Regional market of personal services: theoretical approach to research

The importance of the service sector as one of the system-forming factors of economic development at the regional and local levels is beyond doubt. The article is devoted to the substantiation of a comprehensive theoretical approach to the study of the regional market of personal services. The methodological basis of the study is represented by a set of fundamental provisions of infrastructure theory, the theory of infra-economics, the theory of individual service and the theory of regional markets. Research in the field of personal services industry is devoted to such industries as household and social services, retail trade, catering, etc. Despite quite significant developments in the aspect of social and economic scientific knowledge necessary for the essential characteristics of personal services, there is a shortage of theoretical and methodological developments that allow the study of personal services in the context of economic space. The authors of the article present a number of essential points that allow us to determine the importance and relevance of studying personal services in the economic space of the region in the contours of four theories. Generalization of the provisions of the theory of infrastructure made it possible to substantiate the regional market of personal services as a set of infrastructure facilities aimed at providing personal services to the population. The theory of infra-economics allows us to focus on the formation of socially significant conditions for the provision of personal services. The main provisions of the theory of individual service influenced the disclosure of the essence of the regional market of personal services, taking into account the subject-oriented approach. In the contours of the theory of regional markets, it can be argued that the regional personal services market is an element of the regional consumer market. Therefore, personal services can be interpreted as a resource necessary to meet human needs. The author’s conclusions can form the theoretical basis for further studies of the processes of formation and development of the regional personal services market.