Abstract:

The article discusses possible options for changing intraregional migration flows in Ukraine, associated with the processes of decentralization – reforms to consolidate and unite settlements (cities, villages, townships) into enlarged territorial units – the so-called united territorial communities (UTCs) in order to transfer significant powers and budgets from government agencies to local governments. Undoubtedly, the successful implementation of this reform will lead to the emergence of new migration directions and the redistribution of the population within the country. The purpose of this article is to analyze the redistribution of migration flows in Ukraine, caused by the processes of decentralization and to identify the impact of migration flows on the development of united territorial communities. The main directions of migration flows associated with the processes of decentralization, in our opinion, will be the following directions: 1) united territorial communities – large cities; 2) migration to UTCs located near large cities and centers of economic development, as an intermediate point for further migration to cities; 3) territorial movements of the population between several UTCs; 4) territorial movements of the population within the UTC from the peripheral regions to the center of the UTC. The main characteristics of UTCs that operate in the regions of Ukraine are considered – their number, the area occupied by UTCs from the area of ​​the region and the share of the region's population living in UTCs. The Western Ukrainian regions and the Dnieper region, where the implementation of this reform is much ahead of the overall Ukrainian pace, are already experiencing new directions of migration flows. The opportunities and threats of population migration for the united territorial communities are analyzed.