STATE SURVIVAL ECONOMICS (SSE): A NEW PARADIGM OF MACROECONOMIC POLICY UNDER EXISTENTIAL THREATS

Abstract

Introduction. Contemporary global dynamics expose states to an unprecedented convergence of existential threats, including armed conflicts, geopolitical sanctions, energy insecurity, financial instability, and disruptions of global supply chains. Under such conditions, traditional macroeconomic paradigms focused on GDP growth, efficiency, and trade liberalization prove insufficient, as they overlook the imperative of state survival. Ukraine’s experience since 2022 vividly illustrates the structural limitations of growth-centered economic frameworks during systemic crises. Purpose. The purpose of this study is to develop and conceptualize State Survival Economics (SSE) as a macroeconomic framework that prioritizes state continuity, resilience, and functional integrity, and to assess its practical applicability through the analysis of Ukraine’s adaptive economic responses during 2022–2025. Methods. The study applies an interdisciplinary methodology combining theoretical synthesis, comparative macroeconomic analysis, and empirical assessment. The theoretical framework integrates concepts from economic security, resilience theory, and crisis economics. Comparative analysis contrasts conventional growth indicators with survival-oriented metrics. Empirical evidence includes quantitative and qualitative data on GDP dynamics, inflation, labor markets, infrastructure resilience, and targeted wartime policy instruments. Results. The findings demonstrate that under existential threats, resilience, strategic autonomy, and adaptive capacity outweigh traditional indicators of economic performance. Ukraine’s experience shows that energy diversification, fiscal stabilization, logistical continuity, and defense-oriented resource allocation operationalize SSE principles and enable the preservation of core state functions despite extreme systemic stress. Conclusion. State Survival Economics constitutes a transformative shift in macroeconomic governance from growth maximization toward strategic survival and resilience. SSE offers an actionable analytical framework for policymaking under extreme uncertainty and provides a replicable model for states confronting multidimensional crises, contributing to the broader international discourse on economic security and systemic resilience.