Objective 1.
Competitive
economy
Objective 3.
Quality of life
Objective 2.
Domestic and
international links
There can be no mention of ensuring the development of a competitive economy and national and international links, as well as high quality of life, without ensuring the appropriate technical and telecommunications infrastructure
There can be no mention of ensuring the development of a competitive economy and national and international links, as well as high quality of life, without ensuring the appropriate technical and telecommunications infrastructure. Good infrastructure is both a necessity and a precondition for, but not the essence of, the planned socio- economic development of Podlaskie Voivodeship. It should at the same time be stressed that key measures in the field of the region’s transport accessibility, such as road and rail connections with Warsaw, lie outside the competences of the regional authorities. Representing these challenges in the form of a horizontal objective should be treated as the strongest possible way of expressing expectations towards the central authorities for the radical improvement of the region’s accessibility as a major barrier to its development.
Relationships between strategic objectives
The strategic objectives adopted assume activities being conducted in parallel in three directions in such a way as to ensure:
1. An increase in entrepreneurship and economy’s competitiveness;
2. Development of the region’s national and international socio-economic links;
3. An improvement in the citizens’ quality of life.
The above strategic objectives concern those areas of the region’s socio-economic life where conscious intervention can ensure an ongoing improvement in the citizens’ situation, and above all create, in line with the slogan “Duty to Generations,” the basis for permanent long-term development and catching up with the leading regions in Poland and Europe. At the same time, the set of strategic objectives set should be treated as a system of mutually connected elements which shape one another and in particular reinforce their effects.
Measures undertaken and progress towards one strategic objective will strengthen the opportunities to achieve better results for the remaining objectives. The region’s development must undoubtedly be based on a competitive economy – this is what creates jobs, leading to an increase in employment, incomes and wealth. Having a job and an income is the foundation for a high quality of life. A competitive economy is the factor
Competitive economy
Domestic and
international links Quality of life
Diagram 2.
Relations between strategic
objectives
which will ensure that development of national and international links will bring the maximal benefits. Highly competitive companies make best use of stronger national and international links, they will not be afraid of new investors from outside, instead treating them as partners for fruitful collaboration. At the same time, the development of socio- economic ties will be conducive to further growth in the competitiveness of the economy. More investments, but also more new ideas, creative and entrepreneurial people attracted to the region will form a firm basis for economic development, as well as will contribute to an improvement in the quality of life. And conversely, high quality of life will be a major factor in attracting people from outside, including from the east, not only as tourists but also as new, active, entrepreneurial and creative citizens. A high quality of life for the citizens will therefore ensure excellent conditions for economic development, keeping the best human resources in the region despite average incomes which are still lower. This will be a major deciding factor in locating external investments in the region.
Consistent simultaneous realisation of all three accepted strategic objectives will
additionally ensure that the synergy effects will fundamentally reinforce the effects of the measures taken. At the base of the structure of individual strategic objectives lie a cross- section of assumptions, namely:
1) smart specialisation – the strategy is open to ideas contributing towards the creation of specific advantages of the region, particularly those based on endogenous potential, including making use of the beneficial conditions for agricultural and dairy production and high quality food, production and services under the banner
of “ecological and green” – renewable energy sources, environmentally friendly
technologies, eco-tourism, life science, the silver economy, creation of green workplaces and development of products and services aimed at our eastern neighbours. The
challenges of the contemporary economy require a continuous process of identifying regional specialisations which is implemented with the full participation of
socio-economic partners. In connection with this, and based on the system for realising the strategy, a mechanism will be introduced to identify and verify smart
specialisations, which will form an integral part of the strategy’s implementation documentation;
2) use of ICT – the strategy promotes wide-ranging use of information and communications in all areas of life and in every sphere of the economy;
3) cooperation – the strategy will lead to a culture of cooperation in the region, based on trust among various entities and institutions, contributing to the achievement of the region’s development targets;
4) territorial cohesion – the strategy will lead to a stimulation of local resources for social and economic development in all parts of the region.