Socio-Economic Potential of Regions – Theory and Practice

Abstract

Abstract Research background: The paper refers to the social and economic potential of regions and their level of development. The crucial issue is not only how to measure the level of development but also their potential and what are the ways of defining this. Purpose: The principal aim of this paper is an analysis and evaluation of the social and economic potential of poviats of the West Pomeranian Province through the prism of their level of development. Research methodology: The measurements of the level of development were carried out using a synthetic measure of development. The level of poviats development was examined in aggregate for all specified factors and broken down into economic, socio-demographic, infrastructure and environmental protection factors. Data selection was made by using a factor analysis. As part of the study, a statistical analysis of potential factors was also carried out. The analysis refers to the following selected periods: 2008, 2014 and 2018 which allowed for an observation of phenomena over time in the investigated period. The research used the Central Statistical Office’s annual statistics for the specific districts. Results: The research results confirm the complexity of the study of the phenomenon of the level of socioeconomic development of LGUs, the large diversity of surveyed units regardless of the study period and their low level of development. Novelty: The novelty is that the analysis was conducted in stages, which allowed learning about the potential’s nature on the one hand and the factors forming it on the other. A material element of the research was also identifying possible directions for the use of the findings.