Level In Poland Research Articles

Powiązania handlowe wewnątrz makroregionu Morza Bałtyckiego – w kierunku integracji regionalnej = Trade linkages within the Baltic Sea region – towards regional integration

Two events exerted an essential influence on the development of collaboration in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) in the 21st century, namely: extension of the EU in 2004, due to which Baltic Sea became the inner sea of the EU (except for the Russian coast), and the elaboration and implementation in 2009 of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, which established the framework for the contemporary deepening of cooperation among the Baltic states inside the EU structures. The initially adopted model of cooperation concentrated on the key environmental issues, to then get extended towards the policy domain, including the transborder policies (institutional cooperation), as well as transport and economic connections (Palmowski, 2017). The article, while following the stream of the current studies of the BSR as an economic region, tries to fill the gap of complexity and dynamism of development processes, concerning the scale and intensity of mutual economic relations in relation to BSR. Thus, the article presents the basic aspects, associated with the introduction of the macroregional strategies in the EU and a short description of the economic integration process of the BSR. Analysis is presented of the most important regularities regarding trade exchange between the countries of the BSR, with consideration of the quantitative changes (volume, dynamics), and of the structural ones (specialization of trade in goods and services), as well as the trade linkages at the local level, as seen from the perspective of Polish exports (case study). International comparisons are based primarily on the economic data on foreign trade in goods and in services. The analysis concentrates on the assessment of the transformations in the years 2011 2019 (for trade in services: 2011 2018), that is – already after the establishment of the Strategy and the period of recession, resulting from the global crisis of 2008. In the course of the recent years the changes in the trade linkages considered brought a significant increase in the volume of trade, both concerning goods and services (46.3%), which confirms the initial proposition of the deepening integration within the BSR. Yet, this process takes place in a spatially uneven manner, and it is significantly stronger for the trade in goods than for the services. Internal trade inside the region accounts for as much as 23.7% of the total trade of the BSR countries (this share for the EU countries amounting to 60.0%). Nowadays, the internal trade with the BSR countries is of the highest importance for the small economies of the Baltic states, which is partly due to their intermediate position between Western Europe and Eastern Europe (including, especially, Russia). The analysis of the spatial development of trade with the Nordic countries at the local level in Poland demonstrates the persistence of the applicability and popularity of the gravity models in the study of regula ities, associated with the development of export relations; for the local economies the distance to the sales market and the local economic base are the essential factors, differentiating the magnitude and the significance of exports, in this case – to the Nordic countries. The macroregional Strategy might be treated as a new form of diversified integration within the EU, while the elaborated instruments of the policy and the strategy implementation process can be seen as the response to the need of the cohesion policy, dedicated to the particular areas of supranational dimensions (Gänzle & Kern, 2016). The BSR is strongly internally differentiated, this statement applying to economic, social and demographic aspects (Kubka, 2018). Moreover, it can be expected that the region will remain a heterogeneous area (Laaser & Schrader, 2002), also in terms of the regional trade patterns. Thereby, new questions arise, concerning the further process of economic integration and the specificity of cooperation in the framework of the BSR.

Pandemia a funkcjonowanie jednostek samorządu gminnego zadłużonych w parabankach – przypadek gminy Raciechowice

The aim of the article is to present the influence of pandemic, which contributes to changes in the scope of the delivery of public services by local governments. An interesting example are local governments, which have increased their financial debt in spite of their financial recovery programmes. These local governments were forced to change their public service strategies and their management in the sphere of select organizational and legal forms. The article presents the proposal of the public service delivery on the example of the Raciechowice municipality, in the Małopolskie voivodship, which in 2020 reached the highest debt level in Poland. The financial condition of the Raciechowice municipality is compared with the Ostrowice municipality, which was abolished on January 1, 2020 by including its territory into Drawsko Pomorskie. The core conclusion of the study is the fact that the delivery of public services by budgetary units contributes to the increase of the financial debt of the Raciechowice municipality. The decisions of central authorities, which instead of implementing long-term solutions during the pandemic availed themselves of emergency aid tools, also impact the increase in the budgetary deficit. This resulted in the necessity of finding additional resources on the part of local government units and in consequence led to the growth of the non-bank financial intermediary market.

Key enabling technologies in the European Union and in Poland

Purpose – To analyse the situation in Key Enabling Technologies (KETs) in the European Union and in Poland.Research method – Desk research and the analysis of available literature. The sources of data used were, among others: European Patent Office, Central Statistical Office, IMD World Competitiveness Centre and High Level Expert Group reports as well as the reports and data of the European Commission. KETs’ analysis in Poland was conducted based on the published CSO data. The article presents selected variables characterising the activity of enterprises operating in the field of biotechnology and nanotechnology, and the analyses of research and development activities as part of the executive sectors in both of the analysed fields. In addition, data on the number of registered patents in Poland and the share of the number of registered patents in the field of biotechnology in relation to their total number were presented. Results – The article covers topics connected with the measurement of KETs’ competitiveness, describes the situation of KETs in Europe and in Poland, not being a very innovative EU country. Originality / value – The problem of KETs and their importance for the EU and its members’ sustainable development is recognized in a limited scope. There is not much literature on the topic. There is no strategy for KETs at the national level in Poland.

