Government In Poland Research Articles

Green economy – growth and maintenance of the conditions of green growth at the level of polish local authorities

Coal is the central energy resource in Poland, and air pollution levels in cities in Poland are some of the highest in Europe. Environmental protection problems are among the greatest challenges for the Polish authorities and society. As of today, there is a risk of temperatures rising 1.5 °C before 2050; this rise in temperature is leading to the intensification of changes that are unfavorable for people, such as weather disasters. The aim of this article was to analyze the scale of necessary sustainable investments of the local governments in Poland, with particular emphases on the role of cities, the current structural gaps and the financial mismatches. The focus was mainly on the adaptation and mitigation aspects of climate change, with less emphasis on social factors. The results indicated an increasing need for green and/or sustainable investments by local governments. A number of barriers to accessing new forms of sustainable finance were identified. The most important hurdles included low involvement of the private sector in local government financing, regulatory and fiscal barriers, and the inability of local governments to provide effective currency hedging. The need for new mechanisms to help local governments through guarantees or innovative instruments and potentially through new institutions or facilities was demonstrated.

Local government in Poland in the light of climate policy challenges

Achievement of climate goals adopted at the EU level requires the widest possible involvement of local government units, in particular cities responsible for a significant part of greenhouse gas emissions. For over a decade, the EC has been taking steps to better manage the scale of the EU member states’ climate efforts at the local level through the use of so-called instruments of soft regulation. These actions, aimed at putting pressure on the governments of the EU member states to mobilize them to take more ambitious actions in the field of climate protection, lead to the creation of new informal instruments supporting implementation of the EU legislation. The article discusses this phenomenon on the example of the Covenant of Mayors operating since 2008.

Role of EU Funds in Financing the Activity of a Local Government in Poland from 2011 to 2020

Purpose: The aim of the article is to present benefits and consequences of the use of EU funds by a local government in Poland. Design/Methodology/Approach: This paper uses the regulatory analysis method and the statistical descriptive method. This article is the result of a broad research conducted in Poland in 2020. Findings: Based on the results of empirical research, the article shows that one of the sources of financing a developmental activity of a local government are EU funds. Poland benefitted from these sources even before the pre-accession period, but the wide access to EU money occurred after 2004 when Poland joined the European Union. Then, it was possible to reach EU funds at the much larger scale to finance and co-finance programmes and projects aiming at the reduction of disparities between individual states and regions of the European Union. Practical Implications: Poland’s accession into the European Union enabled the local government units to obtain financial resources for the developmental activity. The LGU obtained access to non-repayable sources of financing the EU programmes and projects. However, obtaining these resources requires incurring own expenditures i.e., co-financing the EU projects. In the meantime, the surpluses of the current incomes over the current expenditures are not able to secure the own contribution of the LGU. Thus, the local government generally has two options; it should either resign from applying for the EU funds or secure the contribution with their own external financial sources i.e., credits, loans, or issuance of securities. The latter solution relates to indebtedness of the local government. Originality/Value: Considering that the inflow of the funds from the budget of the European Union is an extremely important and cheap source of financing development (which is likely to be limited for Poland in next perspectives), it seems that systematic targeted subsidies for investment should be planned in the state budget or low-interest loans for investments, for the LGU, securing them their own contribution.

Communication Management within Community Relations by Local Governments in Poland

Purpose: The authors show the essence of communication management as part of public relations activities, carried out by specific market entities, such as local government units. Design/Approach/Methodology: This article is the result of a broad, although regional, research conducted in Poland in 2020. Findings: Based on the results of empirical research, the article shows the purposefulness and legitimacy of actions taken by Polish local governments in the field of communication with the market environment, in the context of the impact of community relations. Practical Implications: Local government units with activities referred to as territorial marketing are among the numerous spheres of social life in which the marketing method of management is revealed.

