This paper examines the efficiency of agricultural production in the European Union and traces changes in the specialization of EU regions in terms of agricultural production using a territorial division based on the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN). The studied period is from 1996 to 2011. The basic tool of quantitative analysis is the Data Envelopment Analysis method for testing the relative efficiency of objects. It is assumed that FADN regions are Decision Making Units as (DMUs) as defined by the DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis) method. The specialization of a region is defined in terms of agricultural production and changes in specialization and the technological efficiency of production in the studied period are examined. Special attention is paid to FADN regions specializing in livestock production and a detailed classification of these regions by production efficiency is offered. It is examined how production efficiency changed in regions focusing on livestock production and whether or not these changes were influenced by the efficiency of agricultural production in neighboring regions. The study showed that there were no distinct patterns in the efficiency of FADN regions and no clear relationship between the efficiency of a specific region and the efficiency and specialization of neighboring regions.

In the paper the costs of Polish county hospitals in 2015–2018 are studied using behavioral cost function. The set of variables combines hospitals’ characteristics which may determine their level of costs, such as the form of ownership, bed turnover rate, number of patient-days and share of beds in emergency department with environment characteristics which may influence both outsourcing costs and patients’ health. In 2017 the system of basic hospital service provision (hospital network) was introduced in Poland. Dummy variables included in the model represent the category of hospital in the system. The results show that the costs may be described using fixed effect panel model. Positive impact of percentage of emergency department patients transferred to other departments and of wages is found. Higher ratio of residents and interns to doctors is found to decrease costs. Dummy variable for the period after the introduction of hospital network assumed a negative sign with costs, but the parameter remained insignificant.

Nadesłany: 27 stycznia 2010 r.Zaakceptowany: 7 marca 2010 r. StreszczenieArtykuł WprowadzenieCelem artykułu jest identyfikacja zalet i wad różnych metod sporządzania rankingów. Nasze spostrzeżenia i obliczenia można traktować również jako jeden z głosów w dyskusji toczącej się wokół raportu komisji kierowanej przez J.E. Stiglitza i A. Sena. Empiryczną ilustracją rozważań jest ranking krajów Unii Europejskiej ze względu na stopień rozwoju ekonomiczno-społecznego.

It can be assumed that the scope of agricultural policy and connected with its financial streams are not accidental. Selection of a particular, policy defines a mechanism in which the benefits and costs are combined. Such an effort of describing and ex plaining the mechanism was presented in the paper. We use the concept of a public choice model. Issues of including political (or admin istrative) interest in defining and shaping the policy are incorporated into the models of public choice. The authors assumed the rationality of decision makers and their goal to maximize their own utility. The analysis presented in the paper is some reference to one of the trends of political economy, according to which the emphasis is on the voters’ behaviour.   Keywords: Public choice, political rent, agricultural policy, political economic  analysis

The article aims at presenting the fundamental relationship between remuneration and productivity of labor factor. This relationship is explored analytically and empirically. It is investigated at the level of the agricultural sector, derived from the microeconomic level, i.e. an agricultural producer. Based on an optimal solution of the income maximisation problem, we derive the determinants of remuneration of the labour factor, i.e. income in agriculture. We explore analytically the improvement of labour productivity. We also take into consideration the issue of the importance of subsidies which can be refered to as the second potential source of agricultural producer's income. The empirical evidence is based on the FADN (Farm Accountancy Data Network) data for 2004-2012 for Member States that joined the European Union in 2004. We examine the statistical relationship between the indicators of developments in the productivity of the labour factor, income and the level of subsidies in selected countries.Keywords: objective function of an agricultural producer, productivity of the labour factor, remuneration of the labour factor;