Local development in rural areas of Western Pomerania in the light of the indicator of development of territorial communities in 1997–2020

Abstract

The local government reform of 1990 restored independence in Polish public life to communes which, by law, became self-governing communities with legal, political and economic subjectivity. The reform launched the layers of civic activity, introduced the principle of subsidiarity to Polish public life, accelerated economic development, and enabled the full expansion of technical and social infrastructure. This article presents the results of the analysis of the local development of West Pomeranian communes in the years 1997-2020. In the analysis, we will use the Territorial Communities Development Index (WRWT), which allows us to observe changes in the development ranking of communes. Further, the correlates of the development observed in this period will be indicated.