The Assessment of Effects of Local Government Elections in Poland in 2018

The territorial government election held in 2018 had significant influence not only on the current situation in Poland but also on the functioning of the country on the international scene. This event was very important for building the future political situation in Poland and it was a kind of prediction before the European Parliament election, the Polish Parliament election and before the Presidential election which are coming in the following years. The results of this election showed not only what can happen but also how Poland may function in the international environment – the Polish cooperation with other countries in the region and Poland’s functioning in the European Union. The subject of this research is to analyse the territorial government election in Poland in 2018 and to show what kind of changes were done in the Polish electoral law. Also, there are some indications presented how the role of local government should be shaped in the near future. The paper is also discussing some issues related with the way how Poland will function in the future with the focus on international cooperation, especially the cooperation with neighbouring countries and the European Union. The method which was used in this study is the observation method and the analysis of the situation in Poland as well as the analysis of changes in the electoral law in Poland. The aim of this paper is to show what changes should take place in the near future in the role and shape of territorial governments in Poland on different levels seeking to improve the functioning of these very important bodies of the political system in Poland.

Institutional Coherence and the Evolution of Corporate Governance in Poland

Goal – the purpose of the article is to present the significance and role of institutional coherence in the development and evolution of corporate governance in Poland. Research methodology – a review of the literature on examining the specificity of knowledge about the role of institutional coherence in the development and evolution of corporate governance in Poland and analysis and assessment of the changes in good practice codes in Poland. Score/results – a systemic approach to the issue of corporate governance reveals that it is a collection of both formal and informal institutions. Through mutual interac tion, corporate governance rules lead to the emergence of a relatively stable and predictable environment in which enterprises and their stakeholders can operate. Originality/value – analysis of good practice codes in Poland reveals that the process of their adjustment to the current social and cultural norms, as well as to the expectations of the market, can be positively evaluated, as evidenced by the fact that their new editions continue to be published. The provisions which appear in good practice codes year by year adequately reflect the needs and expectations of the market.

Wydajność fiskalna podatków lokalnych, jej uwarunkowania i przestrzenne zróżnicowanie w Polsce

The article focuses on the fiscal efficiency of local taxes which in Poland are levies on wealth, i.e., real estate tax, means of transport tax, agricultural tax and forestry tax. The author discusses the determinants of fiscal efficiency of local taxes. Special attention is given to the analysis and assessment of fiscal importance of these taxes for municipalities and cities with powiat status, and to the role of public revenues for local government budgets. The author also compares fiscal efficiency of local taxes from the point of view of various types of their recipients and different levels of local government in Poland.

Політика Польщі та Румунії щодо інтернованої Армії УНР (1921-1924): сучасна вітчизняна історіографія

The article focuses on a comprehensive analysis of the historiographical achievements of modern Ukrainian historians on the policy of the leadership of Poland and Romania regarding the interned in the camps of these countries, the Army of the Ukrainian People's Republic. The methodological basis of the study comprises the principles of historicism, objectivity and systematics. General scientific and special research methods were used in solving the set tasks: historiographical analysis and synthesis of knowledge development, generalization, quantitative, historical-comparative, chronological, retrospective, etc. The scientific novelty of the work lies in a comprehensive analysis of the state of study in modern domestic historiography of the policy of the leadership of Poland and Romania during 1921-1924s concernig interned Army of the UPR. Conclusions. The analysis of the historiographical achievements of modern Ukrainian historians proved they have made significant progress in studying the scientific field. Having gained access to previously closed domestic and foreignarchival materials, scholars of independent Ukraine cooperated with foreign historians and rejected unscientific, ideologically biased approaches and conclusions of Soviet historiography regarding the policy of the Polish and Romanian leadership towards the interned army. The shortcomings of Ukrainian foreign historiography on this problem, which consisted of a number of inaccuracies and a weak source base, were eliminated, which led to the distortion of historical realities. Domestic historians have clearly shown that the policy pursued by the governments of Poland and Romania regarding the internment of the UPR Army in the camps of these countries was aimed at ensuring their own national interests. It varied depending on the state of relations with its aggressive northern neighbor – Bolshevik Russia. The orientation of this policy was significantly influenced by the position of the Entente states, the victors of the First World War/ They viewed the UPR Army as a force capable of counteracting the expansionist aspirations of Bolshevik Russia. At the same time, despite significant progress in the study of this topic, especially in the 1990s – early XXI century, in the last twenty years, domestic historians didn’t pay enough attention to its study. A number of aspects of this problem remain unexplored and require further scientific analysis.

