DIGITALIZATION OF REGIONAL ECONOMIC SYSTEMS AS A FACTOR OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL ENTERPRISE IN THE CONDITIONS OF DECENTRALIZATION

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the features of digitalization of regional economic systems and the use of crowdfunding platforms for the development of social entrepreneurship in conditions of decentralization. The main features of social entrepreneurship and the basic problems of the community, the solution of which it is aimed at, are considered. A proper definition of the concept of "social entrepreneurship" is proposed as an innovative activity of a person who implements systemic changes in the social or environmental sphere, receives profit from this activity and significantly affects the development of regional economic systems. It has been established that the development of social entrepreneurship in Ukraine is hindered by the imperfection of the regulatory and legal framework, the lack of effective state support mechanisms, insufficient access to investments, and a low level of social participation. It has been proven that social entrepreneurship is a certain system that reflects various combinations of factors or resources, interested parties (stakeholders) and processes. The main components of the social entrepreneurship system, which includes factors and resources (state policy, social and human capital, financial resources, education and training), as well as key stakeholders (government institutions, social enterprises, social investors, donors, business associations and incubators, accelerators, educational institutions and the community) are defined. It has been established that the digitalization of regional economic systems encourages the spread of new innovative sources of funding for social entrepreneurship, such as crowdfunding. The most common crowdfunding platforms for social entrepreneurship in Ukraine are considered. A number of positive and negative aspects of the use of crowdfunding platforms by social enterprises have been identified. It has been proven that digitalization of regional economic systems is the basis for creating new innovative types of business models, building productive cooperation between key stakeholders of the social entrepreneurship system.