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The pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) significantly slowed economic development and exacerbated income inequality. However, the scale of this destructive influence varies considerably among countries. Thus, the purpose of this study is to identify changes in causality patterns between economic development and income inequality due to COVID-19. To fulfill the task, an Index of Economic Development (IED) is developed using the multivariate analysis tools, Cronbach's alpha and the Fishburn formula. The Gini index was chosen as a core proxy of social inequality. The research covers a sample of 15 European countries. The period of the analysis is 2000-2021. A set of regression equations are constructed to determine the relationship between economic development and income inequality in the studied countries. A dummy variable is integrated into the equation to determine the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Modeling is carried out on the panel data. The most acceptable functional form of the regression model is clarified based on the Hausman test. Modeling results make it possible to identify patterns of changes in the impact of income inequality on economic development, and vice versa. The change in their causality due to COVID-19 is substantiated.

Intensive economic development leads to the inevitable consequences of anthropogenic impact on the environment. Air pollution, soil degradation, water pollution and lack of clean drinking water lead to deteriorating human health and increasing the burden on the health care system. Globalization and integration have also become important drivers of the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. All this leads to the need to transform the health care system and the model of its financing, and adapt it to these challenges. The aim of this work is to identify theoretical (based on bibliometric analysis) and empirical (based on panel data regression modelling) patterns of the impact of health care expenditure on the effectiveness of the COVID-19 combating. The theoretical part of the work involves the implementation of bibliometric analysis based on 262 Scopus publications, in the title, keywords or annotations of which both concepts such as «health expenditure» and «COVID-19» are mentioned. The practical implementation of this task is carried out using VOSviewer v.1.6.17. According to the results of the bibliometric analysis, contextual, geographical and temporal patterns of publishing activity of scientists on certain issues were revealed. The empirical part of the work involves a statistical analysis to identify the relationship between morbidity and mortality due to COVID-19 and the volatility of the share of current health expenditure in GDP and its structure. The task of this stage is to determine the benchmarking model of financial support of the health care system, which demonstrates the greatest resistance to COVID-19. The analysis was conducted on the basis of data for 13 countries in Europe and Asia (Azerbaijan, Belarus, Armenia, Georgia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Ukraine). According to statistical analysis, the most resistant to COVID-19 is the health care system of Estonia, which is characterized by the volume of health care expenditure at 4-6% of GDP. At the same time, in the structure of the current health care expenditure, 25% is private expenditure and 75% is government expenditure, and external financing is almost non-existent. However, similar proportions of public and private expenditure in other countries do not ensure similar resistance to coronavirus, so this ratio is not a benchmark. A more in-depth analysis using panel regression modelling in Stata 12/SE revealed the positive impact of public, private and external health expenditures on reducing mortality, as well as the positive impact of increasing current health expenditures on life expectancy. The obtained theoretical and practical results can be useful for scientists and government officials in the context of optimizing the financial support of the health care system, taking into account its effectiveness in resisting national and global threats (COVID-19).

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic led to a catastrophic burden on the healthcare system and increased expenditures for the supporting medical infrastructure. It also had dramatic socioeconomic consequences. The purpose of this study is to identify the empirical patterns of healthcare expenditures’ influence on sustainable economic growth in the pandemic and pre-pandemic periods. Fulfilment of the research task involves the implementation of two empirical blocks: (1) development of a Sustainable Economic Growth Index based on public health, environmental, social, and economic indicators using principal component analysis, ranking, Fishburne approach, and additive convolution; (2) modelling the impact of different kinds of healthcare expenditures (current, capital, general government, private, out-of-pocket) on the index using panel data regression modelling (random-effects GLS regression). Regression results in the pre-pandemic period show that the growth of capital, government, and private healthcare expenditures positively influence sustainable economic growth. In 2020–2021, healthcare expenditures did not statistically significantly influence sustainable economic growth. Consequently, more stable conditions allowed capital healthcare expenditures to boost economic growth, while an excessive healthcare expenditure burden damaged economic stability during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the pre-pandemic period, public and private healthcare expenditures ensured sustainable economic growth; out-of-pocket healthcare expenditures dominantly contributed to the pandemic period.