Zivilrechtliche Problematik der Covid-19-Pandemie in Polen

In the article, the author explains the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on civil law in Poland. The outbreak of the pandemic caused damage to entrepreneurs. The government introduced numerous support programmes to save entrepreneurs from bankruptcy and to protect workplaces. In addition, the government introduced many restrictions on constitutionally protected rights and freedoms, most notably a prohibition on conducting business activities. This has led to an increase in the extent of damage to entrepreneurs who, due to the lack of opportunities to conduct business activities, have lost their source of income. They demand compensation for their damages from the state, claiming that the prohibition of economic activity introduced is unconstitutional. In the context of the actions of government during the Covid-19 pandemic, the issue of state liability for damage caused by government in Poland was discussed. The legislator also decided to legally interfere in the rental market in Poland. As a result, inter alia, the obligation of the lessee to pay rent to the lessor was suspended. As a result, landlords have lost a source of income.

Zadania obronne realizowane przez samorządy terytorialne w Polsce

This article is an attempt to identify defensive tasks performed at individual levels of territorial self-government in Poland. Defense tasks are implemented within the State Defense System, which is a subsystem of the National Security System (NSS). Therefore, the article indicates the location of the Defense System in the National Security System, the structure of NSS and the mission of its individual subsystems. The author also presents the functioning of territorial self-government in Poland and specifies tasks implemented by territorial self-government. The subject of the research are defense tasks implemented by local governments in Poland, and the aim is an attempt to identify defense tasks performed at individual levels of local government. The following theoretical research methods were used: analysis, synthesis, abstraction and inference.

Financial Condition of Local Government in Poland vs StructuralReforms of Municipal Government in Scandinavian States

The authors have undertaken an analysis of the phenomenon of debt of local government units in Poland. It is a dynamic phenomenon, which affects vast majority of municipalities and districts. A barrier to debt expansion has been established in the form of the Individual Debt Index (IOI), which has been in place since 2014 and its new elements entered into force on 1 January 2020. The structure of the index is intended to allow regional accounting chambers (RIO) to control the process and prevent its progression. The authors indicate, however, that the main problem for local self-government units is insufficient own income, which forces them to increase the pool of funds transferred from the central budget to self-governments in the form of grants and subventions and to look for various forms of loans for their activities. Using the experience of the Scandinavian countries, the authors propose to start territorial and resource consolidation reforms of small local government units – municipalities and districts. The aim is to facilitate better use of endogenous resources of territorial self-government units and use of economies of scale related to local economy and social resources. This should result, as in Scandinavia, in the development of public entrepreneurship, higher social efficiency and effectiveness, and stabilisation of the income of individual units. After more than 20 years of operation, small local government units in Poland have become structurally and functionally obsolete and do not guarantee modern development of local communities.

Samorząd terytorialny – 30 lat doświadczeń samorządu (gminnego) w Polsce

The article is an attempt to summarise the achievements of local government in Poland reactivated in 1990, and the topics discussed in the article focus on development and functioning since 1808 Prussian urban reform, which is the organisational model for contemporary local government units in Europe. Much of the article is also devoted to the functioning of Polish local governments in the 1990s and early 2000s, preceding Poland’s accession to the European Union. The issue of the use of pre-accession funds and funds available after 2004 by local governments, which had a significant impact on infrastructure investments in Polish communes, districts and voivodship, was discussed in detail. On the basis of available reports, the article also presents an assessment of the achievements of local government in Poland over thirty years, with its successes and failures. The author also refers to the possibility of using this legacy by local governments of neighbouring countries aspiring to EU membership, mainly Ukraine.

