ECONOMIC ETHICS OF UKRAINIAN PROTESTANTS AS A MEANS OF STABILIZATION OF ECONOMIC PROCESSES

Abstract

The article considers the influence of Protestant business with its inherent business ethics, attitude to work, «labor ethics» on economic processes in Ukraine. It is noted that although Ukraine does not belong to a group of Protestant countries; Protestants take a very active position in addressing many issues of social orientation. This paper describes the activity of Protestants in various fields of public life in Ukraine, including science, education, health, legal, and social spheres. Protestant businessmen have formed a Protestant business environment, which can include enterprises and organizations founded by Protestants and the influence of the founders on the concept of development is significant, and firms in which the vast majority of workers are also Protestants. It has been found that the influence of Protestant business and its ethical concept is due to a number of factors of direct and indirect influence. Protestants directly influence economic processes through their activities, and some organizations are members of sectoral and regional associations and participate through them to industries and regions; some organizations take part in legal and legislative activities. Indirectly, Protestant business influences are carried out through such stabilizing factors as creating a positive climate in the community, raising the level of spirituality of contact audiences, influencing the families of employees and partners, social initiatives, and solving problems of the local community. The strength and direction of the influence were assessed through a survey that compared several categories of respondents: founders and leaders, CFOs and chief accountants, and employees. The results of the survey confirmed the stabilizing influence of Protestant economic ethics on the socio-economic situation of both individual regions of Ukraine and its economy as a whole.