The Impact of Transformational Changes on the Socio-Economic Conditions of the Rural Population. An Example of Poland

Abstract

The aim of the article is to show that in rural areas, with particular emphasis on former state-owned farms, which were created as a result of changes in the forms of land ownership, mainly in Central and Eastern European countries, the economic situation of households is still worse than in the areas where there were no State Agricultural Enterprises (PGR). Research in Poland served as a case study. Selected methods of descriptive statistics and multivariate comparative analysis were used in the analyses. The results presented in the study at different levels of aggregation (voivodeships, poviats, and communes) allowed the identification of the regularities in the situation of rural areas. Among the beneficiaries of social assistance, most of the people live in rural areas and have a high unemployment rate; the problem of unemployment especially concerns those areas where the rural population with lower education levels predominates. Moreover, in former state-owned farms, the total disposable income per person is lower than in other areas, and the funds from the government program “Rodzina 500+” constitute a significant contribution to household budgets.

A Study on the Spatial Differentiation of the Socio-Economic and Tourist Situation of Selected Municipalities of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship

“…The analysis of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship municipalities in the specified years has enabled an objective assessment of the changes taking place in the studied local government units, as well as the differences or lack of them in the functioning of the economy. So far, the analysis of the socio-economic characteristics has been used by many authors, not only in relation to the development of tourism [Bartkowiak-Bakun 2017, Zawadzka and Strzelecka 2020, Bąk et al 2021]. The classification study was carried out for three sets of diagnostic characteristics expressed as indicators.…”

Polarization of Living Standards among Administrative Units Engaged in Cross-Border Cooperation—The Example of Polish Municipalities of Euroregion Baltic

“…3-13), [82] (pp. 453-470), [83]. Unemployment was certainly one of them, especially in rural areas, with unemployment rates hovering around 30% of working-age population in extreme cases (35.3% in the municipality of Lelkowo in 2005).…”

Analysis of the rate of socio-economic changes in rural areas between 2010 and 2020. Polish case

“…This problem is also discussed in the work by Stanny et Although the rural environment is constantly changing and many of the above-mentioned problems are being eliminated, it can still be observed that rural areas are much less developed than the urban ones. In the case of many rural areas, the historic conditions related to land ownership are also important (Bąk et al, 2021). This applies especially to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, which after the end of World War II became part of the Eastern bloc camp and on the territory the state-owned farms were established -large production units which were to benefit from common labour resources and then divide the outputs and revenues equally ( van Dijk 2004).The fall of these farms in the early 1990s generated a complete range of problems, such as: local redundancies, rising unemployment, community impoverishment, increasing pathological phenomena.…”

“…• western and northern part covering the areas of the so-called reclaimed territories (Zachodniopomorskie Voivodeship, Lubuskie Voivodeship, Dolnośląskie Voivodeship) and Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodeship, where the number of state-owned farms and their housing resources were the largest, • central, eastern and southern with a much lower number of state-owned farms (Bąk et al 2021).…”