Comparative Analysis Of Poland Research Articles

Consequences of Insufficient Physical Activity: A Comparative Analysis of Poland and Europe.

Physical activity remains one of the most important factors affecting the well-being, health, and quality of life of individuals and entire populations. Unfortunately, the level of physical activity in many social groups is still insufficient according to the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and other international and national scientific societies. This paper presents the most important aspects related to the impact of physical activity on health, including lifestyle diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes or obesity, mental health, and sleep, and overall mortality. We aimed to determine the level of physical activity in the Polish population compared with that of other European countries and in connection with guidelines and recommendations developed by various scientific societies. The most frequently reported obstacles to physical activity were also identified, and possible ways to solve these problems were discussed. Brief reference was also made to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, which had a significant impact on physical activity. We concluded that the current situation is not optimal, both in terms of implementing recommendations and guidelines for physical activity among people who are healthy and who have disease and identifying and overcoming existing barriers and limitations. We aimed to review recent trends in physical activity in Poland and the rest of Europe and discusses the potential impact of lack of physical activity on health.

Evaluating the Progress of Renewable Energy Sources in Poland: A Multidimensional Analysis

Energy is a key driver of all modern economies. Sustainable development is playing an increasingly important role both at regional and local levels. It is a compromise between social and economic needs and the preservation of nature. In the policy of the European Union, the idea of sustainable development and environmental protection is of decisive importance for the implemented programs and economic activities. Contemporary challenges require the transformation of the energy market towards greater use of renewable sources. According to Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and European Council on promoting energy from renewable sources, Poland has committed itself to achieving a 23% share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption by 2030. This goal considers total energy consumption in terms of power, engineering, heating, refrigeration, and transport. The aim of this paper was, firstly, an analysis of the share of renewable energy in the European Union over an 18-year period (2004–2021), with particular emphasis on the position of Poland. The second objective was the analysis of renewable energy at the local level in Poland, i.e., at the local government unit (LAU) level. Changes in the share of renewable energy in Poland compared to other European countries were also examined. The study utilized functional analysis of principal components and cluster analysis based on the data from the Central Statistical Office and EUROSTAT. The study found that while Poland does not differ significantly from other countries in using renewable energy, it does fall below the European average. Principal component analysis suggests that Poland responds adequately to European changes in the share of renewable energy in total energy consumption. This dynamic is stable (over 95% explained by the first component) and applies to most countries surveyed. In addition, the authors sought to answer questions relating to the current status of renewable energy sources in Poland, the barriers and challenges facing the introduction of renewable energy in the country, a comparative analysis of Poland’s progress in renewable energy with other global counterparts, and an exploration of the future prospects and potential for the development of renewable energy in Poland. The study found that the potential for renewable energy is greatest in the northern areas of Poland, with photovoltaics and wind power plants providing the greatest capacity. Poland’s renewable energy potential is very high and will be determined by technological development, political, economic, and social issues.

The Effectiveness of Implementing European Union Structural Funds in the 2014–2020 Programming Period. A Comparative Analysis of Poland and Italy

The aim of the European Union’s cohesion policy is to reduce development inequalities between the regions of the Member States and to increase economic, social, and territorial cohesion. Expenditures on it account for one‑third of the European Union (EU) budget. Therefore, the appropriate and effective use of the structural funds plays a very important role. The purpose of the paper is to show the effectiveness of using the EU’s structural funds in two of the largest beneficiary countries in the programming period 2014–2020. The first part of the paper presents the efficiency and effectiveness of using EU structural funds and the barriers related to their implementation, as well as the main characteristics of the 2014–2020 programming period. The second part contains a statistical analysis of the effectiveness of implementing the cohesion policy in Poland and Italy, comparing the amounts of planned and spent funds in the analyzed period. The main method is the statistical analysis, which includes asummary of the amount of allocated funds and their use, as well as a calculation of the percentage of structural funds used. The theoretical part shows potential problems related to the implementation, while the statistical part shows the scale of the problem and the areas with the greatest problems with implementation in both countries.The analysis takes into account thematic objectives, as well as national and regional operational programs.

