Strategic guidelines for regulating spatial-structural economic changes in the regions of the ukrainian carpathians amidst instability

<jats:p>The article substantiates the theoretical and applied foundations for regulating spatial and structural changes in the economies of the oblasts of the Carpathian region under conditions of instability. It is argued that the current challenges posed by military threats, economic transformation, demographic shifts, European integration, and post-war recovery require a transition from fragmented management decisions to a comprehensive strategic approach to regional development. Such an approach should ensure coordination between state regional policy and the objectives of increasing territorial resilience, strengthening economic security, modernizing the regional economic structure, and improving the efficiency of spatial development management. The study identifies the key determinants of spatial and structural transformations and proposes a system of five strategic priorities for regulating the regional economy. These priorities include ensuring balanced spatial development and reducing intra-regional disparities; structural modernization of the economy and the formation of new territorial specialization; strengthening economic resilience and the security of spatial development; integration of the Carpathian region into the European economic space through enhanced cross-border cooperation; and the establishment of an institutional and digital governance system for managing spatial and structural transformations. Each strategic priority is supplemented by a set of interconnected objectives and implementation instruments designed to improve the efficiency of regional policy. The proposed instruments include differentiated regional policy according to the functional type of territories, development of transport, engineering and digital infrastructure, support for industrial and innovation clusters, creation of industrial, technological and science parks, modernization of production capacities, diversification of energy sources, strengthening of logistics systems, implementation of risk management mechanisms, expansion of cross-border cooperation with the European Union, attraction of European financial resources, and introduction of digital platforms, GIS technologies and integrated information systems for strategic planning and monitoring. It is concluded that the comprehensive implementation of the proposed strategic priorities will help reduce territorial imbalances, increase regional competitiveness, strengthen the resilience of socio-economic systems, expand innovation-based development, improve institutional capacity, and accelerate the integration of the Carpathian region into the European economic area. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the development of a holistic framework for regulating spatial and structural changes under instability by integrating economic, institutional, infrastructural, digital, and security dimensions of regional development. The practical significance of the results obtained lies in the possibility of applying the proposed strategic priorities to improve state regional policy, update regional development strategies, design post-war recovery programs, and implement European cohesion policy principles in the Carpathian region of Ukraine. Keywords: regional economy, instability, spatial and structural changes, structural policy, regulation, priorities, instruments, objectives, tools.</jats:p>