IMPACT OF ECONOMIC CRISIS ON TERRITORIAL DISPARITIES IN TERMS OF WEALTH – CASE STUDY OF POLAND

The economic crisis has severely affected individuals and businesses alike. The question to be analysed in this paper is: how did the economic crisis affect territorial units? The paper analyses: (1) the effects of the crisis in terms of growing levels of regional and local debts, which accompany high national deficits and growing public debts, (2) changes in structures of incomes and expenditures in regions and municipalities and (3) deepening disparities in terms of wealth distribution. These analyses are concluded with insights into how the financial effects of the crisis are being translated into decreased capacity for achieving territorial cohesion on national, regional as well as local levels.