The evolution of post-accession diasporas and diaspora policies after 2004: a comparative analysis of Poland and Lithuania

ABSTRACT Diaspora policy hinges upon multiple issues linked to the state of origin, state of destination, and international environment, as well as the size and nature of the diaspora itself. This article examines the evolution of Poland and Lithuania’s diaspora policies in response to the transformation of the diasporas’ nature from ‘liquid’ to ‘solid’ in the EU post-accession period. Drawing on existing data and statistics, and an analysis of the documents and actions taken by the Polish and Lithuanian governments, the article presents four layers of the transformation of diaspora policies: adjustment, inducement, partnership, and embracement.

Organization of General Elections during a Pandemic. A Comparative Analysis of Poland and the Czech Republic

The aim of this paper is a comparative analysis of the new methods used to organise the 2020 general elections in Poland and the Czech Republic, which were held in the state of the SARS-19 virus pandemic. This paper analyses the voting methods introduced in connection with sanitary regulations in both countries and the scale of votes cast in this way in relation to the total. It discusses and compares the requirements introduced that voters and electoral commission members had to meet on voting day to minimise the risk of infection with the virus. The text shows a number of similarities in both countries in terms of the measures applied to prevent the spread of the virus associated with a personal visit to a polling station. An additional aspect of the comparative analysis of the covid-voting methods in the two countries was a discussion of voting rules for those infected or in quarantine on voting day. Analysis of the data showed that in both countries the alternative voting method, was not very popular.

Internet Users’ Approach to HRM Portals in the Context of Sustainable Development—A Comparative Analysis of Poland and Türkiye

The purpose of this article was to identify the characteristics of HRM (Human Resources Management) portals that can contribute to building a smart, sustainable society in two countries: Poland and Türkiye. The analyzed countries were selected due to their similar economic situation, as well as differences in terms of culture and customs and varying degrees of ICT (Information and Communications Technology) implementation in the economy. Conducting the survey at this particular moment was intended to objectivize users’ opinions on the HRM portals and their attributes that may contribute to mitigating the effects of the crisis and facilitating economic development toward the creation of a sustainable society. The survey was conducted in April 2022. It was carried out in both countries and covered a group of more than 850 respondents. The CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interview) method was used in the survey. The differences between results were identified, and the degree of verification of the hypothesis was established and discussed in this paper. In the first stage of the study, the respondents’ environment was examined, as well as their opinions on the use of HRM portals. The second phase consisted of assessing the attributes of the most well-known HRM portals that can contribute to building a smart, sustainable industry. As a result, the finally distinguished features included the characteristics that were most important to the users of the portals and those that supported the development of HRM portals due to their innovativeness. The study fills the research gap regarding the potential impact of HRM portals and their prospective use in first restoring the economic balance of a sustainable society.

Sustainable Development of Higher Education Institutions in Developing Countries: Comparative Analysis of Poland and Vietnam

This paper discusses sustainable development issues in the higher education sector from the value chain perspective. An adapted value chain is proposed for developing countries that would reflect the specific context of the higher education sector of Poland and Vietnam. Secondary data were collected from two universities in Poland and Vietnam to do a comparative analysis of how sustainability is integrated into the educational value chain. Our analysis shows that the two cases of Poland and Vietnam are quite different in most of the supporting and primary activities when integrating sustainability issues in the educational value chain, except for training. Then recommendations of value co-creation activities in the value chain for higher education institutions in both countries are raised towards achieving sustainable development.

