Konrad Ł. Czapiewski

Changing rural eConomies: theoretiCal baCkground and empiriCal evidenCe

Rural areas have been traditionally perceived as space dominated by agriculture. However, especially since the World War II a sinking importance of agriculture for the economy, employment and even identity building could be observed. This has occurred both in developed capitalist and post-socialist countries. The pur- pose of this article is to discuss the character of present rural economies of developed countries (and especially Visegrad countries) with a particular attention to other than acricultural and tourism economic industries. Key factors influencing the growth of jobs in non-farming and tourism sectors are analysed and on this basis the conditions for entrepreneurship in rural areas in the era of the knowledge economy are re-evaluated.

Rural economic development in the post-agricultural era: policy recommendations

Present rural economies of developed countries are no more dominated by agriculture. However, in policies of rural economic development the position of farming remains very strong due to the persisiting pro - ductivist thinking. Consequently, the tools of such policies are strongly related to agriculture, despite its minor contribution to rural economies of developed countries. The aim of this article is to offer recommendations for more efficient policies of rural economic development which are not based only on agriculture. These policy re - commendations for European or national, regional and local authorities are key research findings of the project Non-agricultural and non-tourism economic industries in rural peripheries of the Visegrad countries funded by the International Visegrad Fund.

Towards a Post-structuralist and Cultural Turn in Researching Rurality in Poland: A Geographical Perspective

Rural geography has developed and expanded with vigour in the last 30 years, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. Theoretical approaches to two great traditions in the social sciences -the political-economic approach and the cultural approach (see Woods, 2005, 2009) — were of particular importance in shaping new research tracks and programmes. The root of the theoretical transformation in this field can be found in the multiple broad interpretations of the terms ‘rural’ and ‘rurality in the changing economic and political circumstances of the world (e.g. the ideology of globalisation, metropolisation, consumerism, environmentalism), as well as in deeper reflection on and attention to the links between rural geography and other social sciences (mainly sociology, cultural anthropology, and political economy). Though geographical studies of rural areas do not play a leading role in social science research in any country, they do have a tradition that stretches far back and have registered undeniable successes in both scientific theory and practice (see Bunce, 2005; Cloke et al., 2006; Woods, 2009).

The Impact Of Location On The Role Of Small Towns In Regional Development: Mazovia, Poland

Abstract The paper explores the role of small towns in the Mazovia region in Poland which is both characterized by rural areas and the suburban zone of Warsaw. The analysis of changes in the local labour markets reveals that microregions formed by small peripheral towns were more resistant to changes than those located in the suburban area of Warsaw. The latter were absorbed by the capital city whose zone of influence expanded in the detriment of adjacent small towns and their microregions. Using the concept of exogenous functions performed by small towns, we also shed light on their role with regard to the surrounding areas (with dominant agricultural function) in the past decade. The values of the service concentration index (SCI) and the level of population concentration showed that the majority of services to local and neighbouring inhabitants were delivered in small county towns located in the periphery. On the other hand, small county towns located in the vicinity of Warsaw mainly provided services to their inhabitants.

Wiejskie Obszary Funkcjonalne – próba metodyczna wyznaczenia ich obszarów i granic = Rural functional areas – methodical attempt of determining their areas and boundaries

The objective of the paper is to develop a new approach to delimitation of rural functional areas, simultaneously examining various criteria for their classification. Delimitation of rural functional areas was conducted basing on the so-called ‘virtual’ areal region concept. The level of detail considered is municipality. At the first stage, a subset of municipalities was selected, acknowledged as rural areas in accordance with assumed criteria. Subsequently, basing on the empirical data analysis, certain municipalities were identified that are relatively homogenous regarding transport accessibility, development dynamics as well as internal economic structure. In each of the three dimensions of analysis specified, two or three categories of municipalities were distinguished. The results of these three classifications enabled the delimitation of 12 functional types of rural areas composing different combinations of possible classes regarding three dimensions of analysis. Finally, obtained spatial structure was generalized to delimitate relatively homogenous and compact functional areas. The results of the applied procedure and their particular stages were presented on the maps.

Potencjały rozwojowe województwa podkarpackiego – diagnoza i ocena

The purpose of this article is to assess the development potential of the Subcarpathian Voivodeship in relation to other regions of the country (divided into five categories of potential: demographic and social, natural and cultural, economic, spatial and institutional) indicating the main determinants and barriers of development and the identification of the key sectors of the economy of the region. The basic research question is: Which sectors of the economy in Subcarpathian Region may contribute to its competitive advantage over other regions in the country? During the study a broad range of social (including in-depth interviews and focus group interviews with entrepreneurships, representatives of local government and non-governmental organizations) and statistical methods were used, which allowed to accumulate a vast collection of empirical materials. Based on the research, it was found that the economic and socio-demographic potential plays the key role in the region.