Between Private Property, Authoritarian State and Democracy: Clearing Trees in Cities and Destroying the Białowieża Forest in Poland

ABSTRACT The article describes the widespread tree felling that began in Polish cities in 2017. The authors show the relationship between this phenomenon and the ideology that gives priority to private property over public good. This ideology was the basis for the new Nature Conservation Act that came into force in Poland in 2017. The new regulations not only made cutting down trees in cities and private properties easier, but also allowed real estate developers to fell trees in landscape parks. The authors also describe the conflict over logging in the Białowieża Forest between the government in Poland and international public opinion (scientists, ecologists, the Court of Justice of the European Union). They defend the thesis that this conflict illustrates a simple relationship: right-wing populists gain support using the slogan of defending “ordinary people,” but once they are in power, they implement not only political authoritarianism but also neoliberal dogmas.

Support for a Populist Government in Poland

In the recent years, one of the most popular subjects of research in political science has been the rise of populism. In Poland, an anti-establishment government has won a second electoral cycle in a row. However, unlike in Hungary, the opposition received a comparable share of the vote. In this article, I try to show how a country with a seemingly homogeneous population could have become so divided. I argue that the current polarization is based on the lack of social recognition of the less well-off citizens and areas, and on the lack of social cohesion: deeply rooted cultural and moral divisions in society overlapping with differences in economic situation. Those underlying causes explain why civil society in Poland is still able to mobilize, but they also let us predict that the divisions will not disappear soon. Although the political preferences of the youth suggest a strong demand for more pluralism, the new gender cleavage may deepen with time, based on a similar logic: diverging life courses and a lack of social cohesion and recognition exploited by polarizing parties. The explanations offered here contribute to the understanding of not only the success of antiestablishment parties in Poland but also of the differences between the Western and Central and Eastern European political mainstream.

Involvement of cities with county rights in financing tasks pertaining to physical culture

Units of local governments in Poland are responsible for running actions in the sphere of physical culture. The growing number of people practicing sports, as well as social and rearing aspects related to sports exert an influence on the activity of sports clubs and social organizations which promote physical culture. While only some sports organizations are self-sufficient economically, most of them must rely on public support. In Poland, like in the majority of European countries, one of the main sources of financing are public grants. Cities with county rights (CCRs), being a specific type of commune, undertake tasks of both communes and counties. In the sphere of tasks pertaining to physical culture this can manifest itself by higher budgetary expenses in general, including grants. Local tasks connected with sport are stiffly defined by central regulations only to an insignificant extent. Therefore it is accepted that local governments possess considerable autonomy as regards deciding about allocation of the means assigned for their realization. This concerns also the grant-based expenses. Thus, the aim of the article is to examine whether the scale of expenses borne on physical culture, including local government grants, is dependent on the size of CCRs and on the level of their financial autonomy. In this paper, the author presents differences in expenses from budgets of CCRs on tasks pertaining to physical culture (Section 926 of the budgetary classification), with particular taking account of grants which constitute them. The basic tools of descriptive statistics and study of interdependences were used. A very large spatial difference in the examined variables, both in the regional framework and within the types of communes, was found. The mean interdependence was identified between grant-based expenses and the level of financial autonomy of the cities with county rights.

Street level bureaucracy in response to environmental pressure. Insights from forestry and urban green space governance in Poland

Forestry and urban green space governance experiences rapid changes due to bottom up environmental pressure and top down changes of legislation. To deepen our understanding of crafting preferable environmental reactions towards environmental pressure, we introduced the perspective of environmental street-level bureaucrats (SLBs) and explored it using Oliver’s strategic response framework. Drawing from case studies on the governance of the moose and urban green space in Poland, we investigated the complex and mediating sphere of SLB “policy intentions” in environmental governance. We argue that SLBs can distance themselves from new expectations if these are perceived as “socially constructed” and potentially disturbing for SLBs’ professional routines. Such limited or moderated reactions can be a coping mechanism of SLBs trying to balance a complex landscape of various, even contradictory pressures. Our findings break the monolithic-type image of a ‘decision-maker’ into complex web of interrelations between administrative units and political structures. They also suggest a need of new forms of environmental (post-) bureaucracy to reinforce social trust and to deal with ambiguities of nature.

