INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT OF THE INFLUENCE OF THE STATE ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ON THE HEALTH OF THE POPULATION

Abstract

Irreversible changes in the natural environment as a result of human economic activity have gone beyond individual territories having reached a global scale. This is clearly evidenced by the low effectiveness of the state environmental policy – targeted activities of authorised public administration bodies aimed at reducing the negative impact of economic entities on the environment, as well as proper response to natural or man-made emergencies, climate change, etc. to preserve natural diversity and minimise damage to public health. All the above-mentioned determines the relevance of the given research. The issue of state influence on the environmental situation and public health is interdisciplinary, as evidenced by a number of scientific publications and dissertations written by managers, economists, lawyers, physicians, environmental engineers, geographers, etc. In spite of this, there is still a lack of comprehensive research on the subject.

The aim of the article is to specify the institutional support and means of implementing state environmental policy, which together focus on addressing today’s most pressing challenges in the environmental field, and thus also on improving the public health. The starting point is dissertation research and professional publications of leading scientists who have studied the peculiarities of the implementation of the state environmental policy and public management of health care development. An integrated approach was applied, as well as the following methods were used: abstract-logical – for theoretical generalisations and conclusions; analysis and synthesis – identification of factors influencing the nature and direction of state environmental policy; logical-semantic – improvement of the conceptual and categorical apparatus on the subject of research (namely, «state environmental policy»); comparative analysis – a study of the work of leading scientists on the peculiarities of the implementation of the state environmental policy; systems analysis – investigation of the reserch object as a set of elements that form a system and interact with each other. Various institutions are in charge of the state environmental policy implementation (not only authorised public administration bodies, but also municipal government bodies, business representatives, and the public), the extent and manner of which are determined by their competencies. The means of public administration used by such institutions depend on the specifics of existing problems and availability of potential solutions. Untimely response to potential and actual challenges in this area has a negative impact on the health of the population, which is manifested in the emergence of diseases that are partly chronic and / or fatal. Further scientific research should focus on the development of theoretical provisions and practical recommendations aimed at improving public environmental policy and public administration of health care development.