Via bibliometric analysis, the research identifies the contextual vectors of the healthcare financial provision effectiveness. Moreover, we broaden the empirical substantiation of panel data regression modelling for 34 European countries. In particular, we define performance of public (budgetary) and private financing to reduce the mortality rate and raise life expectancy in pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. The systematization of existing literature sources and approaches to solving the problem is implemented by means of bibliometric and monographic analysis. Consequently, there are 6 contextual clusters of scientific research on determining the healthcare financial provision effectiveness in the modern science. Within the analysed works, researchers mainly study general prerequisites of the healthcare financial provision effectiveness. The optimal cost formation of medical services for diagnosing and treating diseases is reproduced as well. The issue urgency consists in analysing the efficient patterns of spending various funds to decrease the mortality rate and increase life expectancy in the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. Subsequently, we detect some general parameters of healthcare resistance to counter shocks similar to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper, we show statistical analysis of mortality indexes (total and COVID-19). Among 34 European countries, the highest and lowest efficiency levels were identified within these parameters. The study empirical block constructs 8 regression models on panel data. They differ in dependent (mortality rate or life expectancy) or independent variables (block 1: current and capital healthcare expenditures in GDP; block 2: current healthcare expenditures), and modelling period (pre-pandemic – 2000-2019, pandemic– 2020-2022 or the current period). The modelling results represent financial drivers and change inhibitors of the mortality rate and life expectancy during the pandemic and pre-pandemic periods. Therefore, we established the most effective groups of healthcare expenditures, which is based on the country epidemiological situation. The obtained results can be useful for scientists, representatives of state and local authorities.

This paper assesses the multiplexing efficiency of environmental taxes in ensuring environmental, energy, and economic security which is an integral part of sustainability in six European countries that are leaders in the Environmental Performance Index. This study aims to confirm the hypothesis that environmental taxes and payments could simultaneously affect changes in important environmental, energy, and economic security as well as sustainability parameters. Not all the previously selected taxes, which affect the parameters of all three areas of environmental, energy, and economic sustainability and security can ensure their simultaneous growth. Calculations made for the period 1994–2019 showed that in the system of environmental taxation of Denmark, five environmental taxes and fees provide an increase in the integrated level of environmental, economic, and energy security and sustainability; in Belgium, two environmental taxes are characterized by multiplex efficiency; in France, seven environmental taxes and payments; in Austria, four; in Finland, one; and in the UK, four. The paper’s findings could create the basis for improving environmental taxation systems in the countries to increase comprehensive national security growth and ensure sustainable development path of the countries.

Державне управління суттєво трансформувалось за останні кілька десятиліть під впливом численних численними зовнішніх та внутрішніх факторів. Цифровізація соціально-економічних відносин призводить до появи та впровадження нового виду інновацій у державному управлінні - електронного врядування. Тому розробка стратегії маркетингу та менеджменту таким видом інновацій, як електронне врядування, вважається необхідною передумовою довіри до уряду. Метою статті є визначення впливу електронного врядування на довіру до уряду та розробка рекомендацій щодо маркетингу та менеджменту ним. У статті систематизовано основні національні та зарубіжні підходи до вимірювання ефективності електронного врядування як на рівні центрального, так і субцентрального урядів. Також здійснено бібліометричний аналіз за допомогою VOSviewer v.1.6.16 з метою виявлення ключових контекстуальних напрямків наукових досліджень з питань електронного врядування та маркетингу та менеджменту, а також конкретизація їх змістовних перетинів. У статті висунуто та перевірено наукову гіпотезу про позитивний вплив електронного врядування на бренд центральної та субцентральної влади та лояльність громадян. Для перевірки цієї гіпотези було здійснено регресійний аналіз на панельних даних за допомогою програмного забезпечення Stata 12/SE. У регресійній моделі як вимірник ефективності електронного врядування (незалежна змінна) обрано Індекс розвитку електронного урядування (EGDI), який є композитним індикатором з трьох індексів, таких як індекс онлайн-послуг, індекс телекомунікацій та індекс людського капіталу. У якості параметра оцінювання довіри до центрального та субцентрального уряду та лояльності громадян (залежна змінна) обрано показник показник довіри до уряду, який розраховується Організацією економічного співробітництва та розвитку (ОЕСР) і характеризує частку людей, які повідомляють про довіру до національного уряду. Регресійна модель також включає вибірку контрольних змінних, таких як світові показники управління. Вибірка країн складається з 19 країн-членів ОЕСР (європейських країн): Австрія, Бельгія, Чехія, Данія, Фінляндія, Франція, Греція, Угорщина, Італія, Нідерланди, Польща, Португалія, Словацька Республіка, Швеція, Великобританія, Естонія, Латвія, Литва та Словенія. 2008-2020 (зокрема, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020). За результатами бібліометричного та регресійного аналізу було розроблено набір практичних рекомендацій щодо перспектив маркетингу та менеджменту електронним управлінням центральних та субцентральних органів влади. Public governance significantly transformed over the last several decades that is determined by numerous external and internal factors. Digitalization of social and economic relations results in the appearance and implementation of a new kind of innovation in public management – e-governance. Therefore, developing the marketing and management strategy of such innovation as e-governance is considered a necessary precondition for trust in government. The paper aims to determine the impact of e-governance on trust in government and the development of recommendations on marketing and management of it. In the paper, the authors systematized main national and foreign approaches to measuring e-governance efficiency both at the level of central and sub-central governments. It is also realized a bibliometric analysis with VOSviewer v.1.6.16 to identify key contextual directions of scientific research on e-governance, marketing, and management and clarify its intercepts. The paper has developed a scientific hypothesis about the positive influence of e-governance on central and sub-central government brands and citizens' loyalty. To test this hypothesis, a panel data regression analysis was realized using Stata 12/SE software. In the regression model as a proxy of e-governance efficiency (independent variable), an E-Government Development Index (EGDI) is chosen, which is a composite indicator of three indices such as online service index, telecommunication index, and human capital index. It is chosen as a proxy central and sub-central government brand and citizens' loyalty (dependent variable), an indicator of Trust in Government that is calculated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and refers to the share of people who report having confidence in the national government. Besides, the regression model includes a sample of control variables such as Worldwide Governance Indicators. The country sample consists of 19 OECD member states (European countries): Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Sweden, Great Britain, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Slovenia. 2008-2020 (specifically, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020). Under the bibliometric and regression analysis results, a set of practical recommendations on the perspectives of central and sub-central governments' marketing and management of egovernance.

