This paper carried on an analysis of the financial situation of rural households in Poland, in relation to urban households, in 2004-2012. The size, dynamics of income and household expenditure, sources of income and ways of obtaining their distribution were analyzed. The basis of information were aggregated data, derived from studies, conducted by the Central Statistical Office and published in reports Living conditions of the population between 1999 and 2005 and Household budget survey in 2006,…,2012. Based on the survey, it was found that in the context of European integration, the financial situation of households living in rural areas has significantly improved. As a result, income disparities have decreased between rural households and urban households. It should be emphasized that in years 2004-2012, the growth rate of income in farmers’ households was significantly higher, compared to the total number of households in rural and urban areas. In rural households, in the considered period, the importance of non-agricultural sources of income, mainly from employment, has significantly increased. As a result of the improvement of financial situation, the burden on rigid expenses in budgets of rural households and farmers’ households was reduced and an increase in their propensity to save was noticed. W artykule dokonano oceny sytuacji finansowej gospodarstw domowych na obszarach wiejskich w relacji do gospodarstw miejskich w Polsce w latach 2004-2012. Analizie poddano wielkość, dynamikę dochodów i wydatków gospodarstw domowych, źródła dochodów oraz sposoby ich rozdysponowania. Podstawę informacyjną stanowiły zagregowane dane pochodzące z publikacji Głównego Urzędu Statystycznego. Z przeprowadzonych badań wynika, że sytuacja finansowa gospodarstw domowych zamieszkujących obszary wiejskie uległa znacznej poprawie, zmniejszeniu uległy dysproporcje dochodowe wiejskich gospodarstw domowych w stosunku do gospodarstw miejskich. W latach 2004-2012 dynamika wzrostu dochodów w gospodarstwach domowych rolników była znaczne wyższa w stosunku do ogółu gospodarstw wiejskich i miejskich. W wiejskich gospodarstwach domowych w największym stopniu wzrosło znaczenie pozarolniczych źródeł utrzymania, w tym głównie z pracy najemnej. W wyniku poprawy sytuacji finansowej zmniejszeniu uległ udział wydatków podstawowych na zaspokojenie najpilniejszych potrzeb w budżetach gospodarstw wiejskich oraz gospodarstw rolników, zauważono także wzrost ich skłonności do oszczędzania.

Although energy transformation is a widely discussed topic, there is a dearth of research on the role of rural communes in implementing that concept in Poland, a country where rural areas account for more than 90% of the total landmass. Most research projects are focused on larger local government units, such as cities, whereas rural communes’ role in the development of local energy policies and impact on the development of renewable energy sources (RESs) is often disregarded. Therefore, this study extends the existing literature resources with a view to bridging that gap by assessing rural communes’ investment activity in the context of the Polish energy transformation, with particular emphasis on regional differences in RES investments financed with Union funds. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to assess the contribution of rural communes to the Polish energy transformation process, with a particular focus on regional differences in renewable energy investments financed with European Union funds in the successive seven-year financial perspectives 2007–2013 and 2014–2020. The study aimed to answer the following key research questions: how does the level of rural communes’ investment activities related to renewable energy development compare to that of other commune types? What are the regional differences in rural communes’ investment activities related to renewable energy? What are the main factors affecting rural communes’ investment activity in regions most involved in the development of renewable energies? The study relies on data from the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy and from the Local Data Bank of the Central Statistical Office. The dataset was processed with the use of descriptive statistics methods and Ward’s method with a view to identifying regional patterns and conditions for the development of renewable energy investments. This study focuses on the investment activities of rural communes in Poland related to RESs financed with European Union funds. The empirical research results highlight rural municipalities’ crucial role in developing RES, emphasizing their high investment activity and significant regional differences. Municipalities from the eastern Polish provinces of Lublin and Podlasie have successfully secured EU funds for RES development. They have implemented numerous projects, primarily related to solar energy.

The main aim of the research was to assess Polish rural municipalities’ investment activity connected with the development of a low-carbon economy, supported with EU funds in the 2007–2013 and 2014–2020 financial frameworks. The empirical study was based on data from Poland’s Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy, Ministry of Finance, and Statistics Poland, analysed through basic descriptive statistics and a logistic model to identify key factors influencing investment activity. The study showed that the greatest number of agreements on funding were, in fact, signed by rural municipalities in the period under analysis. The predominant measures undertaken during this time were the promotion of renewable energy sources and the improvement in energy efficiency. In the earlier financial framework, low-carbon economy projects in rural areas were more often implemented by municipalities with developing demographic potential, including those characterised by a higher level of enterprise development. In the subsequent financial framework, human capital turned out to be of key importance for the investment activity of rural municipalities. Experience gained from 2007–2013 positively influenced fund absorption in 2014–2020, improving project value, number, and support. The study confirmed that rural municipalities play a vital role in advancing a low-carbon economy, as local actions are key to achieving sustainable development and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The COVID-19 pandemic not only caused a global health crisis but also had a huge impact on household finances. This research aimed to examine the financial situation of rural and urban households in Poland between 2018 and 2022 from a multidimensional perspective. In a unidimensional approach, the financial situation of households was analyzed separately for their income, expenditures, savings rate, and shares of fixed expenses. In a multidimensional approach, the analysis used a synthetic index constructed for all these variables combined, employing the TOPSIS method and drawing on microdata from the Polish Central Statistical Office that totaled approximately 150,000 households. It was found that despite the pandemic outbreak, which led to major changes in the labor market, government-introduced organizational and legal measures protected the income of Polish households from decline. Indeed, income was increasing up until 2021, with a modest fall in 2022, which was less severe in rural households (by about 2%) than in urban ones (by 6%). A more immediate response to the outbreak was observed in consumer spending, which fell sharply, while the food share in consumption increased at similar levels in rural and urban areas. Regression analysis showed that compared to 2019, the pandemic worsened the financial situation of Polish households, but only in 2020 and 2022 were these changes statistically significant. In 2021, the financial situation improved slightly, but the change was not statistically significant. Before the pandemic, the synthetic assessment of the financial situation in rural areas was lower than in urban ones, and the pandemic period did not reduce these differences, showing no convergence between poorer rural areas and richer urban ones. Diagnosing and monitoring the household financial situation are crucial steps for achieving the social dimension goals of sustainable development. Research on the pandemic’s effects on household finances provides valuable information that can help develop effective strategies to counter future crises while supporting the social dimension of the sustainable development strategy.

He aim of the research was to conduct a multidimensional assessment of the quality of housing conditions in rural households of different voivodeships (provinces) in comparison to households in Poland overall. The research involved separate evaluations of the quality of internal and external housing conditions. Internal housing conditions pertained to the dwellings themselves and included the standards of their use and the presence of sanitary and technical installations. External housing conditions characterized the housing environment, including nuisances related to noise, crime, and deficiencies in technical and service infrastructure. The overall assessment of the quality of housing conditions encompassed both internal and external indicators. These assessments were based on the values of synthetic indicators determined using the TOPSIS method. The analyses were conducted using individual non-identifiable data from the Household Budget Survey carried out by the Central Statistical Office in 2021. For half of the voivodeships, the quality of internal housing conditions in rural households was assessed as average, while in the dzkie Voivodeship, it was assessed as low. A very high rating was obtained for seven voivodeships: lskie, Opolskie, Podkarpackie, Maopolskie, Lubuskie, Wielkopolskie, and Pomorskie. On the other hand, the quality of external conditions was assessed as high only in the Maopolskie and Podkarpackie Voivodeships, while in the dzkie Voivodeship, it was also assessed as low.