Space activities and sustainable local development

The authors study the impact of space activities on local development and its sustainability. The article focuses on the hypothesis that the benefits of space technology, combining global, regional and local administrative legal instruments, should be applied to build the potential of a given location and improve its economic future and the quality of life of its inhabitants. In the study, philosophical worldview methods (dialectical and idealistic) enable to form philosophical and legal approaches to local development and the regular modern paradigm of public administration of space activities. The scientific novelty of the study is a concept developed for public administration of space activities in the context of their implementation with respect to local development in Ukraine, which envisages the adoption and entry into force of “Road Map for Sustainable Local Development to 2025” with a list of promising directions of space activities development at the local level. The study concludes that local development as a process implies a long-term perspective on the priorities for the future development of the Territories. One such priority is to use the results of space activities for the benefit of local communities.

Keywords: space activities, local development, sustainable development, globalization, public administration, public administrating, law.

To begin with, it should be noted that all practical studies, as well as international initiatives (Exploring, 2020), were aimed at harnessing the potential of space technology at the global (Hay et al., 2006), regional (1st African, 2021) and national (Waswa & Juma, 2012) levels.

However, the impact of space activities on sustainable local development is scarcely studied. Indeed, local development makes an important contribution to national economic performance, which has become more important because of increased global competition, population mobility and technological advances.

The aim of local development is to build the potential of a given location to improve its economic future and the quality of its people's life. Effective local development can reduce inequalities between rich and poor, increase local job created and entrepreneurial activities, increase private sector investment, and improve information flows to investors and developers (Smarter, 2019). Therefore, it would contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Therefore, it is already clear that sustainable local development cannot be successful without the maximum involvement of resources, scientists, entrepreneurs, public activists, local self-governments (Tkachuk, 2012: 5). An enabling environment for sustainable local development should be a priority for all these actors; only then will the results be evident, and people will feel a better quality of life.

The various human activities aimed at improving the quality of people's life, as well as the sustainable development of local territories, imply activities related to human mobility. In that regard, space technologies, in particular the Internet, play a special role in supporting various human activities. They provide secure communications and data exchange, navigation and location. Furthermore, the images from space are used for a variety of purposes, including prevention and deterrence of ecological catastrophes.

Furthermore, the use of space technologies, namely information and communication technologies, in all sectors of State and public life is a basic feature of the information society. A new type of State, based on information and communication technology, is commonly referred to as an electronic State. The E-State supports the legislature (E-Parliament), the executive authorities (E-Governing) and thejudiciary (E-Court) with information and telecommunications technologies (Administrative, 2018: 210). The introduction of E-Governing in public administration entails qualitatively new forms of organization of the activities of State and local authorities through the involvement of the public in the management of State affairs, using the Internet and interaction with citizens through access to public information resources and the ability to obtain electronic public services (Administrative, 2018: 206).

Therefore, a clear understanding of the value of space technology not only for national defence but also for the general national welfare would enable to establish well-defined perspectives on the strategic development of space activities, to bring people together around the idea of living in space and the sustainable and innovative development of security on Earth using space technology, products, and services (Soroka, 2020a). In addition, space activities will not only be subordinated and respond to global, regional and national priorities in the economy, security, science, and education, but will also have an impact on improving the quality of life of each individual in a given location (Soroka, 2020b). It implies being part of the national doctrine of local development and being part of the international community using international cooperation and collaboration (Soroka, 2021). Indeed, suppose space technology and services do nothing or will not do anything in the future to improve the quality of life of citizens. In that case, taxpayers should not waste on those activities.

The article will consider philosophical and legal approaches to defining concepts of “space activities” and “sustainable local development.” The study indicates that the concept of “development” is a unifying element of the concepts being analysed. It is defined as an idealistic process of transformation of quantitative and qualitative changes initiated by the person (collectives) for a certain improvement of regular phenomena of social synergy.

After conceptualizing “space activities” and “sustainable local development,” the article analyses the current paradigm of public administrating of space activities in the context of their implementation in relation to sustainable local development. After all, the world course of development of the theory of management processes testifies to its constant optimization. Without taking into account its changes, it will not be possible to specify a model of effective public administration for sustainable local development in a context of comprehensive dissemination of space technologies and products into our lives.

Finally, considering the role of space technology in the process of local development, in the case of Ukraine, the article proves that legal and regulatory instruments, namely the Road Map for Sustainable Local Development to 2025, should be developed and adopted to provide strategic planning for local public administration in the context of globalization and digitization of public life.

The idea of any development is reflected in the principles of history and is one of the leading in the entire history of philosophy, natural and social studies in (Konstantinov, 1967: 454). The literature review shows that the category of “development” has been and remains a subject of study by representatives of many scientific schools and trends: mercantilists, physiocrats, founders of classical political economy, neoclassical economists, representatives of institutionalism, neo-Keynesianism, post-Keynesianism, and scientists of modern trends in the theory of economic (Sita, 2017: 111) and legal development.

