The article examines the relationship between CO₂ equivalent emissions and agricultural production, taking into account additional economic and social variables that correct the considered relationship for the six Central and Eastern European countries over the period 1992–2017. The aim of the article was to confirm or negate the occurrence of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Countries that experienced a political transformation and were subsequently admitted to the European Union (EU) undergoing a preparatory period were included. The topic is timely as all EU countries are required to monitor their emissions under the EU Climate Monitoring Mechanism. The discussed problem is significant due to the changes taking place in the common agricultural policy, the choice of actions to be taken by individual countries in their national policies, and the choice of instruments to support the transformation of agriculture. Agriculture has a particularly large impact on emissions, especially N₂O and CH₄. This paper uses GLS (Generalized least squares) panel regression with random effects taking into consideration individual effects for countries. The conducted empirical research confirmed the hypothesis regarding the occurrence of the Kuznets curve in relation to agricultural production. In this situation, it is required to increase the activities of maintaining production growth, with the support of technological changes that significantly increase pro-environmental conditions, because, in the current circumstances, this growth takes place with an increase in CO₂ gas emissions, thus leading to negative external effects.

Solar energy is a source of energy that can meet a significant part of the demand for heat and electricity. However, its acquisition is associated with high variability both during the year and on individual days. The construction of installations due to changes in tariff systems, investment costs and subsidy programs raises doubts as to their profitability. The aim of this study was to assess the profitability of photovoltaic investments for households, considering public financial support. This study used RetScreen Expert software 8.1.2.13 to perform the entire analysis and performance cost, risk and sensitivity simulations. Climate data were imported from ground monitoring stations or from NASA global satellite or analytical data. The conducted research showed the profitability of investments in photovoltaics, even without state support. Differences between regions were insignificant. However, the support system has changed, extending the period of return on investment.

The study presents the impact of eco-innovation and policy conducive to the implementation of the principles of sustainable development in agriculture on economic development. The starting point was the analysis of economic growth models and indicating in them the approach to innovation for the implementation of sustainable development. The specifics of eco-innovation in the agricultural sector and their typology have been presented. Due to the complexity of innovative processes and in particular the resulting effects, multi-component measures of innovation and eco-innovation have been discussed. In the last part, using the panel analysis, the effect of eco-innovation in agriculture on socio-economic development at the level of the entire economy has been demonstrated.

This article presents the economic viability of using 10 m wind turbines in households with financial support from the government. The aim of this study was to indicate whether and how state subsidies affect the efficiency and estimated payback periods of wind energy investments for individual households. The research conducted thus far has focused on the analysis of effectiveness, feasibility, and economic profitability, but it has not taken into account government support for the investment readiness of households, which constitutes a research gap in the literature and economic practice. In addition, this study analyzed a new program that is scheduled to come into force this year. The analysis used the Homer Pro software (ver. x64) module, and simulations were performed for three locations in Poland. Due to differences in the location of wind zones, as well as the location of two locations on the Baltic Sea, an additional factor characterizing the studied voivodeships was introduced. Government support may therefore constitute a mechanism for correcting the geographical location and local wind potential. It has been shown that financial support significantly accelerates the payback period, even in locations with weaker wind potential. Complementary and substitutive possibilities for renewable energy sources, such as sun and wind, were indicated. The conclusions from this research can be used by decision makers and individual households to take advantage of government support to shorten the return on investment in wind energy and the validity of this support.

The research was a response to the search for alternative energy sources and the assessment of their profitability and legitimacy of use. The assessment used combined energy sources in the form of wind, solar, and natural gas energy. The research was carried out in various locations with varying degrees of sunlight and in various wind zones, which was motivated by the adopted strategy of increasing the importance of non-conventional energy sources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The evaluation was performed using the Homer Grid software. The studies showed the justification for the use of hybrid energy sources, combining renewable and non-renewable sources, at the current stage of development. In the conditions of the Lubuskie Voivodeship, the level of insolation was more important than the more favourable wind zone in such a model. Higher economic efficiency of the hybrid model was obtained in the southern location, with slightly less favourable conditions for wind installations. At the same time, the investments were economically profitable and allowed for their return in the perspective of at least eleven years, even at current prices.

The subject of this paper is an attempt to assess the level of convergence of government health spending in the European Union countries. The ever-increasing level of life expectancy, demographic changes, including the aging of society in many European countries, and the development of medical technologies are a growing challenge for modern nations. The similarities in the changes taking place in the EU states lead to considering whether there are similar transformations in health spending? Ensuring access to primary healthcare is one of the tasks of the welfare state and it can be assumed to be a public good. Accepting these reasons, the authors set out to investigate the phenomenon of sigma and beta unconditional convergence for the level of government spending on health care in the EU countries. The answer to the question has been sought: does participation in the EU leads to convergence in government spending on health care? The study uses selected dispersion measures for sigma convergence calculations and econometric modelling for beta convergence.