Evolution Of Poland Research Articles

Meta-theory vs. meta-theories of education

The subject of the analysis is the genesis and evolution of the study of the theory of upbringing as a monistic, orthodox subdiscipline of education sciences and its evolution in Poland towards the differentiation of contemporary theories of upbringing. As a result of the lack of meta-theoretical resolution, I propose my own map to define the concept of upbringing, so that on the basis of Rolland G. Paulston's American geography of thought it would be possible to discern the need to construct theories of upbringing which are adequate to these concepts.

Poland’s Raison d’etat in the European Union: Enlargement Policy as a Case Study

The different views on EU–Polish relations articulated by different political actors in Poland illustrate two opposite approaches toward the shape of the integration process. The ongoing political debate on Poland’s raison d’état (reason of state) in the European Union calls for the necessity to define this notion in the current geopolitical context. In light of recent challenges and declared plans of the European Commission to transform the EU’s foreign policy it seems particularly reasonable to analyze Poland’s raison d’état in reference to the EU’s enlargement policy. Therefore, the major purpose of the article is to define and explain the essence and evolution of Poland’s position on the issue of EU enlargement. To be precise, the case study is concentrated on the developments caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine as a trigger for the reconsideration of the EU’s foreign policy. By doing so, the author makes an attempt to answer the research question on the essence of Poland’s raison d’état as regards further EU enlargement and Polish structural potential to promote its interests and shape the EU’s foreign policy overall.

The Perspectives Of The Cities Evolution In Poland

Urban development is determined not only by geographical and demographic factors, but also by economic, social, systemic, and legal ones. The process of granting town statutes and privileges in the Middle Ages and implementation of the Magdeburg rights were crucial for the foundation of cities in Poland. Cities were distinguished from settlement units by having borough rights. The modern age was a period of decline in the political importance of cities and then their destruction, especially during the Swedish Deluge. The restoration, which began in the mid-18th century, was interrupted by the partitions of Poland. During the partitions period, Polish cities were only provincial city centres of other foreign countries, but in Lodz, for example, industry flourished. Interwar Poland is a period when new ties developed between existing urban units, but after the Second World War the borders were moved westward. The socialist system did not enable establishing strong functional links between regions, but it was a period of industrialisation and urbanisation. The administrative reform of 1975 created a unique polycentric arrangement of 49 cities as capitals of voivodeships (provinces). The political transformation after 1989 and the economic and social changes led to a crisis in small and medium-sized cities. The costly reform of 1999 exacerbated this problem by favouring metropolitan areas and the capital city of Warsaw. Currently, it is estimated that 122 small and medium-sized towns and cities in Poland are at risk of depopulation. The solution to this structural collapse could be extensive deglomeration.

A humanitarian superpower? The situation of the Ukrainian refugees and its evolution in Poland after the Russian invasion of February 24, 2022

After the full-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Poland has become one of the top destinations for Ukrainian refugees, attracting international attention and recognition for its humanitarian attitude. However, this positive picture should be confronted with the analysis of the Ukrainian refugees’ situation in a more holistic manner, taking into consideration the evolution of the multidimensional surroundings of the refugees and problems they face in the long run. Therefore, this article’s aim is to picture the Ukrainian refugees’ situation and how it has changed over time. It argues that the Polish state was not prepared for the massive influx of Ukrainian refugees, and the relatively smooth reception of them was possible thanks to the forces of local government and civil society. Almost two years after the beginning of the invasion, there are still a variety of challenges faced by Ukrainian refugees without any systemic, government-organized approach to tackle them.

Country-wide expansion of a VIM-1 carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella oxytoca ST145 lineage in Poland, 2009–2019

