Abstract The primary goal of this study is to analyze spatial and temporal changes in the economic situation of Polish regions between 2015 and 2023 in the context of regional convergence and divergence processes. Data analysis was based on publicly available data from the Eurostat database regarding regional gross domestic product per capita, which was expressed in purchasing power standards (PPS) for realistic comparison. This measure eliminates variations resulting from differences in purchasing power across regions and leads to an estimate of actual differences between regions. The second parameter included in the analysis was the economically active population aged 15–74. This measure determines the development potential of a region by describing the size of the available labor force, which indicates the real labor resources that influence economic growth in a given region. The study estimated the level of convergence (σ) and β, and also performed a spatial classification of the regions using QGIS tools. The research concluded with a proprietary matrix of the dynamics of economic and demographic change, which enabled the identification of diverse models of regional development in Poland. The proposed research methodology can be applied to any other country or group of countries. The research results clearly demonstrated that, despite the overall improvement in the level of prosperity in all Polish regions, the process of regional convergence was limited and unstable. The σ-convergence analysis did not confirm a systematic reduction in regional disparities during the analyzed period. The β-convergence analysis, in turn, revealed the existence of a mechanism for faster PPS growth in poorer regions, but its pace proved very slow and insufficient to significantly reduce existing disparities. Furthermore, the study revealed significant variation in demographic changes, which increasingly differentiate the development potential of regions. In many voivodeships, economic growth occurred despite a decline in the economically active population, indicating the growing role of productivity growth and structural change. The most favorable development pattern was observed in regions combining GDP growth with an increase in labor resources, primarily in the strong western and metropolitan regions. The obtained results confirm the consolidation of a polarised model of regional development in Poland and point to the need for a more diversified approach within cohesion policy, taking into account both economic and demographic factors.
Bluszcz et al. (Sat,) studied this question.