СОЦІАЛЬНО-ЕКОНОМІЧНА СУТНІСТЬ ТА ХАРАКТЕРНІ РИСИ СМАРТ-РЕГУЛЮВАННЯ НАЦІОНАЛЬНОЇ ЕКОНОМІК, SOCIO-ECONOMIC ESSENCE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NATIONAL ECONOMY SMART REGULATION

<jats:p>The article examines the socio-economic essence, content, and characteristic features of smart regulation of the national economy under conditions of digital transformation of society, the development of information technologies, and increasing complexity of public administration mechanisms. It is substantiated that modern economic processes are characterized by high dynamism, increasing uncertainty, the emergence of new business models, and the need for rapid state response to technological, social, and market changes. Under such conditions, traditional regulatory approaches based primarily on administrative influence, regulatory control, and direct state intervention in economic processes require transformation and transition toward more flexible, adaptive, and effective governance models. The purpose of the article is to deepen the theoretical and methodological foundations of studying the socio-economic essence of smart regulation of the national economy, to determine its key characteristics, principles of functioning, and implementation tools under conditions of digital transformation of public administration. The methodological basis of the research includes a combination of general scientific and special research methods. The study applies methods of analysis and synthesis to determine the essence and content of the concept of “smart regulation”; a systemic approach to consider smart regulation as a complex system of interconnected economic, institutional, organizational, and technological elements; a comparative method to examine the evolution of approaches to state regulation and identify differences between traditional regulatory models and the modern concept of smart regulation; a structural-functional method to determine the main features, principles, and functions of smart regulation; and the method of generalization to develop an authorial approach to understanding its role in ensuring the effective development of the national economy. The research results provide a refined conceptual understanding of smart regulation as a modern model of state influence on socio-economic processes based on the use of digital technologies, big data analytics, a risk-oriented approach, forecasting mechanisms, and evaluation of the effectiveness of regulatory decisions. It is determined that the main difference between smart regulation and traditional models of state regulation lies in shifting the focus from controlling compliance with formal rules toward achieving specific economic and social outcomes. The article substantiates that the socio-economic essence of smart regulation is manifested through its ability to ensure a balance between state influence and economic freedom, reduce excessive regulatory burdens on business entities, improve the quality of public decisions, and create favorable conditions for innovative economic development. The study identifies the key characteristics of smart regulation, including effectiveness, adaptability, digital integration, evidence-based decision-making, transparency, openness, and partnership interaction between the state, business, and society. The scientific novelty of the research lies in deepening the theoretical justification of smart regulation as a modern mechanism for managing the development of the national economy and systematizing its main components: institutional, digital, analytical, economic, and social. Unlike the traditional understanding of regulatory policy, the article proposes considering digitalization not only as a tool for improving individual administrative procedures but also as a fundamental factor in transforming the entire model of state regulation, ensuring a transition from reactive control to proactive data-driven governance. The practical significance of the obtained results lies in the possibility of applying the formulated provisions to improve the state regulatory policy of Ukraine, develop digital mechanisms of interaction between public authorities, businesses, and citizens, increase the efficiency of public administration, and create an institutional environment favorable for economic growth. Prospects for further research are associated with developing methodological approaches to assessing the level of smart regulation development in the national economy, forming a system of indicators for evaluating its effectiveness, and determining organizational and legal conditions for integrating digital technologies into the system of state regulation.</jats:p>