Does the Strategic Planning of Local Development Result from the Motives Indicated in Literature? Contemporary Motivation of Polish Small Towns’ Authorities for Strategic Planning of Local Development

Abstract

The international literature offers a numberof motives which should incline local authoritiestoward strategic planning of local development;it also emphasizes that they should be stronglymotivated to do that. Meanwhile, their actualmotivation for such planning can remain low anddominated by motives so far unrecognized in theliterature. The article presents research confi rmingthis assumption, conducted in 2014 amongthe authorities of Polish small towns.The results reveal that the general motivationfor strategic planning of local developmentamong 37.7% of the authorities of Polish smalltowns is low. It also disclosed that the motivefor obtaining means from the EU funds (so farunrecognized in literature) was and is motivatingstrongly at least 68.6% of these authorities forthe discussed planning and, moreover, that it is ashort-lived motive. The article indicates that thissituation may also refer to other local authorities,not just the Polish ones. It also indicates that itis an unintended effect of the dependence ofmunicipal development projects’ support by themeans from the EU funds on including them inthe local development strategy. The fi nal part ofthe article presents recommendations of actionsto rectify such an unfavorable situation and forfurther studies of planning motives followed bylocal authorities.

Keywords

• municipality, small town, local development, local development strategy, motives for the strategic planning of local development.