DEVELOPMENT OF COOPERATION IN THE FORMATION OF SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC WELL-BEING OF RURAL HOUSEHOLDS: CONCEPTUAL AND METHODOLOGICAL DISCOURSE

Abstract

Under crisis, the promotion of initiatives to create cooperatives in rural areas is especially relevant for improving the social and economic well- being of rural households. The purpose of the article is to conceptualize the importance of cooperation in increasing the socio-economic well-being of rural households. Data from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine were used to analyze the main indicators of the socio-economic development of rural households in the pre-war period. Initiatives to create cooperatives in rural areas are studied based on the data of the National Project "Incredible Villages of Ukraine" in 2022. The monographic approach and the construction of a logical model were used to deepen the importance of cooperation in increasing the socio-economic well-being of rural households in the context of ensuring sustainable development in rural areas. It was found that the pre-war state of rural households in Ukraine is characterized by low indicators of socio-economic development. Accordingly, the war and post-war periods of the functioning of rural households will be characterized by a drop in the standard of living of the rural population. It is proposed to consider cooperation as a tool for consolidating the capabilities of rural households in order to increase their social and economic well- being. The analysis of business projects for the creation of agricultural cooperatives indicated that further research should be conducted in the direction of attracting financing for the performance of the activities of cooperatives in rural areas both with the help of traditional tools (loans, grants, etc.) and with the help of the latest tools with a targeted impact on sustainable economic, social and environmental development (social, green, sustainable bonds). Accordingly, the effect of increasing the socio-economic well-being of rural households will be twofold: both when joining a cooperative (organizational) and when attracting financing from bonds with a specific purpose (economic).