THEORETICAL AND LEGAL DIMENSION OF THE TERRITORIAL COMMUNITY SELF-ORGANISATION PROCESS

Abstract

The article develops a theoretical and legal understanding of territorial community selforganisation as a continuous process through which residents transform shared needs into coordinated collective action. It argues that this process cannot be reduced to the activity of neighbourhood self-organisation bodies, public participation, volunteering or civil society organisations. These phenomena represent particular forms and outcomes of the broader capacity of a community to identify problems, pool resources, create internal rules and enter into legal interaction with public authorities. An original definition of territorial community self-organisation is proposed and its social and legal dimensions are distinguished. The process is described through the stages of recognising a common need, communication, voluntary association, internal normative ordering, collective action, legal institutionalisation and public oversight of results. Autonomous, partnership-based and delegated modes of interaction between civic initiatives and local self-government bodies are identified. The article argues that legal regulation should guarantee the possibility of self-organisation without subordinating it to an administrative hierarchy or demanding premature formalisation. Particular attention is paid to volunteer, neighbourhood and network initiatives that provide mutual aid, support internally displaced persons, respond to security threats and maintain basic services during the war. At the same time, civic initiative must not replace the continuing responsibility of the state and local self-government. Criteria for proper self-organisation include voluntariness, inclusiveness, autonomy, legitimate representation, legal certainty, transparency of resources, accountability and adaptability. It is concluded that self-organisation is not an auxiliary activity of the population but an essential quality of a capable territorial community and an important condition for Ukraine’s democratic resilience during the war and post-war recovery.