摘要：The aim of the article was to present and examine the level of competitiveness of the districts (poviats) of Małopolska province, and compare them with each other in this respect. The analysis included three dimensions: social, economic, and environmental. This subdivision results from the direction of implementing the principles of sustainable development. In each dimension, typical variables have been selected, which facilitated the determination of respective competitive positions of each district. The study was based on a multivariate space of variables, using one of the methods of taxonomic classification – Ward’s agglomeration, and combinatorial operative method of enabling separation of homogeneous clusters in respect to the studied phenomenon. In order to determine similarities between individual units (districts called poviats, or counties), matrix of Euclidean distances was used. Analyses have shown that towns with district rights tend to enjoy high competitive positions, as well as those districts located in the southern part of the Małopolska province.
