Community cohesion, well-being, and local development

This publication features a collection of papers discussing the factors which have an impact on the quality of life and the subjective sense of well-being of local communities. The articles also provide empirical explanations as to what extent the developmental levels of the regions studied affect quality life and well-being. The publication is a product of the Community Cohesion and Well-Being and Innovative Local Development international scientific conference, organised jointly by the Institute of Sociology of the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw and Statistics Poland (held on 4 December 2018). The innovative character of this scientific event is mutually beneficial for its organisers. The joint initiative of the university and the main producer of statistical data deserves recognition, and any future project of this kind should be supported, as it provides a direct opportunity for the different potentials of both institutions to be brought together to discuss and explore advanced statistical, sociological and regional research. The 2018 conference was in fact its third edition, which indicates that the tradition of such a collaboration has already been established and gives hope to be upheld in the future. Despite the delay between the time of the conference and the publication date of the monograph, it still raises highly topical issues, and the presented analytical approaches combine the concern for scientific matters with policy objectives, assuming that the well-being of the citizens is the ultimate goal of community development. A wide spectrum of processes and their relevant factors, analysed at individual and community levels, embraces the elements of social, human and material capital along with innovative forms of their use by various agents, contributing to the cohesion and development of local communities. The variety of methodological approaches used by the authors makes their articles interesting and recommendable to all researchers and decision-makers, as well as to students of the subjects discussed in this publication.