Allocation of Resources in Private Farms in Poland in Light of Their Institutional Ties

Abstract

The aim of this paper was to identify institutional determinants of the allocation of resources in Polish agriculture and its principal production segments (cultivation of field crops, cultivation of fruit and vegetables, the breeding and raising of dairy cows, the breeding and raising of pigs). On the basis of theoretical considerations and nation-wide surveys an aggregate index of the degree of institutionalisation of an agricultural farm was created, which facilitated the delimitation of farms in accordance with the intensity and structure of their ties with institutions. Next, analyses were conducted to establish whether in the identified classes of private farms - characterised by various degrees of intensity and different structure of institutional ties with the environment, the allocation of production factors in the key segments of agricultural production showed essential discrepancies attributable to the influence of institutional structure within which individual farms operated.