Managing personal finance by robo-advice users during the Covid-19 pandemic and in the post-pademic period. A comparative analysis of Poland and Slovakia

Design/methodology/approach: This article aims to compare the behaviour of Polish and Slovak robo-advice users in the area of personal finance management during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as their expected saving, expenditure and investment action after the end of the pandemic. An important aspect of the analysis is a comparison of how the respondents use the PFM application for personal finance management. The article was based on a literature analysis, statistical data, as well as our own pioneering empirical study conducted in September 2021 among clients of the Slovak brokerage house Finax in Poland and Slovakia, which was the first entity in Poland to offer a robo-advice service. A number of statistical methods were used to analyze the collected statistical material: Mann-Whitney U Test, Pearson’s Chi-square test, Linear Regression Analysis, Kendall’s tau correlation analysis. Findings: The COVID-19 pandemic did not adversely affect the personal finance of Polish and Slovak robo-advice users and they differed in terms of investment methods during the pandemic as well as their investment plans after the pandemic. Polish and Slovak robo-advice users used spreadsheets plus special banking and non-banking applications to manage their personal finance. Sociodemographic variables did not largely explain how Poles and Slovaks used the application to configure personal finance. During the pandemic, saving was associated with the use of an application to configure personal finance and the awareness of the existence of such an application among both Poles and Slovaks. Research limitations/implications: The conclusions of the study can be used by financial institutions, FinTechs, robo-advisors and PFM application providers for managing the home budget. Originality/value: The novelty of the article is the first comparative study of robo-advice users in Poland and Slovakia on personal finance management during the COVID-19 pandemic and financial plans in the post-pandemic period. Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, robo-advice, personal finance management, PFM applications.

Social attitudes towards professional work of the 55+ generation. Comparative analysis of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary

The aim of the paper is to diagnose social attitudes towards professional work of the 55+ generation of Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary. The analysis is based on the research carried out in Katowice, Ostrava and Debrecen among the 55-65 age group. The research was conducted in April – June 2019. The resulting discussion concerns the cognitive, affective and behavioural attitudes towards professional work. Three national groups are compared. The research findings indicate that taking into account all components of the overall attitude, it is the Poles who achieve the highest value of a positive attitude towards work, then the Hungarians, and finally the Czechs. The Poles demonstrate a consistent attitude towards work, with the individual components displaying similar results. The Czechs exhibit an inconsistent attitude. The highest value is achieved by the affective component and the lowest - by the behavioural one. The Hungarians also show an inconsistent attitude. The cognitive component achieves the same values as in the Czech Republic, however, the affective component achieves a very low value and the behavioural component is high. In Conclusions, the author shows that the economic activity of the 55+ generation is influenced by objective factors, in particular the state policy in the field of obtaining retirement rights and employment opportunities.

Changes in the Stock Market of Food Industry Companies during the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Comparative Analysis of Poland and Germany

The COVID-19 pandemic had a dramatic effect on the world economy, leading to disturbances in the global agri-food system. Disrupted supply chains caused instability in the market resulting in mixed reactions among market participants. The balance in the access and availability of food was disturbed at various levels starting from local up to international. Partial lockdowns of economies affected the equilibrium on the labor market in the food sector, the level of income and food security. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of shock caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on rates of return from shares of companies in the agri-food sector listed in Poland and Germany, as well as indicate dependencies between restrictions imposed by the investigated countries and changes in the rates of return from shares as a result of the pandemic. The source of data for the analyses of the capital markets in Poland and Germany was the Thomson Reuters database. In order to determine the effect of shock caused by the coronavirus pandemic and restrictions imposed by the states on the capital market the abnormal rates of return were calculated for shares of 24 Polish and 23 German companies from the food sector. The investigated Polish companies were listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, while the German companies were listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and other stock exchanges in Germany. Calculations were based on stock market indexes: for the Polish stock exchange it was WIG and WIG-food, while for the German capital market it was DAX and DAX Food & Beverages. In this study the Stringency Index was also used as a tool to follow the response of the governments to the coronavirus pandemic. The results indicate that following the pandemic outbreak large reductions were observed for cumulative rates of return from shares as a consequence of the pandemic both in Poland and Germany. Abnormal cumulative rates of return for the investigated companies were comparable. Markedly greater increases in abnormal rates of return were recorded for the Polish companies of the food sector listed at the Warsaw Stock Exchange. The Stringency Index indicates that restrictions imposed by the German authorities in response to the coronavirus pandemic were slightly more radical than those introduced by the Polish government.