PurposeTo elucidate the role of the Klebsiella oxytoca species complex (KoSC) in epidemiology of VIM-type MBL-producing Enterobacterales in Poland.MethodsThe study comprised all 106 VIM-positive KoSC isolates collected by the Polish National Reference Centre for Susceptibility Testing during 2009–2019 from 60 institutions in 35 towns. All isolates were sequenced by Illumina MiSeq, followed by MinION sequencing of selected organisms. Genomes were subjected to bioinformatic analysis, addressing taxonomy, clonality, phylogeny and structural characterisation of key resistance determinants within their chromosomal and plasmidic loci.ResultsAmong five species identified, K. oxytoca was predominant (n = 92), followed by Klebsiella michiganensis (n = 11). MLST distinguished 18 STs, with the most prevalent Klebsiella oxytoca ST145 (n = 83). The clone segregated a lineage with the In237-like integron [blaVIM-1–aacA4 genes; n = 78], recorded in 28 cities almost all over the country. The integron was located in a ~ 49–50 kb chromosomal mosaic region with multiple other resistance genes, linked to a ~ 51 kb phage-like element. The organism might have originated from Greece, and its evolution in Poland included several events of chromosomal ~ 54–258 kb deletions, comprising the natural β-lactamase blaOXY gene. A group of other isolates of various species and clones (n = 12) carried the integron In916 on self-transmissible IncA-type plasmids, effectively spreading in Italy, France and Poland.ConclusionKoSC has been one of the major VIM producers in Poland, owing largely to clonal expansion of the specific K. oxytoca–In237-like lineage. Its apparently enhanced epidemic potential may create a danger on international scale.

Ochrona konsumentów usług finansowych w Polsce. Efektywność systemu i perspektywy rozwoju

The paper brings brief description of the financial services customer protection model and its evolution in Poland. The efficiency of this three-fold model, where the responsibilities are distributed to the 3 agencies: Financial Supervision Authority (KNF), Financial Ombudsman (Rzecznik Finansowy), Competition and Customer Protection Office (UOKiK) is discussed. The author discusses the project of merging the institution of the Financial Ombudsman with UOKiK and puts forward the thesis that an idea more relevant to the current needs of protecting financial services customers in Poland would be to maintain the institution of the Financial Ombudsman and transfer some competences of the President of UOKiK to the Financial Ombudsman. Finally the author presents his recommendations for the improvement of the model with a call for the strengthening of the institution of Financial Ombudsman in Poland.

Molecular epidemiology and HIV-1 variant evolution in Poland between 2015 and 2019

The occurrence of HIV-1 subtypes differs worldwide and within Europe, with non-B variants mainly found across different exposure groups. In this study, we investigated the distribution and temporal trends in HIV-1 subtype variability across Poland between 2015 and 2019. Sequences of the pol gene fragment from 2518 individuals were used for the analysis of subtype prevalence. Subtype B was dominant (n = 2163, 85.90%). The proportion of subtype B-infected individuals decreased significantly, from 89.3% in 2015 to 80.3% in 2019. This was related to the increasing number of subtype A infections. In 355 (14.10%) sequences, non-B variants were identified. In 65 (2.58%) samples, recombinant forms (RFs) were noted. Unique recombinant forms (URFs) were found in 30 (1.19%) sequences. Three A/B recombinant clusters were identified of which two were A6/B mosaic viruses not previously described. Non-B clades were significantly more common among females (n = 81, 22.8%, p = 0.001) and heterosexually infected individuals (n = 45, 32.4%, p = 0.0031). The predominance of subtype B is evident, but the variability of HIV-1 in Poland is notable. Almost half of RFs (n = 65, 2.58%) was comprised of URFs (n = 30, 1.19%); thus those forms were common in the analyzed population. Hence, molecular surveillance of identified variants ensures recognition of HIV-1 evolution in Poland.

TRANSFORMATIONS OF POLISH DEMOCRACY IN THE PERIOD OF THE XX - BEGINNING OF THE XXI CENTURY

The article is devoted to the study and scientific understanding of the process of formation and evolution of Poland as a modern democratic European state. The importance of the influence of the democratic traditions of the Polish people on the formation of the current model of the state system of the Republic of Poland is pointed out.
 The general chronological framework of each of the periods of democratization of Polish society, starting from the times of "noble democracy", has been established. The main characteristics of the stages of democratic development of Poland up to the present period are determined.
 The main factors that influenced the course of democratic transit in the Polish state have been clarified. It turns out that the peculiarities of modern Polish statehood are due to the historical traditions of Polish democracy, the mentality of the Polish people, membership in the EU and other international organizations. It is emphasized that the implementation of economic and institutional transformations in the Polish state in the post-Soviet period was accompanied by the simultaneous formation of civil society. It is established that the result of democratic transit in the Republic of Poland is a liberal democracy of the western type with a certain bias towards social democracy.
 Emphasis is placed on the decisive role of European integration processes in the establishment of the Republic of Poland as a democratic, legal and social state. Based on the analysis of current legislation and ongoing reforms in the law-making sphere, the main factors that determine the existing systemic threats to the rule of law and democracy in Poland at the present stage of its state-building have been identified.
 It is stated that Polish democracy at present shows some negative tendencies, but it is unlikely to collapse due to the current challenges, as the Republic still maintains a balance between state power and political freedom of citizens and their associations and the general atmosphere in Polish society remains open and free.

