Social oriented non-profit organizations in the regional economy: differentiation of research methodological programmes

The level of the regional economy development is determined by various factors, including the performance of the for-profit and non-profit sector, in the structure of which socially oriented non-profit organizations (SONPOs) play an important role. Most of the research methodological programmes used to assess the performance of SONPOs at both the macro and micro levels are focused on determining their effectiveness, while the regional economy requires the development of scientific and methodological approaches to their assessment specifically in a spatial context. The article focuses on the development of an original research methodological programme for analyzing and evaluating the functioning and development of SONPOs in the economic area of the region. The methodological framework of the study includes the ideology of the spatial economy, the socio-economy of the region, the social market economy and the regional governance paradigm. The proposed research methodological programme is based on three groups of indicators that include spatial, socio-economic and financial indicators, which are selected based on the content aspects of the SONPO concept (systemic, spatial, institutional, organizational and managerial, functional), and are the basis for calculating the corresponding indices - private and integral. Spatial indicators relate to the characteristics of the saturation of the economic area of the SONPOs region in various contexts of their operation. Socio-economic indicators characterize the dynamics of the labor and volunteer resources of the functioning and development of SONPOs. Financial indicators make it possible to monitor the development of SONPOs as a tool for implementing socially important functions at the level of regional government and local self-governance. Interpretation of the indices takes additional indicators into account, which take the specifics of a particular region, as well as the results of regional rankings on the level of development of the SONPO sector into consideration, which makes it possible to identify spatial and economic trends and trajectories of SONPOs functioning in the regional economy.