Paradigm for Building Community Self-Sufficiency: Convergence of Capacity and Social Cohesion

Abstract

The article presents the author's concept of forming the self-sufficiency of territorial communities, built on the principles of a systems approach and the theory of complex adaptive systems. It is substantiated that under the conditions of wartime challenges, community self-sufficiency ceases to be merely a static characteristic of its budgetary security and transforms into a dynamic property that arises at the intersection of resource capacity and social cohesion. Within the framework of the proposed systemic model, the territorial community is considered as an open structure where the convergence of formal institutions, material resources, and informal social ties creates a synergistic effect of resilience.

The scientific novelty of the study lies in detailing the components of capacity (institutional, financial-economic, infrastructural, investment) and their interaction with indicators of social quality. The author proves that resource capacity acts as the "potential energy" of the system, while social cohesion serves as a catalyst that transforms this potential into an active "kinetic response" of the community to external shocks. Special attention is paid to the analysis of resilience as the system's ability to absorb risks, adapt, and strategically transform.

Based on the empirical data of the reSCORE Ukraine study (2021–2024), spatial and temporal differences in the levels of horizontal and vertical cohesion of Ukrainian communities are demonstrated. It is established that it is the convergence of high social solidarity with effective municipal management that allows for minimizing the transactional costs of crisis management and ensuring the continuity of basic socio-economic processes. Recommendations for state policy are formulated regarding the priority of strengthening local self-sufficiency as a basic condition for the stability of national security during the period of post-war recovery.