Komercjalizacja organizacji pozarządowych w Polsce. Rekomendacje dla decydentów publicznych

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are often called the third sector or non-profit sector. There are various definitions of these terms, but they all refer to institutions operating independently of governments, on a voluntary basis and for the community and its members. They are usually not-for-profit, primarily concerned with providing services, including the cooperation of community members, with their activities often focused on people who are socially or economically excluded. Their impact on societies is continuously growing, and their importance in national economies is also growing. In this paper, an attempt was made to analyze the performance of the two most popular organizations of the third sector in Poland, i.e. associations and foundations. The analysis is based on the year 2022, but the changes in selected factors between 2010 and 2022 are also presented and discussed. The paper focuses mostly on the social and economic capital of the organizations studied. As the research has shown, there are significant differences between foundations and associations, but at the same time great similarities can be observed. The activity of this sector has changed over time, being a reflection of the socio-economic changes taking place in Poland in the period under study. These organizations constitute a significant element in the socio-economic reality of Poland, meeting the specific needs of society and activating groups exposed to various types of social and economic exclusion.

The aim of the paper is to explore the relationship between the business tendency survey indicators for the banking sector and the sections and divisions of the services sector in Poland. In the paper, the results are presented of analyses conducted on the basis of data from the business tendency surveys. The time range of analyses covers the period from the first quarter of 2003 to the first quarter of 2020. The data for the banking sector stem from the survey which is carried out quarterly by the Department of Market Research and Services of the Poznań University of Economics and Business. The data for the eleven sections and two divisions of the services sector (according to the Polish PKD code classification) were obtained from the survey conducted by Statistics Poland on a monthly basis. The monthly data were transformed into quarterly with the use of two formulas. In the paper, the results are presented of cross-correlation analysis, in which the maximum length of lags and leads equal four quarters was adopted.

Abstract. The paper1 aims at emphasizing the importance of a proper recognition and disclosure of human capital in non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on the example of Poland. Although NGOs do significantly contribute to social well-being, the economic focus paid to commercial businesses and public institutions causes that a scope of civil initiatives is not recognised to a sufficient extent. It is, therefore, a role of the Third Sector to promote its activities and to inform extensively on the effects generated. The issue which requires particular attention in this respect is the human capital which propels all benevolent activities.The author analyses, firstly, the historic, economic, and legal circumstances that shaped the modern Third Sector in Poland. Subsequently, an analysis of human resources available to Polish NGOs in comparison to the situation of their German and British counterparts is conducted. The results of a study on the attractiveness of the non-governmental sector as an employer are discussed next. The paper is concluded with a presentation of methods which enable to quantify and valuate human capital in a non-commercial environment, including the ratios used to monitor the development of that capital.The results presented in the paper clearly demonstrate that it was possible due to involvement of socially sensitive people to rebuild social activities in Poland after the long period of the state’s exclusivity in defining and addressing social issues. Those people made the initial human resources of Polish NGOs as their members, governors or volunteers. Nonetheless, the development of a comprehensive legal framework stimulating co-operation between the state and NGOs, and an extensive use of European funds helped to extend the labour force of the sector by 120 000 employees. A priority for now proves to be sustaining that growth by attracting young people. The results of the author’s study on the perception of the Third Sector by students show that most of them still know NGOs from mass media only, and one third of them would not consider working for an NGO in future. On the other hand, opinions of those who already work in a non-commercial environment prove to be positive, what entitles to formulate the conclusion that a better knowledge of the ways NGOs work is vital to build their human capital. If social managers develop proper systems of measuring and reporting human capital, such as the one presented in the paper, they will gain a tool to demonstrate that human capital of their organisations is used to make social initiatives as effective and efficient as possible.Key words: non-governmental organisation (NGO), the Third Sector, human resources, human capital

