Cities with poviat status in Poland and their financial condition

The study, devoted to the assessment of the financial condition of cities with poviat status (CWPS) in Poland, aims (i) to position cities with poviat status in the structure of local government and (ii) to examine and assess the average financial condition of city with poviat status in Poland in the spatial aspect, using standard measures (measures referring to the budget result, income potential and the amount of expenses) and those of the authors’ (reflecting the possibility of satisfying the needs of the local government community). The study uses the methods of descriptive statistics. Detailed analyses were carried out on the basis of the authors’ own calculations, using an MS Excel spreadsheet, and the calculated measures were presented for two deliberately selected years (2010 and 2019). The analyses present different pictures of the financial conditions: while the values produced by standard measures in 2019 compared to 2010 clearly indicate an improvement in the financial condition of analysed cities in Poland, the values derived from the authors’ measures do not confirm this. Changes in the values of both groups of indicators are spatially diverse. Both groups, however, indicate that there are voivodeships whose financial condition improved more in 2019 compared to 2010 (classical indicators) or deteriorated to a lesser extent (authors’ indicators) than other voivodeships. This applies to the provinces of Western and Central Poland. CWPS in these regions, due to their location and impact in the region, as well as their attractiveness as places of employment doing business: 1) have been better prepared to start new investments and incur further commitments; 2) attract high school and university graduates and investors; 3) have a large stock of real estate, including extensive infrastructure; and 4) are less dependent on transfers from the state budget.