Spatial Relations between the Standards of Living and the Financial Capacity of Polish District-Level Local Government

Mariusz Malinowski,Joanna Smoluk-Sikorska

doi:10.3390/su12051825

Abstract

The objective of the presented article is the identification of spatial relations between the inhabitants’ standards of living and the districts’ financial capacity basing on data for 2017. The investigation comprised all of the 380 Polish districts. In regard to the multidimensionality of economic occurrences analyzed, the TOPSIS (The Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) approach to measure the inhabitants’ standards of living and the financial ability of districts was applied in the research. A spatial autocorrelation analysis between the taxonomic (synthetic) indexes was performed using local and global Moran’s I statistics in order to determine the districts’ clusters, demonstrating a comparable degree of occurrences analyzed. A spatial regression analysis was conducted to find the strength of spatial relations between the taxonomic index of the standards of living and the districts’ financial ability. Diagnostic variables were chosen according to substantive, statistical and formal criteria. The outcomes of the spatial regression analysis allowed it to be concluded that about 1% increase of the taxonomic indicator of the districts’ financial ability is reflected in about 0.4% growth of the taxonomic index of the standards of living of the inhabitants of different districts (other things being equal). The results of analyses can be applied indirectly by a number of stakeholders, e.g., local authorities responsible for local and regional development, when creating the development strategies at local government unit (LGU) level. The knowledge on spatial development structures can enhance the formation of the strategic management process (for instance, redefining the objectives and tasks set out in local strategies; restructuring the expenditure to meet the local population’s needs).

Highlights

The financial ability of local government units may be assumed to play a special role in driving socioeconomic development at regional level
Janusz who analyzed the cross-territorial variation in the standards of living between districts of the Warminsko-Mazurskie voivodeship [35]; and Liang Z., Changdi S. and Liming L. that used the TOPSIS approach to linearly classify the cities in the Guizhou province by standard of living of the local inhabitants [36]
The conclusion from the above analyses is that the greatest values of synthetic indexes of the inhabitants’ standards of living were found in urban districts, which ranked 1st to 16th

Summary

Introduction

The financial ability of local government units may be assumed to play a special role in driving socioeconomic development at regional level. An adequate amount of financial resources is necessary in order for local government units to achieve the specific goals and accomplish the assignments of the central government (comprised of ensuring the appropriate level of public services and supporting the population while facing tough living situations). Sustainable development is an economic doctrine which assumes that the population’s living standards should match the current level of human development. In this context, note that the main objective of the Long-term National Development Strategy: Poland 2030. The third wave of modernity, which sets out the key trends and scenarios of socioeconomic development, is “to increase the quality of life of the Polish population, estimated both with qualitative indicators and with the value and growth rate of Polish GDP” [1]

Methods

Results

Conclusion