Implementation of the cohesion policy in rural areas of dolnośląskie region

The aim of this paper is to present the implementation of cohesion policy in rural areas on the example of Dolnośląskie voivodeship, based on an assessment of the direction and scale of funding for rural areas under two operational programs, the Rural Development Programme for 2007–2013 and the Regional Operational Programme of Lower Silesia Voivodeship 2007–2013. In the present study, expert-based, documentary, and k-means clustering methods were used. Studies indicate that in 2007–2013 the majority of investments from the RDP were related to improving the quality of life of rural residents. The amount of support, both in total and per capita, varied widely. Most municipalities received this support at the lowest level available on the scale of the whole province. Support for investments in rural areas of the ROP of Dolnośląskie voivodeship 2007–2013 was primarily related to the improvement of transport conditions and environmental protection projects.