Polityka zrównoważonego rozwoju gmin śląskich
The Sustainable Development Policy of Silesian Municipalities

Summary/Abstract: After addressing more immediate problems following the self-governance regained in the 1990s after system transformation, local governments in Silesia began to feel the need to map out a comprehensive development strategy. One possibility for constructing a modern development strategy is to implement the concept of sustainable development. Practical implementation of policies based on the principles of sustainable development first requires local authorities to have the “political will” to implement solutions in accordance with this concept. The research done for this article was intended to help assess the progress municipalities in Silesia have made in implementing sustainable development policies. The basic research method used for the article was analysis of the data contained in the questionnaire “The policy of sustainable development”. The questionnaire was carried out by the Department of Social and Economic Policy at the University of Economics in Katowice in 2015. The results of the survey are complemented by an analysis of previously conducted surveys. Based on the studies, it can be concluded that progress has been made, if very slowly, in implementing the principles of sustainable development in local politics. The first studies, which were done in municipalities at the beginning of Poland’s post-communism transformation, point to approx. 5% of local governments trying to implement a policy of sustainable development in their communities. The share has risen to approximately 25% of the municipalities surveyed.

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