THE THEORETICAL AND CATEGORICAL ORIGIN OF THE CONCEPT OF "RESOURCE POTENTIAL" IN THE CONTEXT OF TERRITORIAL COMMUNITIES

The concept of “resource potential” has a multifaceted nature and is used in various contexts — economic, managerial, social, and environmental. Clarifying the concept allows for a more precise understanding of its structure, components (material, intangible, labor, intellectual, and informational resources), as well as the level of their utilization and transformation within a specific environment. The purpose of this article is to establish the theoretical and categorical origin of the concept of “resource potential,” to systematize existing scientific approaches, to define its key characteristics, and to outline its role as a fundamental precondition for ensuring economic growth and competitiveness of economic entities. The article employs a set of general scientific and specialized research methods. In particular, methods of analysis and synthesis are used to study scientific sources and generalize approaches to the interpretation of the concept “resource potential” in domestic and foreign literature; the historical-logical method is applied to systematize the evolution of this concept within economic theory and to establish the relationship between changing economic conditions and the transformation of related terminology; the system approach is used to examine the concept as an integral categorical system, encompassing economic, social, organizational, and institutional components and identifying internal and external interconnections among them; the generalization method is used to formulate conclusions regarding the theoretical-categorical essence of the concept, its structural elements, and its functional role within the economic system. The concept of “resource potential” is interdisciplinary in nature and emerges at the intersection of economic, social, natural, and managerial sciences. It integrates both material and intangible components that can be mobilized to achieve specific objectives. Resource potential is characterized not only by the availability of resources but also by the capacity for their efficient use in the context of the development of an object (territory, enterprise, state, etc.). Further research may focus on the need for a detailed study of the directions for improving the classification of types of resource potential, considering current challenges such as digitalization, climate change, and globalization.