By general rule, “development” as a concept is interpreted as changes. Of course, the changes can be positive, expected, or, as we have already found, negative, unexpected (Tkachuk, 2012: 6). From the philosophical perspective on development, it is important to reproduce the common characteristics of the totality of connections and processes of reality and, as a consequence, the advent of a new qualitative state of an object (Kaplina, 2012: 58). In the philosophical dictionary, the concept of “development” is revealed as a natural qualitative change of material and ideal objects, characterized as irreversible and directed (Frolov, 1987: 492). Only the simultaneous presence of all properties distinguishes development from other changes: the turnover of changes characterizes the operation (a constant function cycle); no regularity is characteristic of accidental processes of catastrophic type; without direction, changes cannot accumulate, and therefore, the process loses a single and intrinsic interrelated line (Kaplina, 2012: 58).

We advocate the definition of “development” as the implementation of change for the better, usually in the sense of improving the economic, social, environmental welfare, and quality of life of citizens (Tkachuk, 2012: 6). However, before becoming an integral part of culture, science and economics, this category passed through centuries and eras (Seheda, 2018: 15) in order to ensure that today's development processes are non-linear, multivariate (alternative), stochastic, unpredictable, characterised by the constructive role of chaos (disorder), the accidental advent of a new (Horlach & Kremen, 2001; Chupov, 2007; Panov, 2011).

Therefore, development is a controversial concept that will never be a single definition, as there will always be different perspectives on what development is and in which direction and how it should be implemented. However, this does not mean that the analysis will not enable us to form our own opinion on its essential understanding.

Therefore, we advocate that the modern philosophical and legal perspective on the category “development” can be expressed as follows: the ideological transformation of quantitative and qualitative changes initiated by the person (collectives) to improve the implementation of regular social life synergies.

Concerning the philosophical and legal analysis of the qualificative “sustainable development” and “space activity,” it is necessary to note that the main tasks of the legal regulatory mechanism for the activity at the present stage are: military security, safety of people and the natural environment and achievement of sustainability in the use of outer space in the long term. The three objectives are interlinked and complementary (Hitchens, 2016). Therefore, sustainability or lack thereof is a complex and dynamic feature of communities and regions. It is both a process and an outcome that requires us to be able to anticipate threats, reduce vulnerability, mobilize our resources and assets and plan for a better future (Soroka, 2020b).

The debate on balance between security factors, economic development, and international environmental protection, which began in the 1970s, had not attracted general attention until 1987 when the concept of sustainable development was first introduced in the famous Brundtland report. It stated that development should meet the needs of the present with due regard to the needs of the future generation and further defined sustainable development as development that meets the needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Report, 1987: 41). The definition includes two key concepts: the concept of “needs,” in particular the critical needs of the world's poor, which should be given a priority; and the idea of constraints determined by the State of technology and the ability of the environment to meet present and future needs. Then, the concept of “sustainable development” appeared in various international documents (Report, 1992; Agreements, 1995) and in the scientific literature (Lele, 1991; Daly, 1990) and was even recognized as a universal principle in the 1990s (Agreement, 1994; Soroka, 2020b).

The global spread of sustainable development, combined with adverse changes in the space environment in the 1990s, attracted the attention of scientists and practitioners (Mikesell, 1994) and the space community. The following issues were raised in the agenda to be resolved: 1) military uses of outer space; 2) mitigation of space debris; 3) regulation of space traffic; 4) long-term exploration and use of outer space; 5) effects of space weather; 5) nuclear pollution 6) radio frequency interference. More importantly, the six issues were more or less related and responded to global, regional, and national needs. But the optimal mechanism to address them, given their impact on local development, was not developed (Soroka, 2020b). Therefore, there is a need to develop a more inclusive concept that covers and addresses all of the above issues.

In turn, “local development” is often interpreted in a broad sense, namely in the context of regional policy (Khosrow-Pour, 2021), the concept itself remains vague. The basis of the local development approach is in its complementarity with three traditional pillars of regional theory and policy: capital and infrastructure policies; migration as an adaptation mechanism; and growth centre strategies.

Examining the potential usefulness of local development as an effective element of regional development policy, William J. Coffey and Mario noted the emergence of local entrepreneurship and the role of the State in stimulating local initiatives. They summarized local development policies in terms of three options containing financial assistance, access to information and social element (Coffey & Polese, 1985).

Local development is usually understood as a deliberate, systematic activity of the authorities aimed at the development of the territorial community with the aim of stable improvement of the living conditions and living standards of residents (Local, 2012). Such development covers policies and programmes that enable the community to adapt to economic changes in order to improve its competitive position, taking into account decisive factors: human resources; information and technology; capital and infrastructure (Hordieiev, 2012).

