Institute of Rural and Agricultural Development, Polish Academy of Sciences

The Institute is a leading research entity in the country, focusing on identifying and explaining development mechanisms and their effects on the changing role of rural areas in the social, economic, and cultural life of the country. The unit also monitors current socio-economic and environmental challenges faced by local communities.

The research conducted here supports the effective implementation of practical development activities by local governments, the business sector, and entire communities. The research results have been used by many institutions, including the OECD, FAO, European Parliament, European Commission, Office of the President of the Republic of Poland, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and Ministry of Finance and Public Administration. The findings of the researchers are also used by other entities addressing the issue of equalizing development disparities between urban and rural areas and striving for territorial justice and social cohesion.

The IRWiR PAN team consists of over 40 employees, including 30 researchers. They are representatives of economics, sociology, demography, anthropology, political science, spatial economy, and socio-economic geography. The Institute’s flagship projects influencing civilizational development include: “Monitoring the Development of Rural Areas,” “Continuity and Change. A Hundred Years of Development of the Polish Countryside,” “Smart Village,” and “The Social Structure of Rural Poland,” and the “POLTERM Regional General Equilibrium Model” has been developed.

The Institute implements projects under the EU’s Horizon 2020 and Erasmus+ programs.