The article deals with the implementation of the LEADER programme in Poland. The aim of the paper was to present the influence of the LEADER programme 2007 – 2013 on rural areas development taking into account its objectives. This topic is current in the context of the Rural Development Programme 2007 – 2013 evaluation and search for effective tools for supporting rural areas. The results of research conducted in 2016 among residents and local action groups are presented. Firstly, the LEADER programme had little impact on the possibility of finding work outside the agriculture. Secondly, the realized projects have contributed to the improvement of the quality of life of the residents in rural areas, especially when it comes to meeting the needs of tourism and leisure. The programme was of great importance in underpinning social capital in the countryside, especially its behavioural and bonding dimension. It is very significant taking into account the low level of social capital in rural areas in Poland. An overall level of activity of rural residents and other entities increased, so as the propensity to engage in joint initiatives and the level of trust. The observed effects of the LEADER programme may in the future contribute significantly to the endogenous development of rural areas.

It is important for every country that its territory develops evenly and in a balanced way. In the European Union (EU), a special focus is placed on the development of rural territories, as predominantly rural regions in the EU represent 57% of the territory and 24% of the population. In Latvia, the development of rural territories depends on economic growth in the key industries for the rural areas – agriculture and forestry, and logging that contributed to 4.3% of GDP and employed 9.5% of the labour force in 2011. Therefore, the research aim is to perform an assessment of the administrative territories of Latvia. The research analysed the municipalities of Latvia in terms of population and change in the population as well as in terms of revenue and income and change in the revenue and income. The research found that in Latvia the best economic performance was demonstrated by the municipalities with a population in the range of 8-12 thousand. In the period 2004 – 2014, the number of residents decreased by more than 20% in 49 municipalities of Latvia. Such municipalities are located far away from the capital city, and poor economic performance indicators with a prevailing primary sector were typical of the municipalities. The municipalities with higher tax revenue had larger populations, which increased in the period of analysis, and such municipalities are located in the vicinity of Riga and high economic performance indicators were characteristic of them.

Smart specialisation strategy (RIS3) is topical for each European Union member state – including the Baltic States. It is a smart tool for the European Union (EU) Structural Funds absorption from 2014 to 2020. Each EU member state has set their own priorities based on the country specialisation and economy strengths and weaknesses. For RIS3 development evaluation, there is RIS3 Assessment Wheel developed – a tool for assessing the RIS3 in a chosen region and positioning it between other regions. The aim of research is to find main differences between RIS3 development in the Baltic States. The tasks of research are 1) to compare existing RIS3 Assessment Wheel of Latvia and create authors version of RIS3 Assessment Wheel of Latvia; 2) to create RIS3 Assessment Wheel of Lithuania and Estonia; 3) to make comparisons between created RIS3 Assessment Wheels. The research performed is mainly based on the desk research by using content analysis and the monographic method. In all three Baltic States, there is a lack of information available about revision of priorities in connection with RIS3 development. In order to achieve the aims set in RIS3, it is essential to finish work on RIS3 legislation in Latvia, and introduce the systematic approach to RIS3 target evaluation in all Baltic States.

Marvejols is a small town located in Lozère (France). Traditionally, the region was poor with an agricultural oriented economy. However, by the 1960s a new type of business was launched: the residential care facilities for disabled people, especially in relation to Jacques Blanc, a key person in the organization and development of this business. This economic activity brought jobs and new attractiveness, counterbalancing decline in traditional sectors. Nevertheless, currently, situation is less favourable, and the local players try to find out a new strategy, particularly in relation to diversification. In this study, our main aim was to understand conditions of starting and growing of this business. Moreover, we would like to understand current fragilities and attempts to adapt the economy of the territory. In this way, our students and we have chosen this area in relation to the economic and historical weight of its activity. The organization of field trips and survey was conducted in a comprehensive approach perspective. Therefore, we took account parameters working in this territory, such as strategies, psychologies (individual and collective), networks and identities. Human dimensions are strong, especially in discourses, and our main result is a better understanding of the local situation, with comparisons to close cases (Corrèze, Creuse). Furthermore, the quality of the geographical analysis provides working relations with the stakeholders.

In today‘s context of social sciences and practical discussions teamwork, synergy and synergy effects are considered to be one of the most important research objects. Creativity leads any organizational structure to successful solution of a problem and promotes the achievement of not individual but synergy goals, which are the result of generated and practically applied social innovations. The potential of teamwork synergy is transmitted through team dynamics, team creative process, as well as team purpose. The aim of this research is to identify the indicators describing the potential of synergy regarding team creative process and to evaluate their importance in the team creative process while developing innovative solutions. A case analysis method is applied: two different teams, which performed creative tasks, were chosen and analysed. In order to estimate the potential of synergy of creativity, a set of quantitative and qualitative indicators was formed. Features describing each indicator were evaluated by using questionnaires filled by the teams participating in the research. In addition, the teams were observed, in order to estimate the team creative process. The results of the research are valuable for authorities of organizations, who aim at greater synergy results and social innovations encouraging the development of public, social and business interests and creating multiplying effects of ideas. The generalized findings of the research are presented in the article, as well as the applied methods of scientific literature analysis and synthesis, abstraction.

