Regional Convergence of Labour Productivity in Rural Sectors in the Context of Funds Obtained for Agriculture From the European Union

One of the key goals of European integration is the reduction of development disparities referred to as convergence. Convergence occurs in two forms as sigma convergence and beta convergence. Sigma convergence means a decrease in dispersion and differentiation over time, and the essence of beta convergence is faster development of less developed regions or countries, which results in catching up. The aim of the article is to study the convergence of the level of development of the sectors of the rural economy in the regions of Poland between 2003 and 2014. The economic results, in the context of the size of funds raised from European funds, measured by the gross value added of agriculture, forestry, hunting and fisheries, were obtained from the Local Data Bank. Data on the value of the funds used were obtained from the Agency for Restructuring and Modernization of Agriculture. Statistical methods describing the state of differentiation of regions and the function of regression were used for the analysis. The research confirmed partial occurrence of labor productivity convergence in the rural sectors of the Polish regions and a positive correlation of gross value added with the amount of obtained funds from European funds