Declining rural population increases distances to public services, they become more expensive. Therefore, provision of public services is a growing challenge in rural areas not only in Lithuania but also in Europe. Public services are one of the aspects of rural vitality, which is widely debated by both scientists and politicians. Demand aspects are debated, new, innovative ways of provision of public services discussed, new service models combining private, public sectors and community resources are sought. The aim of the study was to identify public services, the demand for which is the greatest in rural areas. To achieve the aim, the questionnaire for elders of Lithuanian rural wards was prepared. The questionnaires were sent to all Lithuanian rural wards - 450 and 352 elders’ answers were received. The results showed that the best served are public services as information accessibility, school-age children education and social services. The public services where a lot of changes must be done are such as primary health care and all types of utilities (water, sewerage, waste), public transport.
JEL codes: R10, R20, R50.
Keyword(s): demand, public services, rural areas.
Kuliešis, G.; Pareigienė, L. 2015. Investigation of the demand of public services of rural areas, In Management theory and studies for rural business and infrastructure development = Vadybos mokslas ir studijos - kaimo verslų ir jų infrastruktūros plėtrai 37(4): 521-531. DOI:10.15544/mts.2015.44 (ISSN 1822-6760 (print) / ISSN 2345-0355 (online)) [EBSCO, Business Source Complete, Ulrich’s, DOAJ, OAJI, IndexCopernicus, ERIH PLUS andAcademicKeys.com.].
Investigation of the demand of public services of rural areas