Financing the removal of the effects of natural disasters in physical culture facilities by local government units in Poland

Abstract

Natural disasters increasingly challenge the stability of social infrastructure, with physical culture facilities intended for sports, physical education, tourism, recreation, and physical rehabilitation being particularly vulnerable to climate-related shocks. The objective of this research is the knowledge about the spatial and temporal dynamics of expenditures incurred by Polish local governments for restoring physical culture facilities affected by natural disasters. The study evaluates the fiscal response of Polish Local Government Units (LGUs) to the damage caused by natural disasters between 2008 and 2024. By integrating data from the EM-DAT international disaster database and the Polish Local Data Bank (BDL), this research identifies critical spatial and temporal patterns in recovery spending. The analysis reveals a significant geographical disparity: while disaster-related expenditures at the provincial level were concentrated almost exclusively in the Dolnośląskie and Podkarpackie provinces, municipalities and cities with county rights across most of Poland – with the exception of the Podlaskie and Zachodniopomorskie provinces – faced recurring financial burdens. Notably, the data highlights 2010, 2011 and 2024 as pivotal years for disaster relief funding, particularly in Dolnośląskie province. In the case of the budgets of municipalities and cities with county rights, the highest expenditures for disaster relief were recorded in 2011. The findings suggest that current financing models remain largely reactive. The paper argues for a strategic shift toward proactive fiscal resilience to ensure the long-term sustainability of physical culture infrastructure in disaster-prone regions.

Keywords: Disaster Recovery Funding, Local Government Finance, Natural Disaster, Physical Culture Infrastructure, Poland

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007820