This paper analyses technical efficiency of peanut growing farms in Turkey. Data were collected from farms through a questionnaire study carried out following 2000–2001 growing season. Analysis was accomplished in two steps. In the first step, technical effi- ciency scores were calculated employing an input oriented Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). In the second step, Tobit regression analysis was used to identify determinants of technical efficiency. Results indicate that peanut farmers can save inputs by at least 8% while remaining at the same production level. Factors strongly affecting efficiency level of the farmers were found to be farmer age, peanut specific farming experience, farm location, overall farm size.

Rural areas and farmers are important elements for developing countries. Especially, socio-economic conditions and opportunities in the agriculture can affect economy directly. One of the high production cost is fuel consumption, which can affect farmers’ income negatively. Nowadays, fuel cost increases and directly or indirectly disturbs farmers. New kinds of technologies and concerns about climate changes cause alternative energy opportunities for rural areas. Biodiesel is one of the new important energy sources. This environmental-friendly source contributes rural economy and is likely to be a new opportunity for rural area and economy. In this paper, rural areas, biodiesel production and opportunities in rural areas were discussed.

In the process of integration and globalization is increasing the importance of the soft factors for the socio-economic development. The most important of them is social capital. The article presents the role of social capital for socio-economic development especially in rural areas and deficiencies in the basic components of social capital, which hinder the creation and increase of social capital. The paper presents the difficulties development and the possibilities of generating social capital in rural areas in Poland.

Rental income of a fl at or a house can be taxed in different ways depending whether it is a part of a taxpayer’s business or not. Moreover, in both cases a taxpayer can choose the most suitable way of taxation. The aim of this work is to explain tax aspects as far as rental income is concerned. The study presents many problems that exist in practice.

The aim of the study is to present instruments which increase efficiency of selfgovernmental administration’ functioning. There were presented programmes and projects realised by self-governmental territorial entities in Poland which base on the concept of the new public management (NPM) and participation of inhabitants in public affairs’ management. Proposed solutions require promotion and preparation of advantageous conditions incorder to implement them in practice of public sector management in Poland.

The Article is showing the principle of shaping underwriting contracts, as the basic tool of the protection against effects of an accidents. Comprehending insurance and his structure were described. They referred to cases of compulsory providing with insuring personal, professional and economic activity. Forms, a scope and documentation of the underwriting contract were described. They showed that contents of the underwriting contract were being shaped above all in general conditions of insurance. Contents of underwriting contracts were given to analysis, with particular taking into consideration prohibited clauses. In this respect legal documents of the European Union, Polish legal documents and a European and domestic case law were used. In the article issues of unlawful practice of market and other forms of curbing the competition and limiting consumer laws were omitted.

Enterprises using Internet in their activity have been becoming more and more common at the market. Due to the multitude of information it is necessary to identify mechanisms that enable selection of appropriate and reliable sources of information. Every enterprise in the SME’s sector is both a sender and a recipient of market information. Identification and understanding information systems functioning in an enterprise and in its environment may decide on quality of enterprises. The result analysis illustrating utilization of Internet in the tourist branch sector compared to other branches in the SME’s sector in Pomeranian voivodeship confirmed their great significance.

Quality of human capital plays more and more important role in the contemporary economy, Results of research on infl uence of human factor on farms effectiveness confirm the thesis that diversification of capital inputs effectiveness explain only about a half of economic effects, whereas the rest is the derivative of human factor quality influence. As a measure of the factor, i.e. a farm manager education level may be assumed as a major effectiveness factor in a production process. Agriculture is characterised by the less qualified staff, though favourable changes in rural inhabitants education structure have appeared. The analysis shows that quality of human capital in agriculture has been improved regarding general education as well as agricultural education. However, the level of rural inhabitants’ education remains low.

Global financial crisis caused by the fall of the sub-prime mortgage market led to insolvency of many reputable financial institutions. The impact of crisis was of a direct and indirect nature. Some insurance firms experienced losses due to direct investments into ABSs and hedge funds. The second group of insurers gained losses as a result of guarantying the solvency of bonds backed by mortgages. The next insurance companies experienced losses due to liability insurance policies offering protection against errors and omissions made during securitization. Sub-prime crisis indirectly infl uenced profits of the insurance sector. Assets price reduction on the financial markets caused decline of the value of the insurance companies’ investment portfolios and decline of profits from financial operations. Current economic slowdown, lower consumer spending and investments and fall of social trust into the financial institutions are reasons for decline of demand for insurance services and decline of the insurance sector profits. Recent reports published by supervisory agencies and consulting companies state that losses of the insurance sector are not high and amount to around 12% of losses of the whole financial sector. Additionally they ensure that in Europe, and in Poland there are not noticeable direct losses coming from the sub-prime crisis.

The article discusses the reasons of low innovativeness of economic subjects on rural areas in Western Pomeranian. The authoress shows, that the innovative processes are complex, network and they require co-operation of many elements of regional innovation system – entrepreneurs, universities, institutions of technology transfer, institutions of innovation and entrepreneurship support. In West Pomeranian Voivodship step out many barriers of this co-operation, which belong to several groups of restrictions. They follow on from conditions of: economic specific of region, social factors, economic and system. Simultaneous activity of these restrictions and barriers causes low innovativeness in region, specially on rural areas. It contributes to socio-economic marginalization of these areas and the whole region.

The development of country insurances proceeded together with development of whole system of insurances in Poland. In 1807 the obligatory insurance of buildings from fire was introduced. In 1990 after the part of obligatory insurances was annul fall of agricultural insurances was observed. In small degree it concerned the insurances of buildings in the country and insurance of the farmers’ civil responsibility from damages done to the third persons. The change of principles which happened in this period relayed mainly on the fact that in period before 1990 r. insurance of buildings, covering mainly the claims caused by fire, flood, the hurricane and different impulsive defeats, had the legal character. This led in consequence to the situation I which all buildings except glasshouses the foil glasshouse tunnels, and the industrial, service and craft buildings in individual farms were insured in full range of risks. Analysis of course of this insurance in years 1997–2007, shows, that the insurance of agricultural buildings should be seen as relatively well prospering. Enlargement of more general functioning this insurance is possible across growth of insurance consciousness and the strengthener the control of taking out the insurance.

Different people will have different views of the impact of a particular risk – what may be a small risk for one person may destroy the livelihood of someone else. The first stage of a risk analysis is to identify threats. The next step is to work out the likelihood of the threat being realized and to assess its impact. One approach to this is to make the best estimation of the probability of the event occurring, and to multiply this by the amount it will cost to set things right if it happens. This gives a value for the risk.

In the article there is presented a problem of the restructuring the agriculture in the moment of passing Poland to path of the market economy. That process has been paid with the huge, ecological, social and economic cost in region. The subject of this publication is also show meaningless class up growth and economical evolution including farming process declining in region province Zachodniopomorskiego and realization idea equable evolution.

The aim of the research is to verify the hypothesis of the weak form efficiency of the Polish capital market. The research is conducted for the index, that was constructed for quotations of the bank sector companies, and the index of gold companies WIG20. In the paper the Quenouille’s test of autocorrelation coefficients and test of joint autocorrelation with Ljung-Box statistics are used. The analysis is provided for 19 defined subsamples that contain the daily logarithmic rates of return from the period 3.10.1994–29.12.2006.