У цій статті узагальнено аргументи та контраргументи в рамках наукової дискусії щодо визначення впливу незаконної економічної діяльності та розширення тіньової економіки на інноваційний розвиток країни. Систематизація наукових праць з вищезазначених проблем доводить, що у згаданих наукових працях немає комплексності та єдності, що, в свою чергу, доводить необхідність подальшого теоретичного та емпіричного пошуку в цій сфері. Таким чином, у роботі була висунута наукова гіпотеза про негативний вплив тіньової економіки на інноваційний розвиток країни. Для перевірки цієї гіпотези був розроблений науково-методологічний підхід, що складається з декількох етапів: 1) кореляційний аналіз з метою усунення проблеми мультиколінеарності між змінними управління; 2) аналіз описової статистики набору даних; 3) проведення тесту Хаусмана з метою уточнення специфікації моделі регресії (модель фіксованих або випадкових ефектів); 4) реалізація панельного регресійного аналізу даних для всієї вибірки країни та окремо для України, характеристика її результатів. Технічно всі етапи дослідження реалізуються за допомогою програмного забезпечення Stata 12/SE. Вибірка дослідження складається з 9 країн (Азербайджан, Естонія, Угорщина, Латвія, Литва, Польща, Словацька Республіка, Словенія та Україна). Часовий горизонт – 2008-2018. Запуск панельного регресійного аналізу даних (специфікація моделі – з фіксованими ефектами) дозволяє підтвердити гіпотезу дослідження для всієї вибірки країни (збільшення тіньової економіки негативно вплинуло на інноваційний розвиток країни: збільшення відношення тіньової економіки до ВВП на 1% призводить до зниження Глобального індексу інновацій на 0,5 бала), але для України це окремо не доведено. Це підводить нас до висновку, що інноваційний розвиток в Україні не залежить від масштабу тіньової економіки через те, що ми маємо більш значні перешкоди на шляху до впровадження інновацій (інституційна неефективність, недоліки регулювання тощо). This article generalises arguments and counterarguments within the scientific discussion regarding the determination of the influence of illegal economic activity and expansion of the shadow economy on innovative country development. The systematisation of the scientific works on the above problems proves that there is no one no complexity and unity in the above-mentioned scientific findings, which, in turn, demonstrates the necessity of further theoretical and empirical search in this sphere. Thus, it was developed a scientific hypothesis about the negative influence of the shadow economy on innovative country development. In order to test this hypothesis it was developed a scientific and methodological approach that consists of several stages: 1) correlation analysis in order to eliminate multicollinearity problem between control variables; 2) analysis of dataset descriptive statistics; 3) running Hausman test in order to clarify specification of the regression model (fixed or random effects model); 4) realisation of the panel data regression analysis for the whole country sample and separately for Ukraine, characteristics of its results. Technically all stages of the research are realised with the help of Stata 12/S.E. software. The country sample consists of 9 countries (Azerbaijan, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, and Ukraine). Time horizon – 2008-2018. Running of the panel data regression analysis (model specification – with fixed effects) allow confirming research hypothesis for the whole country sample (an increase of shadow economy negatively affected innovative country development: an increase of shadow economy to GDP ratio in 1 % leads to the decrease of the Global Innovation Index in 0.5 points). However, it was not proved for Ukraine separately. It leads to the conclusion that innovative development in Ukraine does not highly dependent on the shadow economy scale because of more significant obstacles on the way on innovation adoption (institutional inefficiency, regulatory drawbacks etc.).

