The importance of the local government sector in the meaning of local development theories

Municipalities and counties constitute the local level of the Polish municipal-government administration. One of the tasks for them is to take care of the local development of their area. Unfortunately, development is not happening everywhere at the same pace and with the same intensity. As a result, both highly developed and backward units can be easily identified on the country map. The subject of diversity in the level of development of various areas has for years occupied a well-deserved place in economic considerations, as manifested by numerous theo-ries trying to explain this problem. The aim of the chapter is to present the role of the municipal-government administration in selected theories of local development.