At the same time, according to the European community, “local development” is the product of a unique combination of human and material resources that intersect in a certain place. It is a dynamic process categorical essence thereof is three main areas: input and output, and its results (Cohesion, 2010: 10):

Today, space activities are the driving force of technology for the entire economy, providing jobs and export. In addition, many related technologies and opportunities contribute to a wide range of space and non-space activities. Such opportunities include information and communication technologies, which are effective tools for the digitalization of society as well as for the economic development of local territories. In the coming decades, the old paradigms will give way to a new ones, and the information age will set its priorities (Jayaraman, (1997).

Therefore, an important tool for the development of a digital society in Ukraine is the electronic government (E-Governing), which is people-centered, open to all, and aimed at creating an innovative model for the development of a high-tech society, the main subject of production thereof is information and knowledge-based technologies, that is the results of the intellectual work of citizens (Administrative, 2018: 205).

In Ukraine, at the legislative level, Law 74/98-VR “On the National Informatization Programme” of 4 February 1998 provides for the National Informatization Programme and the strategy for solving the problem of meeting information needs and information support for social and economic, environmental, scientific and technical, defence, national-cultural and other activities in sectors of national importance (On the National, 1998).

The National Informatization Programme includes the Concept of the National Informatization Programme; the Set of State Informatization Programmes; Sectoral Informatization Programmes and Projects; Regional Informatization Programmes and Projects; Local Government Informatization programmes and projects.

Therefore, the National Informatization Programme is a set of interrelated individual informatization tasks (projects) aimed at implementing public policy and priorities for modern information infrastructure in Ukraine. This can be done by concentrating and rationally using financial, logistical and other resources, the productive and scientific-technical potential of the State, as well as by coordinating the activities of State bodies and local self-government, enterprises, institutions and organizations of all forms of ownership and citizens in the field of information technology.

Local self-government informatization programmes and projects are drawn up by these bodies and must comply with the National Informatization Programme and be adopted and implemented with the agreement of the General State customer. The selection of operators for informatization programmes and projects for local authorities is carried out in accordance with the requirements of article 15 of the Law of Ukraine, “On the National Informatization Programme”.

On the proposal of the General State Customer, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine may stop the implementation of the informatization programme and project for local selfgovernment bodies in the cases provided for in article 17 of the Law of Ukraine “On the National Informatization Programme” (On the National, 1998). At the same time, specialized Law of Ukraine 280/97-VR “On Local Self-Government in Ukraine” of 21 May 1997, does not specify any powers related to informatization.

Overall, in recent years, the trend regarding the development of E-Governing in Ukrainian cities has been extremely positive, despite the difficult economic and political situation. The effective implementation of E-Governing at the local level needs to develop and adopt the necessary legal and regulatory framework. A variety of electronic administrative services have been successfully offered at the regional and local levels. There is a need to make better use of available human and material resources in the implementation of E-Governing at the local and regional levels. Furthermore, administrative reform processes should be synchronised, primarily decentralising and deconcentrating, with the development of E-Governing at the regional and local levels (Chukut, 2017: 24-26).

Therefore, E-Governing at the local level is an important tool for the development of the information society and the technological development of the territories, and therefore for the active implementation of local E-Governing self-governments should be required to adopt local informatization programmes that specify the tools, plans and time frames for implementing informatisation of local government. To this end, Law of Ukraine 280/97-VR “On Local Self-Government in Ukraine” of 21 May 1997 should be supplemented with article 27-1 to read as follows:

Article 27-1. Powers in the field of informatization, electronic governing, the formation and use of programmes and projects for the informatization of local self-governments and the development of the information society -

Today it becomes clear that the connection between “modern administration” and changes in social values is leading. As a result, the demands and expectations of society from public administration in general and space activities, in particular, are growing. This applies especially to local and regional public administration bodies in terms of the economic and administrative efficiency of the decisions and actions taken, aimed at achieving territorial balance in a context of comprehensive dissemination of and dependence on space technologies.

It is established that the latest concept of public administration of space activities in the context of its realization regarding local development in Ukraine envisages the development and entry into force of the “Road Map for Sustainable Local Development to 2025.” This is the first step to the withdrawal of local development from the “shadow” of a regional one. If the development of local road maps for sustainable local development takes into account the latest advances in space activities, this will result in the creation of new jobs and an increase in revenues for local budgets, which in turn will be the key to improving the quality of life of the population. The main areas of strategic local development planning are knowledge and innovation, creativity, diversity and identity, energy efficiency and resource efficiency, environmental friendliness, accessibility and mobility, education and skills.