Innovative

The 'founding father' of the Ranking is Prof. Eugeniusz Sobczak from WUT’s Faculty of Administration and Social Sciences. His own research methodology allows the determination of the level of development in three main areas: social, economic and environmental protection. “The main inspiration for doing research on development of Local Government Units (especially measuring their socio-economic development) on the local level of rural and urban districts was Poland’s preparation for the accession to the EU. The atmosphere of that time incited competition, shaped hopes for means of assistance and aid ie. structural funds, rural development funds and the Cohesion Fund and raised questions whether we would manage to compete with fifteen highly developed countries which have been members of the EU for so many years"  recalls Prof. Eugeniusz Sobczak.   

The methodology comprises 16 variables for boroughs and 17 for voivodeships:

1. Capital spending on investments per capita(10 zł = 1 point)
2. Spending on transport and networking per capita (10 zł = 1 p)
3. Share in capital spending on investments (1% = 1 p)
4. Share in spending on transport and networking (1% - 1 p)
5. Percentage of local government’s revenue in the budget (1% = 1 p)
6. Number of employed people per 1000 inhabitants (1 person = +1p)
7. Number of unemployed people per 1000 inhabitants (1 person = -1p)
8. Number of economic entities per 1000 inhabitants (1 entity = -1p)
9. Influx of people per 1000 inhabitants (1 person = +1p)
10. Exodus of people per 1000 inhabitants (1 person = -1p)
11. Number of computers at schools that have internet access per 1000 inhabitants

(1 computer = +1p)

1. Number of high school graduates per 1000 inhabitants (1 graduate = +1p)
2. Percentage of councilors with higher education degree (1% = 1 p)
3. Percentage of inhabitants who use water and sewage services (1% = 1 p)
4. Percentage of inhabitants who have access to waste water sewerage system (1% = 1 p)
5. Percentage of inhabitants who have access to waste water treatment plant (1% = 1 p)
6. GDP per capita – for voivodeship (100 zł = 1 p).

Further improved

At first, all variables were to receive an equal number of points, but after the initial calculation of the score (Human Development Index) the scientists realised that there are three variables  which determine the score. These are: capital spending on investments, on transport and networking, as well as GDP per capita. And that is why they decided to score the above-mentioned categories lower,  Prof. Sobczak explained. 
'Ranking of Sustainable Development of Local Governments' is being constantly developed and improved. Many changes have been implemented over the past few years and its authors have no intention of stopping now.

"The set of variables is not set in stone and there is a need of expanding it because of the disproportion between the number of economic variables (8) and the social and environmental protection ones" (5&3 respectively),  says the creator of the Ranking.

Appreciated

Where does the popularity and innovation of the “Ranking of Sustainable Development of Local Governments” come from?

"It is simply because there are stimulants and destimulants in the set of variables and they explain achievements and negligence in the development of the Local Government Units. One of the Ranking’s main goals is to promote socio-economic development of the LGUs (promoting good practices) and not self-promotion of the research unit', Prof. Sobczak explains.

We can mention a few other aspects which influence the evaluation of the Ranking introduced by the Faculty of Administration and Social Sciences at the Warsaw University of Technology:

• the set of variables is systematically used for researching the socio-economic development of districts and voivodeships. It makes it more objective and verifies the set of variables;
• the order of districts in rankings is not verified by any body ie. a congregation;
• all the boroughs and districts in Poland are classified in rankings which allow the identification of the causes of delays in development by local councils that are classified in various parts of the ranking;
• positive opinion of local councils given each time the Ranking is announced

The latest Ranking

We are just before the announcement of the next edition of 'Ranking of Sustainable  Development of Local Governments'. This year it will be presented in two versions:

• ranking according to sum of points (Human Development Index);
• ranking according to the dynamics of growth in the Human Development Index in years 2003-2014.

"We expect that there will be some Local Government Units which will achieve a high level of dynamics due to the intensification of activities towards development (increased spending on investments, transport and networking). There are many local councils among the laureates distinguished for dynamics who are not awarded for the level ", says Prof. Sobczak. "The general conclusions from the rankings and research in this area indicate that there is an increasing polarization of activities towards development, as well as the level of development. We can definitely predict that the main cities such as Warsaw, Wrocław, Poznań, Kraków, Katowice, the 'Tri-city' (comprising Gdańsk, Sopot and Gdynia) and Łódź will be growing and increasing their development whilst the sub-regional centres and the periphery (including the local county centres)will slow down their development", Prof. Sobczak sums up.