Rural areas of the Zachodniopomorskie and Małopolskie regions. comparative analysis of the dynamics of changes in the years 2004−2008

The articles purpose is to compare the development of two regions, with the special Research period is between 2004 and 2008. During research were used basic measures of economical, social and demographical development. Attempt was taken to answer these questions, does this regions need different ways of development and instruments of activization? Does the four years period in UE was properly used by these areas? Conducted analysis didn’t gave clear answers for the questions. There are areas where the rate of changes are similar for both regions (GDP, average monthly salary in agriculture, population age structure) but there are also great differences, some on the side of Zachodniopomorskie region and some on the side of Małopolskie. To give clear answers to these questions there should be conducted more specific studies and use other like synthetic measures of development.

This article measures the level of financial literacy in the rural areas of Vietnam. The financial literacy is usually concerned by financial institutions and government organizations. This is considered to be an indicator that contributes to the assessment of the quality and potential growth of the financial system. In the article the determinants of financial literacy in Vietnam are identified. In result the authors propose a designed financial literacy enhancement programme for implementation.

Decentralization of power in Ukraine as a means of creating and maintaining a full-term living environment of territorial communities

The article researched the process of decentralization of power in Ukraine since 2014 and its legal regulation, highlights the stages of reform, systematizes its main achievements within the first stage (from 2014 to 2019) and the second (from 2020 to present), outlines and summarizes the key problems of community development and possible ways to solve them. Based on the analysis of the publications in which the solution of the problem was initiated, the author found that the attempts to improve the administrative- territorial structure of Ukraine, made at the national level before 2014, did not bring the expected results, and therefore the focus is on the process of subsequent reforms. With this in mind, the purpose of the study, its main research objectives and methodological tools are determined. The author emphasizes that the reform of the state policy of Ukraine in the field of local government is based on the best world achievements in this direction, on the basis of the analysis confirms the general correspondence between the number of persons living in a particular region of Ukraine and the number of established communities, and that community development problems are more pronounced within rural areas away from administrative centers. The proposed ways to solve the outlined problems will contribute to the creation and maintenance of a full-fledged living environment of communities.

The article raises the question of adoption in the analysis of rural areas and communities of its inhabitants, research perspective of social economy as a paradigm allowing for exploration of issues from the economy, and often studies of neoclassical economics and sociology. The first part of the text is characterized by research linking economic and sociological studies and assumptions of socio-economic research, research pointing to the benefits arising from them, while the second refers to a specific area of own research, which using the accepted paradigm, allow the enrichment of socio-economic analysis of rural areas.

E-learning as a Diffusion of Innovation in the Rural Areas of the European Union

Early observations show that the introduction of e-learning to the rural areas of the EU has brought fewer advantages than had initially been expected. Results of international research – interpreted by means of the sociological theory of diffusion – indicate that economic profitability does not have much influence on the pace of disseminating that innovation since rural inhabitants – both those following e-learning courses as well as those who have not yet done so – largely feel that that type of education has a variety of advantages including the lowering of its costs. It seems that its social profitability has a crucial influence on the poor dissemination of this new form of teaching and learning. E-learning has not yet found its niche in the value systems or educational experiences of Europe’s rural populations, since – rather like other forms of education – it does not automatically improve the capability of coping with current day-to-day problems. A better adaptation to the needs of rural inhabitants through the perception of various types of deficits hindering the usage of this type of education is intended by the so-called innovative e-learning, implementing new and generally innovative solutions to the pedagogical, technological and organisational fields which overcome existing limitations through a greater flexibility of ways of potential participants accessing e-learning proposals as well as greater adaptation to individual needs.

The introduction of innovation and its implementation both at the company and territorial levels are linked to many variables among which Word of Mouth (WOM) can play a critical role. In particular for small communities WOM can act as a privileged source of information determining, in many circumstances, the innovation diffusion or rejection and heavily influencing the related training and extension programmes and learning processes. This paper attempts to outline some guidelines for those operators concerned with innovation diffusion particularly in rural areas. After a synthetic review about some theoretical indications about WOM as relevant foundations for the understanding of this phenomenon, the paper develops an operational approach mainly based on some contributions deriving from the complex systems theory in the definition of the architecture and dynamics of social networks with particular regard for small communities. On the basis of a survey conducted in a rural area in Central Italy, the paper illustrates the modalities through which WOM flows are concretely articulated and proposes some suggestions for its diagnosis and practical management.