Regional Formation and Development Studies

The paper deals with the situation of entrepreneurship in three rural cross-border regions of Lithuania bordering on Kaliningrad Region and Poland, i.e. with Jurbarkas, Šilutė, and Vilkaviškis districts. The entrepreneurship factors in rural areas have been summarised, the outcomes of the research in the entrepreneurship factors of the rural areas of Lithuanian cross-border regions have been presented, and the factors impeding business development in the region have been named. In the contemporary society, the significance of the impact of entrepreneurship in economic, social, and psychological processes of the society development has been increasing. The direction of the society progress and the trajectory of its development is related to its members’ entrepreneurship abilities and opportunities. Individual’s entrepreneurship contributes to the perception and identification of the new opportunities of activity development, thus increasing the social welfare.

This study aims at presenting complex information on the specifics of regional development and its management system, as well as the experience of forming and implementing the state regional policy in Ukraine. The information in the article is presented in the context of generally accepted notions and concepts of regional development and regional policy, along with the European experience and global trends, but first of all it is based on the realities of regions and rural areas in Ukraine and on its governance model. It has been determined that to establish an effective and competent public administration of rural development should be a priority, singled out as part of the state regional policy, socially orientated and coordinated with sectoral policies.