Typologia miast na prawach powiatu według poziomu zadłużenia w Polsce, w latach 2007-2014
Debt of towns with county status in Poland

Summary/Abstract: Due to the dual character of towns with a county status, they function not only as communes but also have some functions of counties. They execute a wide range of welfare-related, social and infrastructural tasks, which affect socio-economic development in the region and quality of life in the local community. Every year the debt of entities in the local government sector increases dynamically. It is particularly noticeable in the biggest towns with the status of counties – metropolises. In 2007, the total debt of towns with a county status was 11.2 billion zlotys (7 billion zlotys in metropolises). In 2014, the debt was nearly three times as great: it increased to nearly 32.5 billion zlotys (more than 20 billion zlotys in metropolises). It amounted to more than 45% of the total debt of the local government sector in Poland. It seems important that analysis of the debt of entities in the local government sector, including towns with a county status, be conducted because they perform a wide range of activities and their debt is part of public debt. Therefore, the analysis is significant not only for a proper functioning of these entities but also for the financial security of the state. The main aim of the paper is to investigate the debt of towns with a county status in Poland between 2007 and 2014. The study is chiefly based on databases published by the Ministry of Finance – Indicators to Assess the Financial Situation of Local Government Units, and uses descriptive statistics and Ward's method.

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