The Impact of Transformational Changes on the Socio-Economic Conditions of the Rural Population. An Example of Poland

The aim of the article is to show that in rural areas, with particular emphasis on former state-owned farms, which were created as a result of changes in the forms of land ownership, mainly in Central and Eastern European countries, the economic situation of households is still worse than in the areas where there were no State Agricultural Enterprises (PGR). Research in Poland served as a case study. Selected methods of descriptive statistics and multivariate comparative analysis were used in the analyses. The results presented in the study at different levels of aggregation (voivodeships, poviats, and communes) allowed the identification of the regularities in the situation of rural areas. Among the beneficiaries of social assistance, most of the people live in rural areas and have a high unemployment rate; the problem of unemployment especially concerns those areas where the rural population with lower education levels predominates. Moreover, in former state-owned farms, the total disposable income per person is lower than in other areas, and the funds from the government program “Rodzina 500+” constitute a significant contribution to household budgets.