Lease of farm lands is the most important process of proprietorial changes in the state’s agriculture sector. As an effect of turbulent socio-economic conditions and legal solutions resulting from country’s agricultural politics, its share in land’s management has significantly shrunk. Currently there is around 1.1 million ha of land in lease, which makes up for 23% of the land acquired by the Agricultural Property Agency of the State Treasury. After 23 years of 3.2 million ha of lands acquired by the Resource (68.5%) has already been managed permanently and 2.5 million ha (53%) have been sold. Lease allows fast temporary management of the farm lands acquired by the State’s Treasury, and a buying- out, mostly by the hitherto leaseholders, afterwards. The range and the structure of area of sales agreement of farm lands indicates that it was acquired by a relatively small group of buyers. Such a structure of permanent management of the State’s Treasury’s farm lands might bring some hesitations and questions on rationality of the proprietorial changes from the social interest view and ethics.

The aim of the research is to determine the influence of brand associations on purchase intentions in the framework of organic products. In order to determine the influence of brand associations on purchase intentions in the organic product category, the organic yogurt was chosen as a product. The brands’ criteria grid was elaborated for the selection of the specific yogurt brands and three different yogurt brands were chosen for the research. Nine associations directly or indirectly associated with ecology were generated and approved by experts of marketing and advertising; namely: ‘organic’, ‘natural’, ‘ecological’, ‘healthy’, ‘nutritious’, ‘Lithuanian’, ‘tasty’, ‘regular’, and ‘expensive’. The empirical research with the selected brands and generated associations was composed of two parts: experiment and questionnaire survey. The research results revealed that brand associations have a huge impact on consumer purchase intentions in a framework of organic products. Proper and positive association development positively and directly influences consumer purchase intentions. Positioning of the brand as providing organic products is extremely important when seeking to develop brand associations with organic products; the naturalness, ecology of the product should be emphasised in marketing communication; a brand name should be meaningful and visual marketing communication should expose the ecology. For the future research, the analysis of the influence of brand associations on the conative consumer response in the frameworks of the remaining products categories is necessary.

The aim of paper is a comparative analysis of on-farm greenhouse gas emissions across family farm types and farm size classes using FADN data in Lithuania. To achieve this, Lithuanian FADN data of 2014 were used for the analysis. The research draws on a sample of 1304 family farms. The methodology is based on an adaptation of the IPCC guidelines using Lithuanian emission factors from Lithuania’s National Inventory Report and the activity data of family farms derived from Lithuanian FADN. The GHG emissions were analysed per farm (t CO2eq farmE-1) and per hectare (CO2eq haE-1 of UAA). The research found out that the major sources of GHG emissions are related to the use of chemical fertilizers on farms comprising 52.6% of the total emissions from family farms. The performed analysis shows that GHG emissions per farm depended on the farm size and ranged from 63.3 t CO2eq farmE-1 to 479.6 t CO2eq farmE-1, on farm size class less than 30 ha UAA and from 500 ha UAA or over, respectively. The GHG emissions on family farms totalled 184.2 t CO2eq farmE-1 and ranged from 5.8 t CO2eq farm E-1 to 234.6 t CO2eq farmE-1, in the permanent crops farms and in the specialist dairying farms, respectively.

Nowadays ICT has a significant role in public administration by creating opportunities to automate a lot of manual operations. ICT plays an important role both in improving customer service in public administrations as well as internal and inter-institutional co-operation processes in public administrations that promote access to services and service quality, facilitate administrative processes for citizens and businesses and contribute to the accessibility of information. Public authority daily faces a major challenge – on the one hand to reduce labour costs and on the other hand to introduce innovations. In the implementation of both these objectives public administrations deal with a serious problem – to operate in a connected environment by involving stakeholders and at the same time to solve problems by using new working methods, tools and management models. One of the strategic objectives of tax and customs administrations is to increase resource use efficiency and effectiveness; therefore, they continuously search solutions to simplify administrative procedures, to improve and develop the quality of services provided and the business environment in general, and how to automate internal work processes and significantly reduce manual workload. This study aims to examine the structure affecting the efficiency indicators, to point out the factors which have the biggest impact on increasing effectiveness of institutions.

In foreign studies Latvia is positioned as a ‘depressive’ region in the year 2030, which will have an insufficient population of young people. Thus, Latvia as a country with a business-friendly environment will not be able to be competitive relative to other European countries and the flow of investment will be at risk, as well as passed on other, more competitive and better developed regions in demographic terms (Grinevica et al ., 2016). It is one of the main reasons to deal with the youth unemployment problem and to realize the actuality and consequences. Also, one of the EU’s priorities of development is to reduce youth unemployment. National labour force surveys (Hoffman, 2011) show that since 2008 the youth unemployment rate has risen in all the EU countries (Hjūza & Borbējs-Pece, 2012). The current economic instability in the context of youth’s prospects and opportunities in the labour market is uncertain (Balan, 2014). Youth unemployment has also a negative effect on economic growth and productivity. The aim of the paper is to identify the importance of unemployed youths and draw the society’s attention to the consequences. The paper presents a brief analysis of importance of unemployment costs as well as the calculation of an economic loss from youth unemployment in Latvia. The result was calculated using Okun’s Law concept.