Impact Of Public Investments On The Local Development Of The Sarnaki Commune In The Years 2014-2020

Subject and purpose of work: The aim of the work was to show the impact of the implemented public investments and development projects on the local development and the changes that occurred, as well as on the living conditions of the inhabitants of the Sarnaki Commune in 2014- 2020. The research problem of the study was to show the role and the nature of the investments made by the commune in the area of local development. The assumed hypothesis states that the investments implemented in the Sarnaki Commune in the period 2014-2020 have led to the socioeconomic development of the commune. Materials and methods: The publication used Polish literature concerning local investments, local development and local government, statistical data and an analysis of the documentation related to the investments obtained from the Sarnaki Commune Office. In order to achieve the aim of the study, a survey was carried out among a deliberately selected group consisting of the representatives of the commune office (commune administrator, secretary, and treasurer), the councilors (legislative authority) and the village leaders (opinion-forming authority) of the Sarnaki commune. A particularly important group included the village leaders, that is the representatives of the local community who are the closest to social developmental problems and are impartial in issuing their opinions. A separate research group consisted of social representatives who were elected in democratic elections by the inhabitants, and who are closely related and knowledgeable about social and economic matters. Some information was also collected from the employees of the commune office. Results: The conducted analyses and the research show that the implemented public investments in the commune studied had the most positive impact on the technical infrastructure in which the most funds were invested. They had the most impact on the access to sports and recreation facilities, road and water infrastructure, as well as on the state of the natural environment and the aesthetics of the surroundings. On the other hand, they had the least impact on the employment opportunities in the commune, access to housing infrastructure and public safety. Conclusions: The investments carried out in the period 2014-2020 in the Sarnaki Commune led to the socio-economic development of the commune, and, as a result, to positive changes, both quantitative and qualitative, in the local development as well as in the living conditions of the inhabitants.