustainable economic and social recovery.