IDENTIFICATION OF THE MINIMUM LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE ON SOCIAL INSURANCE

Abstract

The Polish social insurance system is a part of the social security scheme. The Constitution of the Republic of Poland imposes on the state an obligation to create such system and to fulfill social security guarantees for every citizen. Participation in the social insurance system, and thus insurance coverage in the field of the consequences of social risks, is strictly dependent on the fact of performing a gainful activity on the principles set out in the social insurance act (among others: work under a contract of employment or under a civil law contract and conducting business). The legality of employment and the employer fairness on the one hand, and the effectiveness of control authorities of state institutions on the other hand, are two driving engines of the insurance guarantee. Responsibility for providing such insurance protection lies between the institutional activities of the state and the individual foresight of the citizen. It is on his/her side that knowledge about social insurance plays a very important role as an element of risk awareness. The act on the social insurance system imposes on the Polish executive institution in the area of social insurance (the Polish social insurance institution, ZUS) the obligation to popularize this knowledge. The purpose of the article is the attempt to indicate the scope of a minimum knowledge of social insurance, which will allow a citizen to make a conscious participation in the system, i.e. effective protection against the results of the possible risks.