Non-governmental organizations have a potential to meet social needs and perform important civil tasks. Non-governmental organizations make a significant impact to the social life in Poland. They perform activities that provide social infrastructure development of the regions. The cooperation between governmental and non-governmental sector in Poland have different forms. Some of them could be adapted to Ukrainian decentralization conditions. In this connection, studying Polish experience in order to find financial instruments for social infrastructure development of the region in the conditions of decentralization of Ukraine is prospective. As education is one of the most powerful instruments for social infrastructure development and sustainable economic growth, educational projects have been analyzed in the paper in the context of financial cooperation between authorities and non-governmental sector.The objective of the paper is to compare the basic forms of financial cooperation between local government and non-governmental organizations as the determinants of social infrastructure development in Poznan (Poland) and Chernihiv (Ukraine).The paper contains recommendations needed to increase the role of Ukrainian non-governmental sector in creating public policies and implementing public tasks in the social infrastructure development. The paper includes own studies on the data of open offers contests to support the implementation of Poznan City tasks in the area of science, tertiary education, secondary education and pedagogical work.The results of the research will contribute to the development of financial instruments for social infrastructure development of the region in conditions of decentralization in Ukraine based on Polish experience of cooperation between authorities and non-governmental organizations through the implementation of educational projects on the frameworks of open offers contests approach. The practical value of the research is in the usage of the study`s results in educational and scientific-practical activities in the field of civic budget implementation.

The article covers the issue of cooperation between the public and nongovernment sector starting with the review of problems connected to the legal operation of the nongovernmental sector in Poland, through the descriptions of relationships and correlations between the two sectors, to finish with an attempt of critical analysis of cooperation programs between communes and nongovernmental organizations in the cultural policies illustrated with an example of the cities – Cracow and Warsaw.

Theoretical background: Agriculture is an input-intensive sector of the economy. The sector of means of production in agriculture is one of the three basic components of the food economy. The prices of agricultural inputs shape the operational costs of farms and significantly affect their income situation. Key agricultural inputs represent fertilizers, plant protection products, seeds, energy and labour force. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the functioning of food systems all over the world, including in Poland. The agricultural sector in Poland faced several challenges, including the surge in prices of means of production in agriculture. Purpose of the article: The study aims to identify and assess changes in the prices of means of production in agriculture and the impact of changes in these prices on the dynamics of selling prices of agricultural products and the income situation of farms in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research methods: The study employs various research methods, including critical literature analysis, the descriptive approach, the comparative method, verbal logic, and descriptive statistical methods. Moreover, we utilize a standardised questionnaire method utilising the CATI (computer-assisted telephone interviewing) technique, targeting 50 experts in the field of agricultural economics, to gather their perspectives on the possibility of transferring the rise in agricultural production costs to the pricing of products sold during the COVID-19 pandemic. The secondary data come from the Statistics Poland, the Agency for Restructuring and Modernization of Agriculture (ARMA), and the National Bank of Poland (NBP). The research period covers the years 2017–2021, with particular emphasis on the years 2020–2021, i.e., the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Main findings: Research results show that only in 2020, the prices of goods purchased for current agricultural production decreased. However, in 2021, the costs of materials and services and other costs in agriculture, including wages, increased at a record pace. The demand-side causes of such cost increases were increases in money supply and agricultural income. Supply-side causes were shaped by commodity prices and wages. In Poland, the prices of goods and services purchased by farms were less variable than the prices of goods sold. The data analysis did not reveal significant relationships regarding the dynamics of the prices discussed. Such a conclusion is also confirmed by the results of a questionnaire survey directed to experts in agricultural economics. The responses concerning the possibility of transferring the increase in production costs to the prices of sold products during the pandemic years varied. In the years 2017–2021, the income situation of Polish farms was variable. In 2020, increases in income from production factors, operating surplus, and farmer’s income, and their decreases in 2021, were inversely correlated with changes in production costs in agriculture.