Comparative analysis of Poland and selected countries in terms of household financial behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic

Research background: The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the reduction in income or the total loss of jobs have affected the financial behaviour of consumers worldwide. Managing the budget in times of turbulence and crisis has posed a challenge for households.
 Purpose of the article: The aim of the article is to determine to what extent the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the financial behaviour of the inhabitants of various countries and how Poland has stood out from the rest.
 Methods: Due to the orderly nature of the questions analysed, non-parametric tests were used in the analysis. The distribution of current expenditure in comparison with the period before the pandemic was analysed, as well as the results of comparative analyses with Mann-Whitney U tests for comparison of Poland with Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France (974), Germany, Italy, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the USA. A study was carried out on the relationship between planning for the future, having debts and savings and financial behaviour after the COVID-19 pandemic and the metric variables in the group of Poles via Chi square and a series of ? Kendall?s tests.
 Findings & value added: There has been a fall in expenditure compared to the period before the pandemic, which may explain the lack of opportunities to spend money, the fall in revenue and the freezing of expenditure for fear of an uncertain future. There has also been a change in the way payments are made. Payment cards and purchases made over the Internet are increasingly popular. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers are trying to save more, but not everyone can afford to do so. Long-term value added of this paper is analysis of change in the model of financial behavior of households under the shock of the pandemic in international comparisons of the analysed countries.

The Development of E-Commerce and Consumer Attitudes – A Comparative Analysis of Poland, Ukraine and Belarus

Abstract Research background: Motivation for this paper is the rapid development of the electronic commerce sector and its increasing role as a sales channel. The level of e-commerce development is spatially diverse, both across continents and countries. As such, this study examined the conditions of electronic commerce development in the context of the specificity of e-consumers’ behavior in selected European countries. Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to compare the attitudes towards e-commerce among buyers from Poland, Ukraine and Belarus along with their activities directly related to online shopping. Research methodology: The paper focuses on the results of a study conducted in central and eastern European countries on a sample of nearly 1,000 respondents. The statistical tools used included the Kruskal-Wallis test and an independence analysis through SPSS v. 25 and Statistica v. 13.3. Results: The results showed that the country of origin is a variable differentiating both activities connected with shopping online undertaken by e-consumers and buyers’ attitudes towards e-commerce in the context of such aspects as: safety, convenience, time-consuming, possibilities of choice, ease and the economics of shopping. The predominant dependence between the country of origin of respondents and their inclination to use the Internet has not been confirmed. Novelty: The study contributes to the on-going and extremely current issue of the importance of e-commerce and the conditions of its development.

The Rule of Law and its Social Reception as Determinants of Economic Development. A Comparative Analysis of Poland and Germany

The Rule of Law and its Social Reception as Determinants of Economic Development. A Comparative Analysis of Poland and Germany

The Role of Ethnic Diversity in Stimulating Innovation Processes: Comparative Analysis of Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary

Purpose: Since existing literature suggests that ethnic diversity is one of the key elements that shape the dynamics of innovation, we examine whether inventions generated by ethnically diverse teams in the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary are more valuable than those created by homogenous teams of native researchers. Design/Methodology/Approach: Using the OLS method, we estimate the parameters of the regression model in order to examine the relationship between ethnic diversity and the quality of technical solutions created as well as to determine which ethnic group and which combination of these groups (for each country) has the greatest impact on the quality of inventions. We take the frequency of citation as a measure of the quality of inventions, and the degree of ethnic diversity in the inventor team is measured using the Herfindahl index. Findings: Based on a cross-sectional data set being a sample of 2518 international patent applications (PCT) from 2004-2012, we have observed that both the mere presence of foreigners as well as greater ethnic diversity in the inventor team significantly increase the quality of technical solutions in Poland and Hungary, and moderately in the Czech Republic. Our study has also revealed that of all ethnic groups, Americans have the greatest impact on the citation of inventions, and it is the case in all three countries covered by the study. The optimal combination of individual groups, however, is different for each of these three countries: in Poland, the highest quality of inventions is related to the presence of citizens of the US, Belgium, Japan and Turkey, in Hungary – the US and Israel, and in the Czech Republic – the US, Germany and Canada. Practical Implications: The research results can be used by decision makers in Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary when shaping the countries’ migration and innovation policies. Originality/Value: Original research.

