ABSTRACT
A great deal of emphasis was placed on the development of forecasting at the beginning of the 1970s, especially economic and technical forecasting. Sometimes, central decisions were the expression of economic voluntarism and political arrogance. The main area for integrated impact assessment (IIA) is socio-economic planning, and in particular urban and spatial planning, Research and Development (R & D) planning, and economic planning. The areas in which IIA is performed are subject to national and regional planning. One may conclude that IIA criteria were neglected, or at best were predominantly political or economic. The R and D sector produces inventions, innovations, new technologies, and new organizational solutions. This sector in Poland consists of institutes of the Polish Academy of Science; universities and institutes; and R and D centers and design bureaus, usually functioning at ministries, industries, and city administrative bodies.