Протягом 2020-2021 рр. на перший план світового порядку денного вийшла необхідність об’єднання зусиль світової спільноти щодо протидії деструктивному впливу пандемії COVID-19 не лише на життя та здоров’я населення, але й на стан макроекономічної стабільності держави. Основним завданням, що постало перед представниками органів державної влади на етапі активного розгортання пандемії, було розроблення та імплементація дієвих та швидких інструментів стримування поширення коронавірусної інфекції разом з інтервенціями щодо підтримання ділової активності бізнесу та добробуту населення. У свою чергу, науковці всього світу протягом 2020-2021 рр. сфокусували свої зусилля на багатосторонньому аналізі причин, особливостей та наслідків прояву пандемії у різних сфери життя. Основною метою даного дослідження є аналіз впливу пандемії COVID-19 на основні параметри макроекономічної стабільності держави та формалізація зміни паттернів цього впливу для вибірки європейських країн. Аналіз проведено за 2015–2021 рр. для вибірки з 15 європейських країн, серед яких: Албанія, Болгарія, Хорватія, Чехія, Естонія, Угорщина, Латвія, Литва, Молдова, Польща, Румунія, Сербія, Словаччина, Словенія та Україна. Часовий діапазон дослідження охоплює як допандемічний період, так і період розгортання пандемії. Це дозволить оцінити стан запасу макроекономічної стабільності у досліджуваних країнах до розгортання пандемії, виявити масштаб деструктивного її впливу у період активної стадії пандемії, а також з’ясувати ключові зміни аналізованих параметрів макроекономічної стабільності у пандемічний та допандемічний періоди. Проведений у роботі огляд напрацювань науковців з визначеної тематики дозволив виявити, що найбільш релевантними індикаторами характеристики стану макроекономічної стабільності є зростання ВВП, %; рівень зайнятості населення, розрахований за методологією Міжнародної організації праці, %; рівень споживчих цін, %; баланс рахунку поточних операцій, % від ВВП. Для виконання поставленого у межах роботи завдання реалізовано декілька етапів: 1) визначення шляхом статистичного аналізу з розрахунком середніх по вибірці країн рівнів відповідних показників, їх ланцюгових та базисних темпів приросту закономірностей зміни детермінант макроекономічної стабільності у країнах, що увійшли до вибірки, у допандемічний та пандемічний періоди; 2) здійснення кластерного аналізу з використанням кластеризації за методом Варда та побудова дендрограм у програмному продукті Stata 14.2/SE за відібраною групою країн у 2015, 2019, 2020 та 2021 роках; 3) визначення паттернів стану макроекономічної стабільності у 15 європейських країнах та закономірностей їх зміни, спричинених впливом пандемії COVID19. Отримані результатами статистичного та кластерного аналізу в загальних рисах засвідчують, що пандемія COVID-19 завдала шкоди макроекономічній стабільності досліджуваних 15 європейських країн, але масштаб деструктивного впливу не є однаковим: країни з більшим запасом міцності та стабільності макроекономічних показників у допандемічний період більш легко пройшли стадію високої турбулентності, спричиненої пандемією коронавірусу, тоді як держави, які і протягом кількох років до пандемії характеризувалися макроекономічною нестабільністю, зазнали більш руйнівних наслідків у 2020-2021 рр. За результатами дослідження встановлено, що найбільш згубний вплив пандемія мала на стан макроекономічної стабільності Хорватії та Словенії, що призвело до зміни паттернів співвідношенням детермінант забезпечення макроекономічної стабільності і їх переходу у 2021 році до гіршого кластеру, тоді як Словаччина у 2020-2021 рр. навіть перейшла до більш стабільного кластеру. Отримані результати дослідження можуть бути корисними як представникам органів державної влади у контексті формування стратегії постпандемічного відновлення, так і представникам академічної спільноти – для поглиблення наукових пошуків у цьому напрямку. During 2020-2021 the world community united the efforts to counteract the destructive impact of the COVID19 pandemic not only on the life and health of the population but also on the state of country macroeconomic stability. The main task faced by the representatives of state authorities at the stage of the active development of the pandemic was the development and implementation of effective and quick tools to contain the spread of the coronavirus infection along with interventions to maintain the business and population well-being. In turn, during 2020-2021 scientists from all over the world focused their efforts on a multifaceted analysis of the causes, features and consequences of the pandemic in various spheres of life. The main goal of this study is to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the main parameters of the country macroeconomic stability and formalize the changes in patterns of this impact for a sample of European countries. The analysis was conducted for a sample of 15 European countries, including: Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine during 2015–2021. The time range of the study covers both the pre-pandemic period and pandemic period. This will make it possible to assess the margin of macroeconomic stability in the countries before the outbreak of the pandemic, to reveal the scale of its destructive influence during the active stage of the pandemic, and also to find out the key changes in the analyzed parameters of macroeconomic stability in the pandemic and pre-pandemic periods. The literature review on a certain topic conducted in the work revealed that the most relevant indicators of the state of macroeconomic stability are GDP growth, %; the level of employment of the population, calculated according to the methodology of the International Labor Organization, %; consumer price index, %; current account balance, % of GDP. To fulfill the task set within the scope of the work, several stages were implemented: 1) determination by means of statistical analysis with calculation of the average levels of the relevant indicators for the sample of countries, their chain and base growth rates of the patterns of change in the determinants of macroeconomic stability in the countries included in the sample, in the pre-pandemic and pandemic period periods; 2) performing a cluster analysis using Ward clustering and constructing dendrograms in the Stata 14.2/SE software product for a selected group of countries in 2015, 2019, 2020 and 2021; 3) determination of patterns of macroeconomic stability in 15 European countries and patterns of their change caused by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of the statistical and cluster analysis generally show that the COVID-19 pandemic has damaged the macroeconomic stability of the 15 European countries but the scale of the destructive impact is not the same: countries with a greater margin of strength and stability of macroeconomic indicators in the pre-pandemic period more easily passed the stage of high turbulence caused by the coronavirus pandemic, while states that were characterized by macroeconomic instability for several years before the pandemic suffered more devastating consequences in 2020-2021. According to the results of the study, it was established that the pandemic had the most detrimental effect on the state of macroeconomic stability in Croatia and Slovenia, which led to a change in patterns of the ratio of determinants of macroeconomic stability and their transition in 2021 to a worse cluster, while Slovakia even moved to a more stable cluster in 2020-2021. The obtained research results can be useful both to representatives of state authorities in the context of the formation of a post-pandemic recovery strategy, and to representatives of the academic community – for deepening scientific research in this direction.

