THE ESSENCE OF INCLUSIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

The article examines the essence of inclusive economic development as a modern paradigm of socio-economic transformations in the context of globalisation and growing inequality. It is argued that traditional approaches to assessing economic progress, which focus primarily on macroeconomic indicators, do not reflect the real level of well-being of the population and do not consider the social, institutional and environmental aspects of development. The aim of the study is to generalise theoretical approaches to the interpretation of inclusive economic development, systematise its key components and form the author's vision of a model of an inclusive economy. In the process of analysing scientific sources, the main approaches to understanding inclusive development are identified: humanistic, socio-economic, political-institutional and ecological-integrative. It is shown that inclusive economic development is a multidimensional phenomenon that combines economic growth with human capital development, social justice, environmental sustainability, and institutional participation of communities. Particular attention is paid to the role of the state, business and civil society as key actors in shaping an inclusive economy, as well as the importance of partnership between them.  Based on a bibliographic analysis of publications in the Scopus database for 2004–2025, the article demonstrates a growing scientific interest in the issue of inclusive economic development, which is due to the actualisation of issues of social equality, sustainable development and global challenges. The international methodology for assessing inclusiveness has been analysed, in particular the Inclusive Development Index, which allows for a comprehensive assessment of economic progress, taking into account income distribution, intergenerational sustainability and environmental constraints. The author's model of an inclusive economy is proposed as a multi-level system of interaction between the state, business and society, focused on improving the quality of life, fair distribution of resources and long-term well-being. The conclusion is made about the need for further research aimed at developing methodological approaches to quantitative assessment of the level of inclusiveness of economic development at the national and regional levels.