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The article is devoted to a historical overview and discussion of the current understanding and demarcation of the concepts "Central Europe", "Eastern Europe" and "Central Eastern Europe". The analysis is performed from a descriptive and comparative point of view, including a step‑by‑step generalization and separation of the above concepts and the verification of how natural, artificial or instrumental their character is, as well as by analysing their contrastive properties. In conclusion, the author has argued that the integration / disintegration and democratization / autocratization processes in the countries that used to be or now constitute different sub‑regions of Europe during the 20th and 21st centuries have led to significant and highly ambiguous changes in the spectrum of political, socio‑economic, religious, cultural (national and supranational) processes, etc. As a result, various attributes of political, socio‑economic and cultural development, in particular their diversity from the perspective of certain European sub‑regions (which are often, though mistakenly, treated as a collective category of countries of "commensurable type"), have previously predetermined and today especially predetermine the need for analysis of the history and the current state of conceptualization and demarcation of the outlined concepts.

It is very important to envestigate the theoretical foundations of the local government before theresearch of its functioning. They provide the most complete coverage of philosophical and political aspectsof the phenomenon of local democracy. The scientific potential of self-governing ideas disclosed in theaggregate theoretical structures, basic concepts and categories. In the concepts the common elements ofthe models of local government in their dynamics are reflected. All concepts of local government startfrom trying to solve the problem: Does the community have a separate, distinct from state power, whetherit is independent from the state public corporation or firm incorporated in the state body and perform onlythe functions of the state.The definition of local government in political science largely determined by the chosen state modelof local government, which is based on practical experience and research. A number of major (general)models of local government are formed and operated in the world: Anglo-Saxon - according to which localgovernment operates independently and direct subordination to the public authorities is absent; Europeancontinental - is based on a combination of state government at the local level and local self-governance,Iberian - close to the continental, where local governance is carried out by elected public representativebodies approved by the public authorities, mixed - that combines features of Anglo-Saxon and Continentalmodels. According to these models the local government is involved in their implementation. Each modelis based on a particular theory of local government or the set of theories.Key words: state; democracy; governance; decentralization; autonomy; concept; model. ; Незважаючи на значну кількість міждисциплінарних наукових досліджень, які стосуютьсясвітового досвіду місцевого самоврядування, комплексне дослідження проблем становленнята розвитку локальної влади у високорозвинутих державах, а також його застосування дляреформування цієї сфери в Україні вимагає подальшого наукового дослідження.З'ясовано зміст основних понять і термінів, пов'язаних із функціонуванням місцевогосамоврядування, процес становлення теорій та основних світових моделей локальної влади.Незважаючи на політичні, соціальні та економічні відмінності, найважливішим залишалосьрозуміння того, що громадяни, які проживають в одному місці та потребують спільних рішень,повинні мати інституції, які допомагатимуть реалізувати їхні інтереси. Перелік теорій і концепціймісцевого самоврядування засвідчує, що наука розвивається та удосконалює свої підходи дорозуміння цього важливого механізму демократизації суспільства.Ключові слова: держава, демократія, самоврядування, децентралізація, автономія, концепції,моделі.