This paper assesses the multiplexing efficiency of environmental taxes in ensuring environmental, energy, and economic security which is an integral part of sustainability in six European countries that are leaders in the Environmental Performance Index. This study aims to confirm the hypothesis that environmental taxes and payments could simultaneously affect changes in important environmental, energy, and economic security as well as sustainability parameters. Not all the previously selected taxes, which affect the parameters of all three areas of environmental, energy, and economic sustainability and security can ensure their simultaneous growth. Calculations made for the period 1994-2019 showed that in the system of environmental taxation of Denmark, five environmental taxes and fees provide an increase in the integrated level of environmental, economic, and energy security and sustainability; in Belgium, two environmental taxes are characterized by multiplex efficiency; in France, seven environmental taxes and payments; in Austria, four; in Finland, one; and in the UK, four. The paper's findings could create the basis for improving environmental taxation systems in the countries to increase comprehensive national security growth and ensure sustainable development path of the countries.

Increased interest in balancing environmental, energy and economic policy issues leads to the actualization of the search for comprehensive instruments of state influence. The intersectoral nature of environmental taxation shows a significant potential for its impact on the simultaneous provision of various areas of national security. The existence of multiplexed transmission links between the individual components of national security necessitated the development of a scientific and methodological approach to a comprehensive assessment of the impact of environmental taxes on national security in the context of building an optimal system of environmental taxation. The research is built as a sequence of interrelated stages. The selection of environmental taxes that have the potential to have multiplex effects on national security was determined using the Granger causality test. The components of national security that depend on the impact of environmental taxes are defined as environmental, energy and economic security. Transmission multiplexes that arise between individual components of national security are taken into account by aggregating them into an integral index according to the Kolmogorov-Gabor method. To determine the impact of individual environmental taxes and their combinations on national security, multiple linear and nonlinear ridge regression equations are constructed. The maximum level of national security that can be achieved as a result of environmental taxation is determined using a multi-parameter optimization model. Solving the optimization model allows determining the optimal structure of environmental taxes in the country. Determining the integrated levels of environmental, energy and economic security that correspond to the optimal level of national security achieved as a result of environmental taxation should be done through spectral analysis, which will take into account the links between the components of national security. The proposed approach creates a sound methodological basis for determining the directions of development of environmental taxes in order to achieve global and national public policy goals.

The paper is devoted to the investigation of environmental, energy and economic security by multivariate analysis methods. A set of indicators selected for research conducting includes 9 parameters for each security type. Study sample is formed by data for 6 Eastern European countries (Ukraine, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Hungary and Slovak Republic) for the period 2000–2019. Empirical study was conducted by factor analysis, which allowed identifying the main components of environmental, energy and economic security. Comparison of the results obtained for the studied countries showed differentiation of individual profiles of such types of security. Investigation of integral vectors of environmental, energy and economic security showed the highest level of interaction between energy and environmental security and the lowest one between energy and economic security.

