Public Participation in Turbulent Times: The Village Fund in Poland

The processes of public participation in rural areas in Poland can take various forms, but one of the most common is village fund. In the literature, it has been subjected to various analyses, which gives an accurate picture of it from the period before COVID-19. The article's purpose is to examine how the functioning of village funds changed during turbulent times of the COVID-19 pandemic. The article uses an analysis of source documents and statistical analysis of data on the scale and directions of expenditures of Polish municipalities from village funds in 2019 - 2021. The analysis indicates a relatively small decrease in the use of village funds during the Covid-19 pandemic in all municipalities. It showed that due to the village fund mechanism's low flexibility, it was up to residents to modify the spending plan in 2020. The results of the study can provide a basis for future discussions on the resilience of participatory processes to the crisis and on models for PB development in rural areas.