Abstract
The paper focuses on the territorial differentiation of socio-economic development of Poland between the years 2002-2014 and on geographic patterns of this differentiation at the level of Polish subregions (NUTS 3). Nine partial indicators entering the composite indicator and also the average base index are applied. The analysis of the socio-economic development of the subregions along the directional east-west gradient, rural-urban concentric gradients (around big cities) and the sub-bands of subregions along the border of Poland with the surrounding countries is used to explain the observed differentiation. Polish subregions underwent considerable development between 2002 and 2014, but the territorial differentiation of their development changed only partially. The big Polish cities and also their suburban subregions have the best position of all; the worst are still the rural subregions of eastern Poland and the inner peripheries of Poland. The directional east-west gradient, the rural-urban concentric gradients, as well as the higher development of subregions along the German, Czech and sea borders were confirmed.
Highlights
Poland is a big Central European post-socialist country in terms of area and population
There are still historically conditioned differences between the more developed western part of Poland and its less developed eastern part – Zimon (1979), Zarycki (2007), Nováček (2014) and others. This east-west gradient manifests itself in other post-socialist countries of Central Europe – Downes (1996), Enyedi (2011) in Hungary, Korec (2009) in Slovakia or Blažek, Csank (2005) in Czechia. The existence of this gradient is transmitted to the lower development of Polish border areas along the northeastern, eastern and southeastern border of Poland – Gorzelak (1998) or Chidlow et al (2009)
In terms of composite indicator values in 2014, the best position was held by the urban subregions of Kraków, Wrocław, Warsaw and Trójmiasto
Summary
Poland is a big Central European post-socialist country in terms of area and population. There are still historically conditioned differences between the more developed western part of Poland (belonging to 1918 Prussia/Germany) and its less developed eastern part (belonging to Russia and Austria-Hungary to 1918) – Zimon (1979), Zarycki (2007), Nováček (2014) and others This east-west gradient manifests itself in other post-socialist countries of Central Europe – Downes (1996), Enyedi (2011) in Hungary, Korec (2009) in Slovakia or Blažek, Csank (2005) in Czechia. The existence of this gradient is transmitted to the lower development of Polish border areas along the northeastern, eastern and southeastern border of Poland – Gorzelak (1998) or Chidlow et al (2009)
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