In this paper, four groups of countries were studied using Ward's hierarchical clustering method and considering the most informative and relevant indicators of socioeconomic development, which include countries with convergent socioeconomic trends. For each of the identified clusters, based on the panel data regression analysis, we have determined the relationships between changes in tax revenues from energy, transport, pollution environmental taxes and GDP growth rate. Based on the generalization of the results of cluster and regression analyses, the structural and functional patterns of architecture for the environmental tax system were formalized, taking into account the specifics of countries' socioeconomic development.

The aim of the paper is to analyse peculiarities of building an environmental tax systems, examining the level of their convergent (divergent) relationships. Main contribution of the paper lies in testing of the hypothesis of existing convergence processes in architecture of environmental tax systems of European countries (as the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Latvia, Lithuania and the Czech Republic) on the basis of panel data analysis for the set of European countries using the regression model in Stata 12/SE and MS Excel. Testing the hypothesis about the existence of convergence in construction of environmental tax system of the above mentioned European countries was realized on the base of analysis of coefficients of panel data regression analysis (both fixed effects and random effects models) – for beta convergence and variation coefficient – for sigma convergence. Such parameters as environmental tax revenue (for air pollution) to general tax revenues ratio, %; environmental tax revenue (for water pollution) to general tax revenues ratio, %; environmental tax revenue (for waste management) to general tax revenues ratio, % were chosen as measures of environmental tax system characteristics. Empirical research results confirmed hypothesis of the presence of β-convergence and σ-convergence in the context environmental tax systems of chosen countries.

About 10% of the world population suffered from hunger in 2018. Thereby, the main objective of this research is the identification of environmental drivers and inhibitors of a country&rsquo, s food security in the short and long run. The Food Security Index (FSI) was constructed from 19 indicators using Principal Component Analysis. Identification of the short- and long-run relationships between the FSI and environmental factors was realized with the pooled mean-group estimator for 28 post-socialistic countries for 2000&ndash, 2016. Empirical research results showed that a country&rsquo, s food security in the short run is affected by greenhouse gas emissions but boosted by the increase of renewable energy production. Reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, electrification of rural populations, access to clean fuels, renewable energy production, arable land, and forest area growth might be essential tasks in order to ensure countries&rsquo, food security in the long-run.

Transformation of the mechanism of responsibility redistribution between central and sub-central government resulted in expansion of fiscal decentralization (FD) ideas. The concept of fiscal decentralization in general features was formed at the second half of XX century, however, key ideas appeared far more earlier. Nevertheless, many controversial empirical research results are focused on the identification of fiscal decentralization influence on economic and social development (different empirical researches confirmed its positive, negative or insignificant influence). Thus, because of dynamic change of worldwide socio-economic trends, it becomes crucial to realize up-to-date empirical comprehensive research on fiscal decentralization impact on different aspects of country social and economic development

