TRANSFORMATION OF SOCIAL SECURITY: FROM THE «SOCIAL PAYMENTS» MODEL TO THE «SOCIAL SUPPORT» MODEL

Abstract

Introduction. The contemporary architecture of the welfare state is undergoing a profound crisis driven by the inefficiency of passive payments in the context of depopulation and population aging. For Ukraine under martial law, this issue has become existential due to the rapid increase in the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs), persons with disabilities, and veterans. Introducing innovative approaches to the relations between the state, the territorial community, and the beneficiary helps implement a proactive policy for human capital recovery. Thus, it becomes necessary to define the role and place of digital case management and unified benefits within the social protection system.

Aim. To substantiate the expediency of transforming Ukraine’s social security system through the transition from a model of categorical benefits to unified basic social assistance integrated with digital case management in territorial communities.

Materials and Methods. The research materials include the regulatory and legal framework of the reform (Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 371, Draft Law No. 15094) and the works of domestic and foreign scholars in the field of the social investment state. Methods of theoretical generalization, grouping, formalization, systemic-structural, institutional, and economic-mathematical modeling were applied.

Results. The sequence of transforming the protection architecture from passive welfare to an active service model is disclosed. The constituent elements of the reform are identified, namely the introduction of Basic Social Assistance and its synchronization with activation programs. The place of digital case management within the Unified Information System of the Social Sphere (UISSS) as the core of the reform is established. The formulated dynamic expenditure model proves that initial investments in professional support convert into future tax revenues following the individual’s reintegration into the economy. Information on family status obtained through profiling and tripartite agreements allows communities to minimize corruption risks and implement the "money follows the service" principle. Systemic risks of the model’s implementation are identified, including staff shortages, the low-wage trap, and institutional resistance from the system.

Perspectives. Future research is proposed to focus on developing a KPI system to evaluate the performance of case managers in communities and a methodology for supporting families with war-related trauma to improve the organization of social security.