Basic Evolutionary Stages of Polish Democracy

The article is focused on studying and scientific understanding of the process of the formation and evolution of Poland as a modern democratic European state. The author has indicated the significance of the influence of the democratic traditions of the Polish people on the formation of the current model of the state system of the Republic of Poland.
 The author has established the general chronological boundaries of each of the periods of democratization of Polish society starting from the times of “noble democracy”. The main characteristics of the stages of democratic development of Poland until the present day have been determined.
 The main factors that influenced the course of democratic transit in the Polish state have been clarified. It has been proved that the peculiarities of modern Polish statehood are determined by the historical traditions of Polish democracy, the mentality of the Polish people and membership in the European Union and other international organizations. It has been emphasized that the implementation of economic and institutional transformations in Poland in the post-Soviet period was accompanied by the simultaneous formation of civil society. It has been established that the result of democratic transit in the Republic of Poland is a liberal democracy of the Western type with a certain bias towards social democracy.
 The author has emphasized the decisive role of European integration processes in the formation of the Republic of Poland as a democratic, legal and social state. Based on the analysis of the current legislation and ongoing reforms in the law-making sphere, the author has defined the main factors that determine the existing systemic threats to the rule of law and democracy in Poland at the present stage of its state-building.
 It has been stated that although Polish democracy demonstrates some negative tendencies, it is unlikely collapsed due to the current challenges, since the Republic still maintains the balance between state power and political freedom of citizens and their associations and the general atmosphere in Polish society remains open and free.

Polish Take on Realism: Poland’s Policy Towards the Former Soviet Countries, 1991–2021

This article analyzes Poland’s policy towards the former Soviet space (Poland’s Eastern policy) through the assumptions of the realist theory of international relations. The fi rst part of the article examines the realist theory in international relations (IR). The second – deals with the existing literature on Poland’s foreign policy. The third part analyses the determinants and the goals of Poland’s policy towards the post-Soviet states (history of its relations with the region, ideological determinants, security concerns, etc.). The last part inquires about the evolution of Poland’s policy till current times. The Russian Federation is perceived as a signifi cant threat by Poland. In that context, since the early 1990s, Poland has been seeking solutions to strengthen its security. It aimed to join the North Atlantic Alliance and establish a close partnership with the United States (bandwagoning). This strategy brought substantial eff ects – in 1999, Poland joined NATO, and since it has hosted allied troops. Poland also wanted to develop cooperation with Ukraine (to a lesser degree also with its other post-Soviet neighbors) and bring them closer to the Euro-Atlantic structures. This policy was, in particular, at weakening Russia’s infl uence in the region (balancing). The results of this strategy have been somewhat ambiguous, though. Ukraine has rejected Russia’s sponsored reintegration projects in the post-Soviet space. The process of reforms in that country, however, is slow and uncertain. As for other post-Soviet states, Poland has largely proven unable to infl uence the desired changes.

ИНВЕСТИЦИОННАЯ ПОЛИТИКА ПОЛЬШИ В КОНТЕКСТЕ ТОРГОВО-ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКОГО СОТРУДНИЧЕСТВА С РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИЕЙ

The article reveals the evolution of Poland’s investment policy and the peculiarities of the formation of the country’s legal system for the protection of foreign investments. The article describes the current stage of development of the Polish economy, reveals the role of foreign investment in the modernization of the national economy. The article discusses the controversial issue of the role of the European Union subsidies in the transformation of the Polish economy. The issues of trade, economic and investment cooperation between Russia and Poland are analyzed separately and it is concluded that the anti-Russian foreign policy of Poland hinders the development of the trade, economic and investment cooperation between the two countries.