Политические права иностранцев из третьих стран в Польше. Результаты количественных исследований

The article presents the issue of political inclusion of foreigners from third countries at the level of local government in Poland. Local political rights in Poland apart from citizens are only available to foreigners-citizens of EU countries. In many EU member countries, all foreigners have political rights at local government level if certain conditions are met. To understand whether such a solution is possible in Poland, the public opinion was examined. The article presents the results of the research and provide them for analysis. The research results indicate rather that Poles accept the extension of certain political rights to a group of foreigners from outside the EU.

Whistleblowing Motivation and Gender: Vignette-Based Study in a Local Government

Public administration literature has been building more evidence about whistleblowing and gender, and whistleblowing and public service motivation. Yet, despite the well-developed theoretical argument of the socialization effect on public service motivation and gender, little effort has been undertaken to study their simultaneous relationships with whistleblowing. This study fills this gap suggesting that whistleblowing mechanisms for the public sector should allow no room for gender differences and should guarantee equal access to the procedure. A constant-variable-value vignette study conducted with 799 respondents from a large local government in Poland reveals strong gender effects, that overshadow previously supported positive association between public service motivation and corruption reporting. Namely, despite the confirmed positive association between PSM levels and whistleblowing intentions, highly public service motivated women are less inclined to report a misconduct of their supervisors than men. The socialization context relevant to the study location is discussed in the conclusion.

Effectiveness of the Anti-Crisis Policy in the Period of COVID-19 Pandemic in the Road Transport Industry

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to examine the effectiveness of the tools introduced as the Anti-Crisis Shield Acts, which have been announced by the government of Poland during the pandemic in the road transport industry. Design/Methodology/Approach: The contribution is based on a review of literature, preparing of an original questionnaire-based survey directed for road transport companies and estimating ordered multi-nominal logit, and binary logit model. Findings: Transport industry is particularly sensitive to the business cycle phases due to the fact that limitations in trade are very often the first sign of incoming recession. We found out that the government introduced the Anti-Crisis Shield Act aimed to preserve jobs was widely utilized by the transport industry. Practical Implications: The Polish government similar to other European authorities has introduced a programme to reduce losses in the economy caused by the pandemic. The program was intended to reduce negative short- term consequences of the crisis caused by the COVID-19. The transport enterprises widely used the offered aid although it was directed rather ex post (to reduce) than ex ante (to prevent). Originality/Value: The study is based on primary data obtained from road transport companies and related to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for the road transport industry. The research is fairly up-to-date, since the survey was conducted in June-July, 2020. A logit model is applied to evaluate determinants of the wide use of the government aid by the enterprises useful for practitioners and analytics of the transport industry to forecast probability of economic performance of enterprises.

Inter‑Municipal Cooperation in Education as a Possible Remedy for Current Difficulties of Local Government in Poland

The purpose of this article is to fill the existing gap and contribute to the literature in two ways: firstly, by investigating problems that caused the emergence of cooperation between two municipalities despite the administrative border at the county level, and secondly, by analysing the effects of joint provision of public education based on a case study from Poland. The case study is preceded by the use of the literature review method. The problem of possible enhancement of inter‑municipal cooperation (IMC) in Poland is proposed as a potential remedy for current difficulties that Polish local governments face after the reform of the education system and the COVID–19 pandemic, as well as due to demographic decline and budgetary challenges. Studies suggest that net benefits of cooperating are higher if IMC partners are smaller and more homogenous with respect to the quality and level of public services. The theory of exploiting economies of scale and scope was studied based on the case study of a Polish inter‑municipal union created only to provide education in two municipalities. The cooperation resulted in little positive financial effects reflected in the lower spending per pupil only in the case of primary school. However, the union caused nonfinancial benefits not only for pupils but also for parents and teachers, who are voters as well. The article concludes that inter‑municipal unions could be used especially by small and rural municipalities that struggle with the previously mentioned problems.