THE MIDDLE CLASS AS A POST-WAR FORCER OF SUSTAINABLE SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF UKRAINE

Abstract

The article, based on modern scientific research and world practice, examines the problems of the formation and development of the middle class in the world and Ukraine and its impact on the post-war sustainable social development; it was found that in recent years, domestic scientists have carried out a number of studies devoted to the stratification of Ukrainian society, the place and role of the middle class in it; it is shown that the historical context of the formation of the middle class in post-socialist countries was characterized by the absence of political decisions analogous to Western ones; it is noted that only in the last decades there is a trend of increasing interest in the middle class of developing countries, the subject field of middle class research in the context of economic inequality is expanding; the role of modern welfare states in the formation of the middle class, the reduction of economic inequality and the mitigation of the consequences of economic crises is described; it is determined at what stage the process of formation of the middle class in Ukraine is in today’s conditions, what are its characteristic features and what will be its possible influence on the further post-war development of the country; it was found out that citizens of Ukraine consider the presence of: a stable income that ensures a high standard of living, comfortable housing, a job that meets qualifications and is properly paid, durable goods, a high level of education, insurance policies, etc., to be mandatory features of the middle class; it has been proven that the best world experience in the formation and development of the middle class has practical value for the formation of the Ukrainian middle class, despite the fact that the problem of its formation in our country is significantly deepening under the influence of the factor of the Russian-Ukrainian war.