Published: 15 June 2016
Subject. The subject of the research is a set of economic and social relations developing in the process of formation of the intra-regional administrative-territorial subdivision system as a basis of the regional development policy. The article summarizes theoretical approaches to defining the content of the regional administrative-territorial subdivision concept and provides classification of modern sub-national territorial division. The interconnections and differences of the administrative-territorial, municipal-territorial subdivision of the region and socio-economic microzoning are considered. Factors and history of the modern sub-national territorial division development are covered. Methods. In the course of the research methods of theoretical, systematic and comparative analysis, cartographic method and regulatory analysis method have been used. The methodological basis of the research are theoretical provisions, conceptual-categorical framework, conceptual views of national scientists in the field of regional economy, regional school of economic geography and theories of socio-economic microzoning. Particular attention is paid to legal aspects of territorial subdivision within the law and state theory, constitutional and municipal law. Scientific novelty. The author's interpretation of the concepts of intra-regional administrative-territorial subdivision, of an administrative-territorial unit of the region and administrative-territorial entity is provided. The paper particularly emphasizes the need to study management aspects of the administrative-territorial division alongside with economic and legal aspects extensively covered in the scientific sources. Current trends in the sub-national territorial division transformations are identified. The need to adapt the territorial framework of regional administration to the challenges of the new economy is revealed. The urgency to replace the inertial approach to the territorial changes implementation for the activity-related one is justified. In the final part the research deals with the drawbacks of applying municipal and territorial subdivision for implementation of goals and objectives of the intra-regional administration. Results. The research provides and justifies conceptual trends to improve intra-regional administrative-territorial subdivision for the goals of regional policy and territorial development implementation. Basic approaches to developing the administrative-territorial subdivision grid of the region, to revealing the local socio-economic systems, to identifying the optimal size of the administrative-territorial formations are provided.