Purpose: The paper analyses the residential construction sector in Poland, with a particular focus on single-family housing in Poland regarding the modular and prefabricated house market. The analysis covered the share of the modular and prefabricated house market, construction costs, prefabricate production processes, construction site work, production waste management issues. Design/methodology/approach: The subject of observation and evaluation of the cost level were industry reports, technology block diagrams and price calculations using information provided by the business entity under review. The presentation and detailed analysis of the available data took the form of tables and bar charts, supported with descriptive explanations. The source of information for this study was literature on the subject, statistical data and numerous studies by the Statistics Poland (GUS) and Eurostat, reports in the industry section, an interview with the owner of a construction company, analysis of financial documents provided by the business entity examined, as well as the authors' own observations. The company's characteristics, revenues, costs and sales market were examined. In addition, the machinery and production technology of the examined company were analysed. Findings: The case study is a plant producing houses using prefabricated modules, on whose example the production process of prefabricates and their use in the construction of a residential building was analysed. Examination of the production process enabled detection of the problem of production waste management. The paper presents an overview of the characteristics of the production facility with particular focus on the technological processes. Issues related to the cost of building prefabricated houses were also analysed. Research limitations/implications: The analysis is limited to statistical data and to data provided by one prefabricated house production facility. Keywords: cost, production, modular houses, prefabricated houses, wood waste. Category of the paper: research paper.

Purpose:The article aims to present the development of the retail trade sector in Poland after the economic transformation and to identify the key stages of this development from 1990 to 2021.Additionally, the article will explore the changes seen at the regional level, focusing on specific years.Design/methodology/approach: The article begins by explaining the terminology and types of trade.It then describes the five stages of retail trade development in Poland from 1990 to 2021.The third section of the article analyzes the changes in trade by region in the years 2010 and 2021.The methods used in this article includes desk research and statistical analysis.Desk research involves a thorough review and analysis of relevant literature, industry reports, and legal acts, outlined in the literature section.Statistical analysis uses data from Statistics Poland (GUS) and involves a process of inference.The research is based on statistical data from the GUS Local Data Bank and industry publications.The study covers 16 voivodships in Poland with a time frame from 1990 to 2021.Findings: The study revealed significant regional variations in the Polish retail trade sector, which has experienced notable growth at specific stages throughout its development.The most important factors influencing the differentiation of trade at the voivodship level have been outlined.Research limitations/implications: The subject of the development of retail trade in Poland since the advent of the market economy, which encompasses the processes of concentration and diversification of trade formats in functional-spatial terms, is seldom addressed in scientific research.This represents a significant research gap that requires further investigation.Practical implications: The retail trade sector is experiencing rapid growth in Poland.The intensifying competitive landscape and integration processes are driving the modernisation and organisation of retail trade networks, a trend that is also evident in traditional small-scale trade.New forms of trade are emerging, and the implementation of increasingly modern information and communication technologies is becoming more prevalent.The strategies of big-box stores are undergoing a transformation, with an investment in smaller retail outlets in smaller cities and a reimagining of the concepts of their outlets in big cities.Originality/value: The findings of the research have implications for both cognitive and pragmatic aspects, particularly in the context of further development of the retail trade and the planning of additional retail outlets across various regions of the country.This research represents the initial phase of a larger investigation, the objective of which is to develop a ranking of the voivodships based on the TOPSIS linear ordering method.

The aim of this paper is to analyze the changes in accident rates resulting from the privatization of forest operations. Data from the years 1990–2017 were obtained from the Statistical Forestry Yearbooks issued by Statistics Poland, and were analyzed for two periods: the time of intensive privatization (1991–2002) and the post-privatization period (2003–2017). The data from 1990 were treated as a benchmark. There were 14,626 accidents in total, of which 236 (1.61%) were fatal. The non-fatal accident rate in the whole forestry industry showed a decreasing trend in the study period (t = 2.27, p < 0.05). In the case of the fatal accident rate we can observe an upward trend; in the period of intensive privatization the average annual fatality rate was 0.11, and after privatization it was 0.18 (t = −2.68, p < 0.05). In both periods the fatality rate was twice as high in the private forestry sector as in the public sector. The number of working days lost declined in the public sector and increased in the private sector. An accident in the private sector resulted in 20 days’ longer absence than one in the public sector. The study confirms that despite economic transition, accident rates in Polish forestry remain a serious issue. The main problem to be addressed is the increase in the fatal accident rate, especially in the private sector.