Theoretical and methodological problems of country studies and regional studies in the context of creating and functioning of the Department of Country Studies and International Tourism at the Faculty of International Relations of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv are being researched in the article.In the rather complicated current geopolitical situation it is especially important for Ukraine to strengthen its status quo on the international arena, as well as to build its own system of international relations that are focused on the government interest. Therefore political elite of Ukraine should have its own vision of every country's part in global regional political economic and cultural processes as well as focus on the most powerful players of the current international system and influential countries Objective and reasonable attitude to the countries and regions, efficient use of the foreign experience in the transformation and creating the civil society based on democratic values and supremacy of lawThe problems of country studies as a subject of the scientific research in international relations. The first component of the system of knowledge about the country is defining its general specialties and its main features that sustain the country's uniqueness and exclusivity. It also includes figuring out geopolitical situation of the country its political and economic value in the international process. Finding the most essential and typical information about the specific areas of the life of the country that could be of interest to the related area and help forming a complete image of the country is also very important.Analysis in the country studies should include natural combination of various elements and factors defining functioning of the given society.Another important problem is preserving the comparative method in country studies research. It is important to keep specific method and multilevel system (global or local) which will help to successfully define social and economic processes of the country. To sum up it is important to stress that knowledge collected by country studies should be not only educating but more importantly effective and fruitful impact. However country studies should be considered an synthetic science that provides complete vision of the country as well as analyzes its development makes predictions about its future based on the mix of historical political economic cultural religious and other factors.Importance of the country studies is crucial for the activity of Ukrainian embassies and diplomatic entities and other foreign representatives. It was stated at the meeting of Ukraine's ambassadors diplomats and heads of the faculties of the universities who are educating diplomats that took place in December 2015 at the faculty of International relations of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv.Country studies is a necessary background, thorough theoretic and methodological base for the graduate to be able to make a professional evaluation of the processes in the country of stay, analyze them and make prognosis for the future. A graduate who specialized in specific country or region can be easily oriented onto political economic or cultural aspect of the country which will give him an opportunity to cover a much wider volume of work with spending less effort.Thanks to optimization of the specializations teaching staff of the department of the country studies and international tourism strengthened their scientific research in the regional studies sphere. Regionalization and regionalism became important elements of the scientific analysis in the beginning of the ХХІ century. It was supported by dynamic development of the regional cooperation and reaching to new geographical areas and confirmation from a lot of experts and politicians that region studies is a very effective way to strengthen international security. Regionalism and regionalization became crucial part of researching other processes characteristic for modern world such as globalization, integration, fragmentation, institutionalization and multialaterialism. It is also connected to the conflict solving matters, reformation of the system of international organizations, development politics of the underdeveloped countries, illegal immigration and environmental protection. The most important element in the concept of regionalism and the processes of regionalization is economic aspect. Economic connections are the most important part of the most regional structures and their cohesion is demonstrating the global dimension of the cooperation. Intensification of integration and disintegration processes in the world is also encouraging and increasing the interest to the subject which has objective and subjective dimension. All of the above is encouraging the department of country studies and international tourism to focus on developing theoretical and practical basics for country studies and region studies, learning about the experience of European regionalism, taking part in the forming regional strategy taking into account the international processes and analyzing regional transformation under the influence of geopolitical and geo-economic tendencies and influential factors.Key words: regional studies; European Union; globalization; region; international tourism; international education. ; Висвітлено історію створення, зміст навчальних бакалаврської та магістерських програм, діяльність аспірантури, наукову роботу та публікації викладачів, міжнародні зв'язки, участь у освітніх та наукових програмах кафедри країнознавства і міжнародного туризму факультету міжнародних відносин Львівського національного університету імені Івана Франка. Розглянуто теоретико-методологічні проблеми країнознавства та регіональних студій.Ключові слова: країнознавство; регіональні студії; Європейський Союз; глобалізація; регіон; міжнародний туризм; міжнародна освіта.

Досліджено роль та значення України в структурі геополітичних та зовнішньополітичних інтересів Республіки Польща. В рамках аналізу східної політики Польщі проаналізовано мотиви та основні чинники підтримки нею інтеграції України з Європейським Союзом. Ключові слова: східна політика Польщі, національні інтереси, Україна, доктрина Гедройца–Мєрошевського, пострадянський простір, європейська інтеграція.The author studies the role and importance of theUkrainein the structure of Polish geopolitical and foreign policy interests. The reasons and the main factors of its support of the integration ofUkrainewith the European Union are determined within the limits of the analysis of Polish eastern policy.Key words: Polish eastern policy, national interests, Ukraine, the Giedroyc-Mieroszewski doctrine, post-Soviet area, european integration.