METHODOLOGY FOR ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF AGRICULTURAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE REGIONAL AGRO-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

The article focuses on the development of a methodological framework that enables a quantitative and substantive assessment of the contribution of agricultural entrepreneurship to the development of the regional agro-industrial complex under conditions of institutional and spatial heterogeneity. The analytical emphasis is placed on interpreting agricultural entrepreneurship as an independent institutional mechanism that shapes structural transformations within the agro-industrial system, employment parameters, and the sustainability of rural territories, rather than as a derivative of sectoral production dynamics. The methodological foundation of the study is based on a structural– factor approach combined with the construction of integral indices and econometric verification of the obtained estimates. A multi-stage algorithm is proposed, including the identification of the entrepreneurial segment of the agro-industrial complex, the formation of a system of micro- and meso-level indicators, the aggregation of variables with regard to the nature of their interrelationships, and subsequent regression testing of the impact of entrepreneurial activity on generalized indicators of regional development. Particular attention is given to the spatial-dynamic dimension of entrepreneurial effects, allowing the identification of territorial differentiation, neighborhood spillovers, and zones of concentrated entrepreneurial growth. The methodology is designed for application using official statistical data and reproducible calculation procedures, thereby expanding its applicability in empirical regional studies and in substantiating instruments of agrarian policy.