MONTENEGRIN VILLAGE GNJILI POTOK AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 21 ST CEUNTRY

Abstract

This paper analyzes the Montenegrin rural village Gnjili Potok at the beginning of the twenty -first century. The population of Gnjilog Potok, as well as most other Montenegrin rural settlements, passed through the period from 1948 to 2017 all the characteristic stages of demographic transition. The maximum number of inhabitants was recorded in 1948 (325), and from the 1961 (281)  censuses, in the processes of industrialization, the depopulation began. In the post - transition phase in the last two censuses in 2003 and 2011, the number of inhabitants in the settlement was reduced from 111 to 87. According to the survey data from 2017, a total of 63 inhabitants live in the settlement. Compared to 1948, the number of inhabitants in 2017 was reduced by 194 %. The outflow of the population due to economic migration is constant and, unfortunately, there is no reversible flow, so it is necessary to define specific measures of social policy so that the demographic emptying of the space caused by these processes can be stopped or at least mitigated.  In a sociological sense, the population is attached to traditional values and preserving the common heritage. By ranking the answers about the biggest shortcomings in the settlement, the respondents state that: inability to work, access to health facilities, lack of content for young people, lack of social, cultural and sports facilities, access to trade, access to educational institutions, access to public transport ... Therefore, discouraging the fact that more than half of the respondents (69 %) think that they as individuals can do nothing to improve the lives of the neighborhood. If we add to this group a part of the respondents (12 %) who "do not know" what the individuals could change in the settlement, so we get the result of 81 % of respondents who are considered incompetent to discuss ways of improving the living standards of the village. In  these  considerations,  scientific research and practical experience of countries in which the processes of  rural development and cooperation has dominated for a long time can be a valuable asset for  Montenegro,  especially  given  the  current  national  development  trends,  intentions  and  commitments.