An analysis of spatial differentiation and structural conditioning of the economic development of subregions in Poland has been performed with the use of CSO data from 2001 and 2002. There have been defined the diversification of three economic indexes: gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, per 1 kilometer, GDP and GVA (gross value added) per 1 employee. Within the five separated subregion groups the sector economy structure (employment structure and gross value added) has been defined with special emphasis on the agricultural sector. In the analysis of subregions development conditioning mathematical statistics elements have been used (correlation analysis). The performed analysis of factors characterizing the economic growth level indicates that there exists a significant diversification within the examined range. The relation of the minimal and maximal indexes characterizing the development level (GDP per capita) in 2002 in the system of 45 subregions is 1:4.9, and productivity (GVA per 1 employee) 1:2.8. The factor determining economic development of subregions is the sector structure of the employed, especially their share in agricultural and nonagricultural activities. In the existing social economic conditioning it is mainly the nonagricultural activity that determines development level of spatial systems including rural areas. However, the activity of the agricultural sector is not a factor which boosts the economic growth; it concerns especially backward regions.

Paper presents a quantitative analysis of private and public health expenditures in 2002 in Poland. Between 1993 and 2002 the private financing in the health system was increasing. This process has led to household’s budget additional charge. Participation of health expenditures in all expenditures – 3.2% in 1993 grew up to 4.5% in 2002. An analysis carried in the research project demonstrated a positive relationship between health expenditures and incomes. There were different structures of health expenditures in each social-economical group. Still in all groups was health expenditures progressive function of available income. Health systems in EU countries are budget financed by general tax system or by health fund collection.

The paper presents the analysis of development of rabbit meat market within the period of 2001-2003 on the basis of the data made available by slaughterhouses as well as Central Statistical Office in Warsaw publications. It follows from the research that the amount of rabbit meat purchased during the period investigated has increased as much as twice (from the level of 861 up to 1675 t). In general, rabbit meat is exported: the partition of export in total amount of sale has also increased from 44% in 2001 to 78% in 2003. It has also been observed that rabbit market is seasonal – the highest level of purchase is achieved from August to December while the lowest – from March to June.

In the study there were presented some problems of accessibility, collection and usage of information as one of instruments for gaining competitive advantage by retail trade enterprises. The conclusions were based on the analysis of the authors’ research covering 250 trade enterprises functioning in podkarpackie voivodeship. As a diversifying factor there were used: the place of a shop functioning (town – rural area) and a size of the unit measured by the sale area. The analysis concerns information about clients as well as competitors as two basic units from the environment of trade enterprise that influence their market success.

Unemployment in Poland is one of the most important socio-economic problems of the country. These are due to the mix of economic conditions, tied to the still ongoing transformation of the economic system; and to the demographic high enter the labour market. Youth is a special group, which in the future is going to influence the size of labour force resources and significantly affects the economics processes. The way, in which the youth perceive current economic reality and their chances to find their place in this reality, has a principled influence on the shape of their professional lot. That’s why the youth is at the moment the subject of peculiar interest of the labour market policy in Poland.

In the paper there was presented importance of use of investment preferential credits in microeconomic scale, which means results of investments financed by them on the operation of selected farms, especially on their income. Analysis of empirical data was preceded by a short presentation of theoretical aspects conditioning advantages and disadvantages of use of preferential credits. Conducted researches pointed out that with exception of one year of decrease in production and income on one of the analysed farms, there was a significant increase in these categories in the whole researched period.

In the paper there was presented competitive position of eastern regions of Poland on background of regional pattern of Poland. The Hellwig’s method of development model was used to estimate regions competitiveness’ level. The research proved that Polish regions had very high scale of competitiveness levels’ variety. The lowest competitive positions in the regional pattern of the country were occupied by voivodships in eastern (lubelskie and podlaskie) as well as in southern-east part of the country (świętokrzyskie and podkarpackie). Comparable analysis and evaluation of aspects of competitiveness of eastern regions proved, that main areas of their competitiveness distances (apart from mazowieckie voivodship) were determined by: modern economic structure, labour sources competitiveness and level of technical infrastructure and communication accessibility levels. Moreover, sources of visible competitiveness advantages of the regions were prominent resources and natural landscapes as well as good state of natural environment.

The aim of the paper was to present the key factors of the success in possibilities of reducing the milk production costs in specialized farms in the Central Macroregion. The factors were the smallest cost of: services and hired work, buying fodder, buying farm heifer, own cubic and filling fodder. In the farms with the smallest profitability, sum of savings in the above kind of cost could be even to 92.8% all of the possible savings. The rest of the nine kinds of direct cost could get 7.2% of savings. Slight differences between the farms with the lowest and the highest production profitability concern the cost of artificial insemination, water, fuel, electricity, cleanness means. Average possibilities of the cutting down the milk production cost were: internal farm transport, holding of durable means, vet cure, non-obligated insurance. Moreover, the milk farms which wanted to achieve high profitability in production have to search the saving in every size and in every kind of the cost.

The main purpose of the article is the characteristics of rules of agricultural products external trade with third countries especially within common market organisation in the beef and veal sector. Because of big interest within Polish producers and complicated subject, special stress was put on discussion of basic procedural problems related to export and export refunds in the beef and veal sector. From the accession day, there is growing tendency of interest in Polish beef and veal export refunds. The export refunds were constant up to 16^th June 2005, when there was publicised Council Regulation (EC) 903/2005 fixing new, 20% lower ones.

Land fallowing is a element of the European Community members’ economic policy. A fallow land (excluded from production) still remains as an integral part of flexible agricultural area and it is technologically cultivated, what keep its soil tilth and readiness for inclusion into production process. The proper process (conservation) lasts as long as it is brought back to its former function or the land is transferred into agricultural usage. The appropriate cultivation technology connected with land fallowing concerns costs of set-up, nurturing as well as liquidation of fallow lands, what results in agricultural production’s resumption in the area.

In the rural areas in Poland today there have been changes in the functional structure as well as changes within the particular functions. Out of a number of new functions the role of ecological, tourist and dormitory functions has been stressed in particular. On the other hand, changes within the existing functions have been mostly observed in agriculture, in which one function has been replaced by at least three functions: „traditional” agriculture, industrial agriculture and ecological agriculture. There has been a growing interrelationship between functions, which gives rise in the local environment to the relations that allow us to treat the areas under investigation in a systemic manner. Social and natural functions, similarly as the economic ones, generate jobs which causes them to have an economic dimension. The economic functions have an important social and natural character, since they lead to changes both in human relations and in nature.

In the paper there were analysed labour reserves in agriculture in the form of economic activities, between 1996 and 2002. The reserves decreased as a result of objective phenomenon connected with substituting manual work by mechanical force, taking up non-agricultural activities and referring youths to raise their education level. There hale appeared a new generation of young farmers who are better educated and hale go New ideas of their functioning farm.

The main assumption of this elaboration is to recognize the work division in households and farms and the decision process among rural families. Obtained results indicate that men are responsible for running farms whereas women field of activity is limited to production work and running households. Few respondents, according to the poll, change the traditional work division system into the partnership model. Among rural inhabitants the tendency has been revealed that they implement modern technical and organizational solutions to improve their work.