Sustainable development - friendly decision-making at enterprises and its correlation with perception of benefits by employees - comparative analysis of Poland and India

ABSTRACT The objective of the article was to identify, analyse and diagnose practices favouring sustainable development, involving consideration of environmental and social issues in key decision-making at enterprises, as well as their correlation with benefits perceived by employees after implementation of sustainable changes by their employers. The analysis of results of the survey among the sample of 449 employees of enterprises in Poland and India revealed that environmental and social issues are considered in key decision-making at enterprises in India more frequently than in Poland. Such decisions are taken more frequently by employees residing in urban areas than in countryside, and by people with higher than secondary education. The study provided evidence that when environmental and social issues are considered in key decision-making at enterprises, employees assessment of benefits perceived upon implementation of sustainable changes in their employer enterprises is higher.

Real Estate Appraisal in Central-Eastern Europe: Comparative Analysis of Poland and Slovakia

Abstract The countries in Central-Eastern Europe have been subjected to dynamic economic changes. Researchers from Poland and Slovakia study the history of the creation of and rules by which the real estate appraiser’s profession functions. They also present the methodological basics for property appraisals. The original value of this article is a comparative analysis depicting the similarities and differences occurring in the research area, in two countries from the same region of Europe. The analysis may also influence the methodological discussions of specialists concerning the correctness and purpose of certain approaches, methods or techniques of property appraisal. The main goal of this article is conducting research on the operational rules of the real estate appraiser profession and property appraisal methods. The detailed objectives include: a critical comparative analysis of the solutions used in the above-mentioned countries, searching for interesting, unusual methodological propositions, and presenting a current assessment of the applied property appraisal methodology. The foremost methods used in this article are: the analysis of legislative instruments, the analysis of literature concerning property appraisal methodology in Poland and Slovakia, and a questionnaire (CAWI and PAPI technique). Complementary knowledge was derived from official government internet portals and trade associations dealing with property appraisals. A comparative analysis was the basis for conducting research on the similarities and differences in the studied countries.

The three-sector employment structure and economic development: A comparative analysis of Poland and Ukraine in the years 1990–2013

The purpose of this study is to determine regularities in the development of sectors and transformations of the three-sector employment structure in the light of the theory of three sectors of the economy and to determine the trend of development of the three sectors of the economy in Ukraine and Poland in the period of systemic transition. According to the theory of the three sectors of the economy there are regularities in the process of economic development involving the decline in the relative importance of the agricultural sector, the service sector gains in importance, the relative importance of the industrial sector increases, stabilizes and then declines. Analyses show that the regularities in the development of the sectors formulated in the theory of the three sectors of the economy are supported by economies of Poland and Ukraine. The share of the agricultural sector tends to decrease. The process is stronger in Poland than in Ukraine, and it is the opposite in the case of the service sector which shows a stronger upward trend in Ukraine. Moreover, the three-sector employment structure in Poland, formed in recent years, is slightly different than in Ukraine. The share of the agricultural sector in total employment in Ukraine is much higher than in Poland, while the share of the industrial sector is significantly higher in Poland than in Ukraine. The service sector has a surprisingly higher relative importance in Ukraine, which may be due to the slower rate of growth of industrial development in this country in recent years.