Legal Regulations Impact on Social Capital. The Case of Poland

The article’s goal is to examine the impact of legal regulations on social capital on example of Poland. Due to specific conditions of Poland’s history of the last 200 years, legal institutions were not supposed to contribute to creation of social capital and in fact made it difficult. Our objective is to investigate the role of positive law in social capital building process. In the authors’ view, the relationship between statutory law and social capital is a complex one. On the one hand, a large stock of social capital supports statutory law, which can therefore be applied more effectively. Moreover, in such a situation, legal regulations do not have to be too detailed and casuistic. On the other hand, inadequate legal regulations may reduce the resource and quality of social capital, while well thought-out regulations can, in turn, support social capital. After review of literature referring to the relationship between the law and social capital, factors influencing social capital are discussed. It is followed by a short history of social capital evolution in Poland. After WWII, Polish legal system contributed to stressing the differences between identified groups, each of them enjoying different privileges. Due to bureaucratic character of this law, it did not help to strengthen social capital. Final section deals with general issues of the law-making process. We are presenting a tentative proposal to expand regulatory impact assessment (RIA) methodology, used in Poland and other OECD countries, by aspects important from social capital perspective. In our opinion, social capital building aspects were formally and practically forgotten during legislative process. Our suggestions on how to deal with social capital in the law-making processes are meant to propose corrective measures.

E-books market in Poland. A Few good men’s passion in a non-reading society

The article’s aim is to give an overview of the e-books market in Poland, including some issues from the history and perspectives of its future development; to reveal the role of authors and bloggers in popularizing e-books and e-reading; to elucidate how preferences of Poles in e-books reading devices and their attitude towards electronic reading were changing; to analyse problems that publishers and e-books sellers face. The article is based on social interrogation data, works of researchers and Polish book market analysts. The period between 2009–2018 demonstrate the following main characteristics of the market: rapid changes in technology, necessary for creating e-books; changing habits of the Polish readers, the lack of systematized approach to e-books as new media and economic barriers such as rather high VAT rate for digital publications. The paper underlines also the role of individuals and their initiatives in shaping the broadband culture. The basic conclusion of the work is as follows: Polish e-books market is still at the stage of forming its main segments. This work novelty and theoretical significance is in exposing and characterizing tendencies of e-books market evolution in Poland. Practical significance of the work is in acknowledging the necessity of attracting publishers, librarians and researchers to solving problems of creation in the country a constantly renovated database of electronic editions, its accessibility by Pole users.

Monopolization of Cultural Power in Liberal Democracy

There is cultural domination of power in contemporary system of liberal democracy. In effect there is reaction as social, political and cultural evolution in Poland, Europe, USA. The article analyses different definitions of liberalism, describes interpretation of cultural monopolization of power, its character, mechanisms, manifests and reaction to domination of liberal-left identity. In conclusions describes identity clash of liberal-left with liberal-right and proposes a new deal and new consensus that establish a new form of democratic state as liberal-left-right democratic.

Family Planning Advice in State-Socialist Poland, 1950s-80s: Local and Transnational Exchanges.

This paper scrutinises the relations between different models of family planning advice and their evolution in Poland between the mid-1950s and the late 1980s, focusing on their similarities and dissimilarities, conflicts and concordances. From 1956 onwards, the delivery of family planning advice became a priority for both the Polish Catholic Church and the party-state, especially its health authorities, which supported the foundation of the Society of Conscious Motherhood and aspired to mainstream birth control advice through the network of public well-woman clinics. As a consequence, two systems of family planning counselling emerged: the professional, secular family planning movement and Catholic pre-marital and marital counselling. We argue that reciprocal influence and emulation existed between state-sponsored and Catholic family planning in state-socialist Poland, and that both models used transnational organisations and debates relating to contraception for their construction and legitimisation. By evaluating the extent to which the strategies and practices for the delivery of birth control advice utilised by transnational birth control movements were employed in a 'second world' context such as Poland, we reveal unexpected supranational links that complicate and problematise historiographical and popular understandings of the Iron Curtain and Cold War Europe.

Integrated Education Programmes Evolution in Poland

One of the aspects of reforming education in Poland is the curricular reform. Since 1999 until today there have appeared four core curricula of the general education (1999, 2009, 2014, 2017) and several programmes of the integrated education. The purpose of the presented research was to show the changes taking place in early childhood education programmes in 21st century. The research used contents analysis of the following documents: the core curricula and teaching programmes. The presented text includes the synthesis of the programmes research that the author has carried out over the past two decades. Research shows that the most new programmes appeared in 1999, nonetheless, the quantity did not always match the quality. Their authors lacked theoretical foundations and practical experience in constructing such programmes. The research shows that the authors of programmes are increasingly aware of the paradigms that should be present in child education, hence the preferred place they give to constructivism. To the positive changes in the programmes I include the following elements:: individualisation of the education process, applying the diversified methods of working with child, change in the position of a teacher manifested in departing from the transfer of knowledge in favour of diagnosing and supporting child development as well as animating the process of discovering knowledge, indicating the role of parents as school partners. Especially noteworthy are the programmes that arose as a result of competitions and projects implemented in our country. Unfortunately, the fast pace of transformations causes that they have not been disseminated, and their interestingly developed e-learning platforms have disappeared from the Internet. The analysis of the programmes that were created in 2017 shows that they have regressed.