This paper examines the role and responsibilities of the social economy (SE) in Poland in promoting social and professional integration for individuals at risk of exclusion. It specifically focuses on Social Integration Centres as an example. The central argument is that these centres play a crucial role in providing multi-level support to at-risk individuals, enabling them to achieve social and professional integration.&#x0D; The paper provides an overview of the topic, drawing conclusions from relevant literature, data from Statistics Poland, reports from the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy, and scientific studies related to the social economy. The analysis shows that Social Integration Centres in Poland assist in the restoration and enhancement of the abilities of those who are socially excluded to enable them to perform social and professional roles independently. They implement multifaceted reintegration efforts, helping individuals to acquire the necessary skills to reengage in professional and social activities.

In 2020, the World Health Organization announced the global COVID-19 pandemic, which was followed by unprecedented constraints on society and the economy. The restrictions imposed had an impact on the transformation in industry and services sectors. The pandemic, however, affected particular industry sections and types of services to a different degree. Overall, the industry sector is assumed to have been less affected by the crisis, because the government restrictions did not embrace industrial production for the most part. Services faced a different situation; some of them were not provided due to top-down decisions. Therefore, the vulnerability of industry and services to such a strong external impact varies. The article aims to identify the degree and trends in changes in industry and services sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic and to determine the regularities stemming from a different degree of vulnerability of both sectors to such a powerful external stimulus. The study examines changes occurring in different industries and types of services (by the Polish Classification of Economic Activity/NACE 2.0) by way of statistical indicator analysis and using Statistics Poland and Eurostat data. The conducted analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic influence on the industry and services sector leads to the conclu- sions that its impact on the industry sector was very time-limited—a sharp fall in gross value added in industry oc- curred mainly in the second quarter of 2020. The pandemic had a modest effect on industry employment, primarily as a result of anti-crisis shields and the will to maintain the potential of labour resources. In the services sector, accommo- dation and food services suffered the most. The significant falls were noted in the transport section as well as cultural, sports and personal services. Business services which were transferred to the Internet and were provided online ended up the most resilient. The ultimate winner of the pandemic is ICT services, especially electronic ones, which have re- placed, wherever possible, traditional types of services.

One of the areas of the economy affected by the COVID-19 pandemic is the banking sector. The aim of the study presented in the article is to answer the questions: what was the perception of the economic situation in the banking sector in Poland during the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the light of the results of business tendency surveys, and what determined its changes over time. The research was carried out on the basis of business tendency surveys conducted by Statistics Poland and Kantar Polska in the years 2004–2021. The conclusions were based on the trend-cycle component obtained by means of the X-13-ARIMA method. The analyses showed a negative relationship between the extent of the pandemic restrictions and the economic activity in banking, especially in the first phase of the crisis. Business tendency surveys show that during this crisis, the economic situation in the banking sector deteriorated more than during the financial crisis of 2008–2009. A relatively sharp decline as well as rapid rebounds were observed in the credit market, which caused its indicators to return in 2021 to the levels recorded before the outbreak of the pandemic. In the initial phase of the crisis, the economic downturn observed in the deposit market was not as sharp as in the credit market. On the other hand, however, the economic situation in the deposit market failed to improve significantly in 2021.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to evaluate selected factors determining the development of the dairy sector production in Poland in view of integration with the European Union. Design/Methodology/Approach: This explanatory research uses secondary data obtained from Statistics Poland (GUS) and materials from the Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics (IERiGŻ) in Warsaw. The research covers the years 2004-2018. Data analysis techniques include dynamic indices, correlation analysis and internationalisation index. Findings: The results demonstrate that for the development of the analysed sector in recent years export sales proved more important than the level and dynamics of domestic consumption. In terms of the internationalisation structure of the dairy sector, a high position of cheeses and cottage cheese can be observed as the main, in terms of value, product group in exports. Among negative tendencies, there are high dynamics of foreign sales of unprocessed products, poor promotion of Polish brands on foreign markets, and accepting sales without own brand. This area exhibits a clear potential for further development of the sector. Practical Implications: The findings give us an interesting signal for building strategies for the internationalisation of the Polish dairy sector, both in terms of institutional support and business decisions. Originality/Value: The study provides recommendations for the dairy sector in Poland needed to boost the quality of export-oriented product groups. Dairy sector companies must attentively observe the market and boost internal demand to better compete with imported products.

