LOCAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND FINANCIAL AUTONOMY OF BASIC LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS (THE CASE OF URBAN/RURAL COMMUNES IN EASTERN POLAND) (Polish title below)

(Polish title: Mozliwosci rozwoju lokalnego w kontekscie zroznicowania samodzielnosci finansowej podstawowych jednostek samorzadu terytorialnego (na przykladzie gmin miejsko-wiejskich polski wschodniej). Contemporary theories of local development devote considerable attention to identifying methods to stimulate local government units to greater activity, and to ways in which location can be used as a causative factor. Therefore, crucial significance is attributed to the financial autonomy of local authorities - one of the key elements of the decision-making processes. It is financial autonomy that ultimately determines the degree in which local government institutions can become involved in local and regional development. The aim of this paper is to study the distribution of local government units with relatively high levels of financial autonomy and, on this basis, to identify the disparities in development potential among the regions of Eastern Poland.