Ocena kondycji finansowej jednostek samorządu terytorialnego w obliczu pandemii COVID-19 na przykładzie województw samorządowych w Polsce
Assessment of financial condition of local government units in the face of COVID-19 pandemic on the example of local government provinces in Poland

Summary/Abstract: Measures taken to minimize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy involved spending public funds in a different way than was planned in the budgets of public sector units. National and local governments around the world introduced measures to limit the spread of the virus, translating, among other things, into restrictions on the activities of economic entities. This situation has resulted, on the one hand, in a reduction of both tax and fee revenues and other public and legal charges not only to the state budget, but also to the various levels of territorial sector units, and, on the other hand, in increased spending by these institutions. It has become a common opinion that the pandemic has affected the financial condition of local government units, but there is a lack of analysis in the literature at the level of provinces, which are financed differently than the municipal level in Poland. This study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the financial condition of local government provinces in Poland as depicted by fundamental budget indicators. The analysis showed that based on indicators that, according to theory, should describe the financial situation of territorial sector units, in emergency situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic, do not reflect the actual picture. Our considerations indicate that certain theoretical assumptions are not suitable for “difficult times”. If one were to base only on numbers and theory, one would be led to the erroneous conclusion that the pandemic did not financially affect territorial sector units at the regional (provincial) level.

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