Stuck in second gear? EU integration and the evolution of Poland’s automotive industry

In contrast to dependent market economy (DME) literature, which argues that Central and Eastern European (CEE) economies serve primarily as assembly platforms for multinational corporations (MNCs) and try to meet their demands, this paper argues that CEE states have done much more than merely accommodating the interests of foreign investors. An analysis of the automotive sector in Poland reveals that the Polish state engaged actively in industrial policy to shape the profile of automotive production and to improve the country’s position in the automotive value chain. Instead of waiting for MNCs to establish backward linkages, it nurtured the rise of a supply industry with forward linkages in the automotive value chain, thus decreasing Poland’s dependence on lead MNCs. Moreover, this paper finds that while EU integration limited policy space for development, it also offered new developmental opportunities, which Polish state actors used to improve the international competitiveness of the sector.

System gospodarczy Polski w latach 1918-2018

Purpose – The aim of this article is to present the evolution of Poland's economic system over the last hundred years, from regaining the independency in 1918 to the present day, and to try to capture its specific features and show the systemic differences between Poland and other countries. Research methods – Various research methods were used, including: critical analysis of the literature, historical analysis, comparative analysis of the economic systems in Poland in the last one hundred years, as well as the economic system of Poland and other countries during this period. Description of research – The subject of consideration is the economic system in the macro scale (national economic system). In addition, we are interested in the economic system in the narrow sense – the regulatory sphere of the economy. It has a direct impact on the country's economic performance, and thus, on the real sphere. The study focuses on the ownership and the mechanism for coordinating economic decisions (with particular emphasis on the role of the market and the state) as the two main determinants of the economic system. Finding – The last hundred years of Poland were also turbulent in terms of changes in the economic system. Poland has gone through two megasystems: capitalism and socialism. From capitalism to socialism and back to capitalism. During these radical changes we were dealing with the evolution of the economic system, both within the framework of the market economy system and the centrally planned economy system. In addition, the economic system of Poland in particular subperiods had specific features and differed from the economic system of other countries functioning in these two megasystems. This was due to the specific socio-cultural factors in Poland, as well as to the specific historical situation in which our country existed.

Fostering development of soft skills in ICT curricula: a case of a transition economy

ABSTRACTThis paper contributes to the adjustment of teaching methods to a rapidly changing business environment and the technology evolution in Poland, a transition economy. It focuses on information and communication technology (ICT) students who, apart from professional knowledge and skills, need to acquire the ability to work in a business environment. In the course of the design-based research that involved a multiple case study, a blended learning framework was proposed. It aims at delivering ICT courses that support both development of domain knowledge and soft skills. Besides the skills recognized by previous research (communication, interpersonal skills, self-learning), the framework supports the development of the following soft skills that might be useful for future ICT professionals: active attendance, systematic work, self-assessment, and peer review. Since soft skills largely contribute to the success of an organization, the implementation of the framework should considerably improve the students’ position in the labor market.

Towards a Strategic Shift? On the Evolution of Poland’s Position in the Global Economy in 2003–2012

Poland, like other economies of the region of Central and Eastern Europe, embarked upon a process of radical economic transformation since 1989, leading to the introduction of a market-based economy. This process was accompanied and driven by a gradual opening of the economy to different forms of international economic activity, including notably a dynamic growth of foreign trade. The paper provides an analytical account on the increasing internationalisation of the Polish economy, pointing to the existence of a certain paradox. On the one hand, the process of catching up with advanced economies requires higher growth rates in terms of GDP. However, the said internationalisation also makes the economy more dependent on the economic situation in other countries. The analysis also indicates that a strategic shift in sectoral and geographic terms occurred in Polish exports. The paper concludes with recommendations for economic policy.