This article generalizes arguments and counter-arguments within the scientific discussion regarding the determination of the optimal decentralization level, which will provide the country’s innovative development, since the key task of decentralization has to be not only to expand the income and expenditure powers of the subnational formations but also to understand the final goal of this process – qualitative transformation of the country’s economic system towards improving its innovativeness and competitiveness. Thus, the decentralization reform has to be the driver of the innovative economic development, which is the expected result of the managerial decision-making freedom increase at the local level, the subnational formations’ financial self-sufficiency increase and more effective spending policy (expansion of the innovative projects financing amounts that will promote the sustainable economic growth). Systematization of the scientific works on the above problems proves that there is no one idea regarding the decentralization impact on the country’s economic and innovative development among scientists. That is why it is urgent to continue the empirical searching in this area, that will enable to take into account the dual nature of consequences regarding the activation of the decentralization processes. The empirical study is carried out through using of the non-linear analysis form of dependence (GLM regression, which enables to identify the linear and nonlinear character of the relationship between variables) based on the panel data, formed for set of 23 states-OECD members (Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Great Britain and the USA) during 2002-2015. The expenditure decentralization index, calculated as the ratio between the consolidated expenses amount at the subnational level and state consolidated expenses, expressed in parts of the whole, is chosen as the factorial variable model. The final variable (traditional for the economic growth models) is GDP per capita (dollars the USA). Besides, the set of control variables is added to this regression model (which explain the regularities of the resultative feature change and have a strong relationship with it). The control variables are selected on the basis of correlation analysis. The practical implementation of all stages in this research is performed using the software product Stata 12/SE. The results of the study confirm the non-linear character of dependence (the inverse U-shape) regarding the GDP change per capita on the expenditure decentralization level change, and also the maximum extremum of the function in the point with expenditure decentralization level 1.35. It means that excessive expenses load (above the specified norm) on the local budgets will be accompanied by inhibition of the innovative and economic dynamics, that should be taken into account by the relevant authorized executive bodies in investigation of the concrete measures regarding intergovernmental relationships reforming in direction of their decentralization, and in the formation of the well-balanced economic and innovative policies. Ця стаття узагальнює аргументи та контраргументи в межах наукової дискусії щодо визначення оптимального рівня децентралізації, який би сприяв забезпеченню інноваційного розвитку країни, адже ключовим завданням децентралізації має бути не лише розширення дохідних та видаткових повноважень субнаціональних утворень, а й розуміння фінальної мети цього процесу – якісної трансформації економічної системи країни у напрямку поліпшення її інноваційності та конкурентоспроможності. Таким чином, реформа децентралізації повинна виступати драйвером інноваційного економічного розвитку, що є закономірним результатом збільшення свободи прийняття управлінських рішень на локальному рівні, зростання фінансової самодостатності субнаціональних утворень та більш ефективної видаткової політики (розширення обсягів фінансування інноваційних проектів, що сприятиме сталому економічному зростанню). Систематизація наукових напрацювань з означеної проблематики засвідчила, що серед науковців не існує одностайності щодо впливу децентралізації на економічний та інноваційний розвиток країни, а тому актуальності набуває продовження емпіричних пошуків у даному напрямку, що дозволили б врахувати дуальну природу наслідків активізації децентралізаційних процесів. Емпіричне дослідження проведено з використання інструментарію аналізу нелінійної форми залежності (GLM регресія, яка дозволяє ідентифікувати як лінійний, так і нелінійних характер взаємозв’язку між змінними) на основі панельних даних, сформованих для вибірки 23 держав-членів ОЕСР (Австрія, Бельгія, Канада, Чеська Республіка, Данія, Естонія, Фінляндія, Франція, Німеччина, Греція, Угорщина, Італія, Нідерланди, Норвегія, Польща, Португалія, Словаччина, Словенія, Іспанія, Швеція, Швейцарія, Великобританія та США) за 2002-2015 рр. У якості факторної змінної моделі було обрано показник децентралізації витрат, який розраховується як співвідношення обсягу консолідованих витрат на субнаціональному рівні до обсягу консолідованих витрат держави, вираженого у частинах цілого. Результативна змінна (традиційна для моделей економічного росту) – ВВП на душу населення (дол. США). Крім того, до даної регресійної моделі було введено набір контрольних змінних (що пояснюють закономірності зміни результативної ознаки та мають сильний зв'язок з нею). Вибір контрольних змінних було проведено на основі використанням кореляційного аналізу. Практична реалізація усіх етапів даного дослідження була здійснена з використання програмного продукту Stata 12/SE. За результатами дослідження було підтверджено нелінійний характер залежності (форма оберненої параболи) зміни ВВП на душу населення від зміни рівня децентралізації витрат, а також досягнення максимального екстремуму функції у точці з рівнем децентралізації витрат 1,35, тобто надмірне видаткове навантаження (понад означений поріг) на місцеві бюджети супроводжуватиметься пригніченням інноваційної та економічної динаміки, що має бути враховано відповідними уповноваженими органами виконавчої гілки влади при розробці конкретних заходів щодо реформування міжбюджетних відносин у напрямку їх децентралізації, а також при побудові виваженої економічної та інноваційної політик.

Intensification of financial development during last decade causes transformation of banking sector functioning. In particular, among the most significant changes over this period should be noted the next ones: convergence of financial market segments and appearance of cross-sector financial products, an increase of prevailing of financial sector in comparison with real economy and level of their interdependent, an intensification of crisis processes in financial and especially banking sector and a significant increase of the scale of the crisis consequences etc. thus, in such vulnerable conditions it is become very urgent to identify the relevant factors that can influence on the stability of banking sector, because its maintenance seems to be one of the most important preconditions of the stability of the national economy as a whole. Purpose of the article is to analyze key performance indicators of the Ukrainian banking system, clarify its main problems, identify relevant factors of the stability of the Ukrainian banking system and the character of their influence on the dependent variable. Realization of the mentioned above tasks was ensured by regression analysis (OLS regression). Analysis of key indicators that characterize current situation in the Ukrainian banking system found out the existence of numerous endogenous and exogenous problems, which, in turn, cause worsening most of analyzed indicators during 2013-2015. Unfavorable situation in Ukrainian banking system determined the necessity of identification of relevant factors of banking system stability to avoid transmission of financial shocks. According to the results of regression analysis on the stability of banking sector positively influence such factors as increase of interest margin to gross income ratio, reserves to assets ratio, number of branches, ratio of non-performing loans to total loans. Meanwhile, negative impact on stability of banking system has an increase of liquid assets to short term liabilities ratio and cost to income ratio. Empirical results of the research found out that grate damage to the stability of banking system has some parameters of banking activity, that’s why the main purpose of the regulation by the National Bank of Ukraine should be strengthening of macroprudential supervision and intensification of adaptation of Basel II and Basel III requirements

