Charakterystyka społeczno-gospodarcza Łódzkiego Obszaru Metropolitalnego

The Lodz Metropolitan Area (LMA) is usually singled out based on functional and spatial relations among the city of Lodz and 4 neighboring counties (poviats). The statistics on the LMA are generally available for the counties and sub regions but are scarce for the area as a whole. Therefore the article aims to present the socio-economic situation of the LMA at the end of the last decade and assessing trends in its development. It analyses factors that are important for economic growth, namely structure of the economy, labor market, investment, entrepreneurship, foreign capital inflows, innovations and institutional environment. The level of economic development within the LMA differs a lot, meaning that its counties have different resources and objectives. These disproportions have increased in recent years due to spatially dispersed inflows of the EU structural funds and of FDI. The growth prospects will be threatened by an adverse demographic situation, low innovativeness and weak institutions but will be supported by good entrepreneurial spirit of the local inhabitants.