Modern Regional Information and Analytical Centres: Structural and Functional Features

The purpose of the article is to reveal the structural and functional features of regional information and analytical centres of the 21st century and outline the tasks and direction of their activities in the context of making effective management decisions. Research methodology. Logical, system-structural, and comparative methods were applied to summarise the theoretical and methodological principles and identify the content of the regional information-analytical centre's activities, as well as consider it as a system, i.e. integrity, consisting of subsystems and elements of different levels that are functionally interdependent. Methods of system analysis and synthesis has been used to clarify the role and place of information and analytical centres in the system of state, private, and public structures. Scientific novelty. The structure, functions, tasks and direction of work of regional information and analytical centres were studied; the concept of organising the activity of the regional information and analytical centre, which includes a system of principles, implementation strategy, directions of information and analytical work and criteria for evaluating its effectiveness, is considered. Conclusions. The basis for the activity of modern regional information and analytical centres is the processing of actual data with elements of forecasting. It is positioned as an effective tool for transforming intuitive concepts into a logical category, developing optimal management solutions, summarising disparate data, researching non-obvious processes in socio-economic and political life, research activities, with the aim of obtaining qualitatively new information as a result of the generalisation of materials that were not systematised and accepted for processing. The prospects for the development of information and analytical centres at the regional level directly depend on the described below tasks. The creation of a single information space for each region of the country aims to provide official and additional information at the regional and municipal level to ensure monitoring of socio-economic processes, forecasting the situation, adoption and implementation of management decisions by state authorities and local self-government. Formation, updating and systematisation of databases of integrated information funds about situations in the region in relation to the creation of the Central repository of the regional information system is aimed to monitor and find the situation in the region. It also implements the information and analytical system of monitoring, analysis, and evaluation of the development of the region, provides analysis and evaluation of the development of the territory in comparison with the development indicators of other regions. 
Keywords: regional information and analytical centre, structure, functions, management decisions.