Innovativeness of enterprises in Poland

At a time of huge economic challenges, innovativeness is perceived as a way of overcoming difficulties, fostering and assuring socio-economic growth of particular countries. It is necessary to improve competitive standing of enterprises both in domestic and international economies. Launching of new or improved products, application of state of the art technologies and of new organisational and management solutions are key to enhanced effectiveness and better competitiveness of enterprises. Innovation standards of Polish enterprises are considerably lower than those of businesses operating in countries of the old European Union, therefore so much attention is paid to these issues.This paper undertakes to analyse innovative activities of enterprises in the Polish economy.Based on the report ‘Innovation Union Scoreboard’, a comparative analysis of Poland’s innovation standards in relation to other member states of the European Union is conducted, levels and structure of financial spending on innovative activities incurred by Polish industrial enterprises are discussed using statistics published by the National Office for Statistics and Ministry of Economy.

Nature Views and Sustainability in Rural Research: A Review

The research project 'PoNa – Shaping nature: policy, politics and polity. Rural development and agricultural biotechnology between criticism and vision' is targeting two policy arenas: rural development and biotechnology in agriculture. The project is organized as a comparative German-Polish research project. Both main research themes have internationally been analyzed and discussed in the domain of rural studies (rural sociology) for many years. Thus, this paper explores on the one hand, in how far PoNa may link and contribute to already existing discussions in this research area, and on the other hand in which ways PoNa may benefit from already existing theoretical developments in this field of research from its own comparative research.In section 1 this paper describes changes in theoretical conceptualization of nature in rural sociology. In the post-war era nature has been a 'taken-for-granted aspect of rural life rather than a formal subject of analysis' (Castree/ Braun 2006: 162). However, since the late seventies nature has more and more been dragged into the core of rural theoretical thinking. The changing views on nature in rural sociology have paralleled wider currents of sociological such as critical materialism, constructivism and relational thinking.Rural sociology has always been searching for a coherent understanding of its basic concept rurality, which is explored in section 2. Similar to the views of nature the concept of rurality has undergone some major revisions in the recent history of rural research. In the course of this the dualistic conceptualization of urban-rural relations has been more and more abandoned in favor of a relation thinking of rurality.Section 3 summarizes some elements of the increasing importance of sustainability as topic in rural research. The analysis is starting with Fred Buttel's distinction of greening, which describes the phenomena that modern environmentally related symbols become increasingly prominent in social discourse, and environmentalization, which is the 'concrete expression of the broad force of greening in institutional practices' (Buttel 1992: 2). Following this distinction sustainability discourses, changing views on science and technologies and sustainability strategies are briefly discussed.Consumption-Production relations have evolved as a new topic in rural research. Section 4 explores recent theoretical developments in this field starting from the new political economy of agriculture of the eighties up to more recent debates about the application of actor-network theory (ANT) to analyze consumption-production relations.The final section summarizes the major trajectories in rural research. Some aspects are discussed about PoNa can exploit these elements in comparative analysis of Poland and Germany. Finally, it is briefly discussed, which contribution socio-ecological research may make for the development of national rural sociologies in Poland and Germany.

Complexity of Activities and Personality under Conditions of Radical Social Change: A Comparative Analysis of Poland and Ukraine

In a comparative analysis of Poland and Ukraine, we extend the often-confirmed hypothesis that the substantive complexity of work in paid employment substantially affects (and is affected by) fundamental dimensions of personality. The extended hypothesis encompasses not only the complexity of work, whether in paid employment or in the household, but even the complexity of activities of the unemployed and pensioners. We hypothesize that the complexity of activities in any important realm of life is substantially related to personality. We test this hypothesis under conditions that pose a particularly exacting test-conditions of radical social change. We find that complexity of activities in all these realms is substantially and significantly related to intellectual flexibility, self-directedness of orientation, and a sense of well-being or distress for both men and women. The consonance of these findings with those of earlier longitudinal and simulated longitudinal analyses of the complexity of work and personality strongly implies that the relationships of the complexity of activities and personality are similarly reciprocal, even if the activities are not ordinarily thought of as work.