M.H. Bunge – an outstanding Ukrainian scientist, teacher and state reformer (to the 200th anniversary of the birth)

The article presents the significance of M.H. Bunge in Ukrainian history and the development of economic science. It reveals the main achievements of this reformer from a contemporary perspective. The role of Bunge in the development of university education, the creative and critical development of economic theory in the second half of the 19th century, the expansion of the domestic market infrastructure, and the scientific justification and practical implementation of economic reforms is demonstrated. The formation of the Kyiv School of Political Economy is discussed in the context of the theoretical and methodological synchronization of domestic economic theory with the defining trends of global economic science, combining the elements of economic liberalism and state intervention in the transformation of the economic environment. The uniqueness of the Kyiv School of Political Economy is argued based on the characterization of its methodological foundations. The practical activities of M.H. Bunge are presented in the historical dimension of social transformations. In particular, it discloses the social-market orientation of the economic reforms that Bunge developed and implemented. The influence of political factors on the success of economic reforms and their social outcomes is highlighted. Emphasis is placed on the role of economic science in social progress. The author presents M.H. Bunge's relevant warnings regarding social populism and political radicalism. In conclusion, it is asserted that the figure and scientific legacy of M.H. Bunge serve as an ideological and spiritual compass for today.