Intensification of financial development during last decade causes transformation of banking sector functioning. In particular, among the most significant changes over this period should be noted the next ones: convergence of financial market segments and appearance of cross-sector financial products, an increase of prevailing of financial sector in comparison with real economy and level of their interdependent, an intensification of crisis processes in financial and especially banking sector and a significant increase of the scale of the crisis consequences etc. thus, in such vulnerable conditions it is become very urgent to identify the relevant factors that can influence on the stability of banking sector, because its maintenance seems to be one of the most important preconditions of the stability of the national economy as a whole. Purpose of the article is to analyze key performance indicators of the Ukrainian banking system, clarify its main problems, identify relevant factors of the stability of the Ukrainian banking system and the character of their influence on the dependent variable. Realization of the mentioned above tasks was ensured by regression analysis (OLS regression). Analysis of key indicators that characterize current situation in the Ukrainian banking system found out the existence of numerous endogenous and exogenous problems, which, in turn, cause worsening most of analyzed indicators during 2013-2015. Unfavorable situation in Ukrainian banking system determined the necessity of identification of relevant factors of banking system stability to avoid transmission of financial shocks. According to the results of regression analysis on the stability of banking sector positively influence such factors as increase of interest margin to gross income ratio, reserves to assets ratio, number of branches, ratio of non-performing loans to total loans. Meanwhile, negative impact on stability of banking system has an increase of liquid assets to short term liabilities ratio and cost to income ratio. Empirical results of the research found out that grate damage to the stability of banking system has some parameters of banking activity, that’s why the main purpose of the regulation by the National Bank of Ukraine should be strengthening of macroprudential supervision and intensification of adaptation of Basel II and Basel III requirements.

It is determined that economic, energy and environmental security indicators are characterised by the presence of systemic interconnections. The results of the evaluation show, that environmental and energy security are more closely related than environmental and economic or energy and economic types of security. The integral index of environmental-energy-economic security was constructed and assessed taking into account the linkage of individual indicators. Sample of individual indicators is presented by 27 parameters (nine indictors for each security type, divided into groups), which are normalised. The internal consistence of indicators describing each type of security is evaluated by Cronbach coefficient alpha. Integral index considers interrelationships between individual indicators estimated as level and direction of pair correlation. The values of this index show that during 2000-2016, Slovak Republic demonstrated the highest level of such comprehensive security, while Poland - the lowest one.

The article analyzes the approaches to the definition of the essence and quantitative assessment of the fiscal effectiveness of the income tax. According to the results of the study, it was found out that the fiscal effectiveness of the income tax can be estimated through the indicators of fiscal importance of the tax in the tax revenues of the state (consolidated) budget; tax burden of the tax (in relation to GDP); elasticity of income tax; effective tax rate and tax productivity, etc. The analysis of the dynamics of these indicators over the past few years in Ukraine has allowed us to confirm the low level of fiscal effectiveness and regulatory potential of this tax for Ukraine. One of the possible ways to improve the fiscal effectiveness of the income tax is to use indirect channels of influence, which are represented by the general state of the country's economic development, labor market efficiency, level of welfare of the population, investment attractiveness, and performance of enterprises. The empirical study of determining the most significant channels of influence on the indicators of fiscal effectiveness of the income tax has made it possible to find out: 1) growth of absolute amounts of income tax revenue can be achieved through the use of the investment channel, budget channel and labor market channel; 2) increase in the tax burden on income tax is contributed by the increase in the revenues of the Consolidated Budget, index of industrial producer prices and consumer price index, and increase of the employment rate, while the improvement of the indicators of the overall economic development of the state and investment climate leads to reduction of the tax burden; 3) increase in the fiscal significance of the income tax is contributed by the increase in growth rate of direct investment, level of employment and real wages. Thus, the analysis conducted allowed to identify the channels through which authorities can influence the fiscal effectiveness of the income tax.

The Food Security Index (consists of 19 indicators) was developed to assess the impact of environmental determinants on the state of food security. The formation of the integral index was carried out using principal component analysis. The proportions of the inclusion of each of the 19 indicators are based on the eigenvalues of the 1st principal component that explains 48.37% of the variation. Identification of the environmental factors influence on the Food Security Index was carried out using panel data regression analysis (random-effect GLS regression) for the sample of 28 post socialistic countries for the period 2000-2016. Empirical results reveal a statistically significant positive effect of most ecological determinants of sustainable agro-management on food security. While the impact of growth in coal use for electricity and fossil fuels is insignificant. However, the increase in the consumption of electricity and growth of unproductive energy losses negatively affects the food security.