This paper evaluated the environmental effects of socially responsible investments (SRIs) in European countries and analyzed the differentiation between them in terms of SRIs and selected features in the environmental dimension. The first section of the paper discusses contemporary trends in Europe and in certain European countries, whilst the second compares SR environmental investments and environmental factors in selected European countries from a multidimensional perspective. The aim of the study was to identify and evaluate these trends as well as to find similarities and differences between European countries, and subsequently to indicate groups of countries with similar approaches to pro-ecological investments. In order to solve the problem, descriptive and multidimensional statistical methods were used, namely correspondence analysis (CA). Although the research results clearly revealed upward tendencies in the volume of SR environmental investments in the analyzed period, they nonetheless represent a relatively low share in the total number of socially responsible investments. The overall growth in SRIs in Europe may have resulted from the more intense activities of policymakers in some countries as a consequence of concluding agreements reached during the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) in 2015. The results of the study also revealed no significant correlations between SR environmental investments and environmental variables among the European countries analyzed; hence, there is no substantial evidence that investors’ assets contribute to the improvement of the environment.
The aim of the paper is to demonstrate the usefulness of some methods of grouping data in a spatial analysis of socio-economic phenomena on the example of the analysis of temporary emigration from Poland in the years 1989-2002. The study aimed at assessing spatial differentiation at a high level of detail, i.e. accounting for local differences. For temporary emigration, this kind of assessment was made possible by the results gathered by the National Census of Population in 2002.The paper shows examples of analyses of mobility territorial differentiation, where selected optimization-iterative and hierarchical methods of grouping were applied. The elements in the grouping space were units of territorial division covering the following breakdowns: gmina (municipality), poviat (district) and sub-region.During the socio-economic transition period following the year 1989 temporary emigration in Poland was a phenomenon which varied considerably in regional and local dimension, as has been confirmed by the findings of the studies conducted. A pronounced spatial dispersion was found not only in terms of its level and intensity, but also in terms of diversification of the demographic and social structure of the phenomenon. The application of the adopted methods of data classification made it possible to assess in detail the spatial differentiation of temporary emigration in Poland according to the breakdowns covering the minor, yet numerous, territorial units, as well as to visualize the results using map charts.The temporal scope of the study was limited to the years 1989-2002 because of the nature of the source material used and a lack of comparable statistical data on the post-accession and contemporary emigration.
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