Territorial self-government is an independent entity that has a certain scope of freedom in deciding on the path of development of the subordinate area, common property, and implementation of public tasks. The aim of the study is to assess the intra-regional diagnosis of the level of the poviat's financial situation relative to the development potential. The data used to conduct the study refer to the years of 2009 and 2016; they come from the Local Data Bank and cover 101 poviats of Eastern Poland. The poviat can carry out its tasks when it is equipped with stable and efficient sources of income. The level and structure of budget revenues determine investment activity. The socio-economic space of the poviat's activity is a multi-element system. It achieves different levels of development depending on the structure, equipment elements, as well as the quality and complexity of the links between them. The ability of a poviat to operate can be seen as a set of factors that are mutually related to each other. These factors include: technical infrastructure, knowledge, innovation, regional product, eco-development, geographical location, finances. These factors depend on the potential inherent in the region, activity in the sphere of planning and implementation of regional policy by regional self-government authorities, the state's economic policy, and the standards of structural policy and EU cohesion policy. These factors are not unchangeable over time; therefore, they should be subjected to continuous and ongoing analysis. The synthetic measure of the financial situation according to the average value of the 2007-2016 years was in the range from 0.24 to 0.49. Poviats with a higher rate of the synthetic financial situation are better in terms of the measure of development. The level of the indicator is influenced by: the economic character of the entity and the function of the area, economic potential, financial situation, quality of the natural environment and infrastructure. The management of financial resources is of special importance in the functioning of poviats. They affect the economic situation of the local government, the conditions for the implementation of tasks. Financial resources are the basis for the operation of individuals and a condition for the implementation of the tasks imposed on them, they determine development and are an expression of the potential for economic development. The situation of the surveyed units varied. The ranking of cities in the ranking did not change substantially in the subsequent years. It was confirmed that financial resources are the basis for the operation of individuals and a condition for carrying out the tasks imposed on them, determine development, and reflect the potential for economic development.

The green economy is a form of economic progress. It promotes environmentally sustainable, low-carbon, and inclusive development. It ensures environmental sustainability and preserves the conditions for social progress. The current model of resource management is not sustainable and puts pressure on the environment. The proposed steps toward a green economy are intended to benefit both the environment, the economy, and society. The aim of the study was to assess the spatial differentiation of the relationship between the green economy and the zero waste concept of Eastern Poland’s municipalities. The assessment was performed using a synthetic measure. The choice of variables was determined by the availability of data in the Bank of Local Data of the Central Statistical Office (BDL GUS) for the years 2010–2020 in spatial terms (709) municipalities of Eastern Poland. The synthetic measure of green economy ranged from 0.28 to 0.56 in 2010 and from 0.28 to 0.59 in 2020; and for the waste management measure, from 0.19 to 0.55 in 2010 and 0.32 to 0.53 in 2020. Spatially, the essence of the green economy or zero waste stems from the desire to reduce the burden on the environment by creating attractive conditions for living and business activities. The development of the green economy is to shape the aspect of the environment, while ensuring economic security and quality of life.

The resources of labor and endogenous capital in these communes are shrinking due to wash-out effects. The aim of the article is an attempt to identify demographic factors influencing the spatial differentiation of the financial situation and an attempt to establish a relationship between the demographic situation of communes and their financial situation. Design/Methodology/Approach: The choice of variables in 2009-2018 was largely conditioned by the availability of data collected in the municipal system at the Local Data Bank of the Central Statistical Office. The Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution method was used to build synthetic measures. Findings: Communes located peripheral to the central center are characterized by, among others the effect of washing out the demographic potential. Their main problem is the scarcity of endogenous factors, which is a barrier to independent initiation of development. The research results indicate that a better demographic potential increases the diversity of individuals. Moreover, there is a relationship between the demography and the financial situation of communes. Demographic conditions are one of the basic factors in the development of communes. The financial situation and development opportunities change in the face of a progressive decline in the fertility rate, aging of the population and increasing population mobility. Practical Implications: The results of the conducted research enable local governments to make comparisons. The conclusions drawn may allow local authorities to determine potential directions of optimization of fiscal and demographic policies. Originality/value: The added value of the paper is the research findings focused on the assessment relationship between the financial situation and the demographic potential of municipalities. The research was conducted on a large group of communes (484) in eastern Poland.

Reducing development disparities between municipalities requires the development of entrepreneurship, which is an organized process of actions. Entrepreneurship is an interdisciplinary concept that is important for social and economic development. The aim of the article is to assess the entrepreneurship in the aspect of rural communes’ development using a synthetic measure. The assessments were carried out in a system of 484 rural communes of voivodships of eastern Poland. Data from the Local Data Bank of the Central Statistical Office of 2009 and 2018 were used as source material. In 2018, the TOPSIS method for measuring entrepreneurship ranged from 0.07 to 0.63 and the development measure from 0.23 to 0.62. This confirmed the smaller diversity of rural communes in eastern Poland in the aspect of development, and greater in the aspect of entrepreneurship. The synthetic measure of entrepreneurship was correlated with the measure of development.

Market conditions force local governments to take actions directed to the development and improvement of competitiveness. The efficiency of municipalities is determined by the efficiency and dynamics of development of the entire economy. The financial situation is a component of the competitiveness and responsibility of local authorities for the socio-economic development of the commune. The aim of the article is to analyse the spatial disproportions of the financial situation of rural communes in relation to their competitiveness using the TOPSIS synthetic measure. The analysis was conducted in a system of 69 rural communes of the Świętokrzyskie province. To assess the financial situation, the following were used: own income, local taxes and fees, income from PIT and CIT, operating surplus, transfer income and EU funds, property (investment) expenses, as well as interest and debt expenses. The conducted research showed that in the analysed period of 2007-2017 communes were characterized by stable diversification of financial situation and competitiveness.