FUNCTIONS OF THE STATE AND LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT BODIES IN THE REGULATION OF FUNERAL SERVICES: ECONOMIC ASPECTS AND ENSURING SOCIAL STANDARDS

Abstract

The article examines the role of the state and local authorities in regulating the funeral industry, focusing on their functions and tasks. The state acts as a guarantor of legislative regulation and supervision of compliance with standards in the field of funeral services, ensuring social standards, developing a legal framework and monitoring its implementation. Local self-government bodies are responsible for the direct implementation of these standards at the local level, ensuring the accessibility of services, financing them and organising the necessary infrastructure. Particular attention is paid to coordination between state and local authorities and the need for interaction with the private sector to ensure the quality and accessibility of services. The review includes an analysis of the legal framework and management functions aimed at ensuring the accessibility and quality of funeral services. Special attention is given to the financing mechanisms for the sector, government support programmes and co-operation with the private sector. The paper also discusses the challenges of decentralisation and its impact on the effectiveness of funeral service management. Conclusions are drawn on the need for a comprehensive approach to regulating the industry to ensure sustainable development and compliance with social standards. The authors note that the economic and social functions of the state and local authorities in regulating funeral services are essential to ensuring the accessibility and quality of funeral services for all citizens, regardless of their social and economic status. The economic functions of public administration bodies in the funeral sector are manifold. These include the financing and subsidising of funeral services, the regulation of the funeral services market, the development of infrastructure, and the attraction of investment. The social functions of public administration bodies in the funeral sector are equally diverse. These include the ensuring of equal access to services, the control over compliance with social standards, the provision of social protection in the funeral sector, and the consideration of humanitarian and ethical aspects. It is evident that the economic and social functions of the state and local self-government are directed towards the establishment of an effective system for the regulation of funeral services. This system is intended to guarantee service accessibility, adherence to quality standards, and the protection of citizens' rights. The subject of the present article is the definition of the economic and social functions of the state and local self-government bodies in the regulation of funeral services. Research methods. In the course of research into the functions of the state and local self-government bodies in the regulation of the funeral business, a variety of research methods are employed to facilitate comprehensive consideration of the legal, social, economic and managerial aspects of this sphere. These include: the method of dialectical materialism; the method of abstraction; methods of analysis and synthesis; the functional method; the system analysis method; the synergistic method; the comparative legal method; the method of interpretation and hermeneutics; the dogmatic method; the system analysis method; and the statistical method. The purpose of the article is to reveal the economic and social functions of the state and local self-government in the regulation of funeral services in Ukraine. Conclusion. The socio-economic functions of the state in the field of funeral services include a set of measures and regulatory actions aimed at providing financial support, organising and supervising the provision of funeral services and ensuring the accessibility of these services to all citizens regardless of their social status; the socio-economic function of local self-government bodies in regulating funeral services in Ukraine is a set of measures and administrative actions aimed at ensuring the accessibility, quality and regulation of funeral services for all social groups, as well as supporting the relevant infrastructure.