Purpose: Digitalisation of healthcare in Poland which covers e-prescriptions, e-referrals, and sharing electronic medical records (EMR) on the P1 platform 3 is supposed to be fully completed and implemented from 1 January 2021. The success of that implementation is strictly connected to the level of digital skills of both healthcare providers and healthcare service users. The purpose of the present paper is to indicate potential problems which may arise from the digitalisation of healthcare in social groups which are not adapted to using information and communication technologies (ICT) in their day-to-day lives, especially in case of the elderly. Methodology: In order to indicate a potentially high level of digital exclusion in society, secondary data collected by Eurostat, Statistics Poland and CBOS 4 were used. Problems in the healthcare sector, including those resulting from the digitalisation implemented in Poland, were presented against the backdrop of the changing law which applies here. Findings: The introduction of digital solutions in the healthcare sector in Poland, including EMR, e-referrals, and e-prescriptions, was postponed numerous times, which can indicate the lack of the proper preparation of providers for a digital revolution. However, a potentially greater problem may lie with healthcare service users, especially considering the fact that such services are used mostly by the elderly. The phenomenon of digital exclusion, generally associated with the lack of skills neces sary for using ICT, is frequently observed particularly among senior citizens. It can lead to social isolation which is a risk factor that influences the health of senior citizens and the quality of their lives. Originality/value: Some of the issues resulting from the adopted solutions and the legislation governing healthcare in Poland, including the digitalisation of said healthcare, and proposals for amendments in this regard were provided in this interdisciplinary paper. It seems that those solutions could be used to reduce the threats of the digital exclusion of a significant part of Polish society, particularly in the group of seniors.

Purpose: This article analyses the crisis of leadership and institutional security in the Polish NGO sector, focusing on structural factors that threaten the continuity of operations, management stability, and operational efficiency of social organisation.Design/methodology/approach: The basis of the paper is a qualitative analysis of the data contained in the report "The Condition of NGOs 2024", supplemented by an interpretation from the perspective of institutional resilience theory, risk management and leadership succession, as well as an analysis of both domestic and foreign literature on the subject.The article adopts a descriptive-analytical approach, with elements of normative inference. The research problem formulated: To what extent does the leadership crisis affect the institutional security of NGOs in Poland, and what measures can increase their operational resilience?The research hypothesis assumes: The crisis of leadership in NGOs -manifested by lack of succession, burnout of leaders and staff stagnation -significantly reduces the institutional resilience of these entities, but it is possible to rebuild it by implementing strategies of management professionalisation, mentoring and cross-sectoral cooperation.Findings: The analysis showed that the non-governmental sector in Poland is facing a serious human resources and strategic crisis, which limits its ability to adapt and sustain itself.Only a few organisations plan for succession, have financial reserves, and develop long-term development strategies.Nevertheless, there is a clear need and potential for reforms based on leadership development, knowledge management, and institutional partnership building.