Władza podzielona w polskich gminach – charakterystyka zjawiska

W artykule omówiona została specyfika horyzontalnych relacji władzy na szczeblu gminnym w Polsce. Rozważania koncentrują się wokół układów politycznych, gdy wójt/burmistrz/prezydent jest przedstawicielem innego komitetu wyborczego niż większość reprezentantów zasiadających w radzie gminy. Sytuacje te definiowane są jako władza podzielona. Autorka zarysowuje kontekst historyczno-prawny powstawania władzy podzielonej. Tym samym wskazuje przyczyny instytucjonalne zjawiska z uwzględnieniem mechanizmów prawnych, które blokują powstawanie układów władzy podzielonej. Szczególnym aspektem badania jest określenie wpływu systemu wyborczego na formowanie władzy podzielonej. Ponadto pokazana została skala oraz rozkład przestrzenny zjawiska wraz z określeniem charakterystyki gmin, w których obserwowany jest badany układ władzy. Analizie poddane zostały wyniki wyborów samorządowych w Polsce z 2010 oraz 2014 roku.

THE NEW PARADIGM OF MEDICAL ENGLISH TEACHING AT THE UNIVERSITY LEVEL

Currently practised methods of medical English instruction at tertiary education level often focus on medical terminology embedded in the English language classes. These strategies which comprise medical terminology and simple dialogues do not meet the needs of highly qualified medical health care workers (doctors, nurses, paramedics and many others). The new paradigm claims that medical English should be taught from the perspective of medicine and health care first and reinforced by the vocabulary acquisition; first – teach the students standards of medical practice (anatomy, pharmacology, physiology, medical sciences. and behavioural/ethical procedures), later on – concentrate on medical communication (see: M. Hull, 2004). The following paper concentrates on both formerly mentioned parameters; and also includes student and teacher motivation. Further, language acquisition as well as language learning are discussed. The new paradigm is defined as a combination of academic preparation which comprises cognitive and behavioural approaches that appear to be secondary to the context of the given class. Students are encouraged to search for synonyms, abbreviations and alternative ways of expressing meaning to communicate with each other. They also prepare their own multimedia presentations in the group and deliver speeches on subjects contained in curriculum. Concluding, the author of this paper expresses the opinion that foundational underpinnings of the curriculum of the Medical English course should be linked to the parameters for the health care professions. Context of the classes needs to be relevant to the work of the health professionals (according to Pratt and others, 2002). Over the last 10 years the paradigm for medical English teaching in North America and West European countries has changed enormously and has started to pave its new way at tertiary education level in Poland as well, which is presented briefly in this paper and – hopefully will continue to develop according to the newly occurring phenomena.

P.110: Setting up and running living kidney donation quality system on national level in Poland.

P.110: Setting up and running living kidney donation quality system on national level in Poland.

Przestrzenna analiza kapitału ludzkiego w obszarze zdrowia w Polsce w powiązaniu z sytuacją społeczno‑ekonomiczną w regionach

Celem artykułu jest pomiar i diagnoza struktury zasobów kapitału ludzkiego definiowanego w obszarze zdrowia. Podjęto próbę oceny jego przestrzennego rozmieszczenia, a także zbadano związek między kapitałem zdrowotnym a poziomem rozwoju społeczno‑gospodarczego. W badaniu wykorzystano wybrane taksonomiczne metody hierarchizacji (bezwzorcowe) oraz klasyfikacji obiektów wielocechowych. W efekcie każdemu obiektowi (jednostce terytorialnej) przypisano miarę syntetyczną – tzw. względny wskaźnik poziomu kapitału ludzkiego definiowanego w obszarze jakości zdrowia (WSKLz). Weryfikacji poddano założenie o występujących dysproporcjach w poziomie kapitału zdrowotnego WSKLz i o jego zróżnicowanej strukturze oraz o istniejącym dodatnim związku między poziomem kapitału zdrowotnego WSKLz a poziomem rozwoju społeczno‑gospodarczego danej jednostki wyrażonego miarą LHDI. Wyniki badań potwierdzają, że przestrzeń społeczno‑ekonomiczna w Polsce wykazuje cechy zróżnicowania zarówno pod względem samego poziomu kapitału zdrowia, jak i jego cech strukturalnych. Zauważalne są pewne prawidłowości w rozkładzie przestrzennym tego zasobu w układzie międzyregionalnym i w układzie centrum–peryferie. Wyniki testów statystycznych pozytywnie weryfikują hipotezę o istniejącym dodatnim związku między poziomem kapitału zdrowia WSKLz a poziomem rozwoju danej jednostki LHDI, przy czym siłę związku ocenia się na poziomie co najwyżej średnim. Analizę empiryczną przeprowadzono na poziomie powiatów w Polsce. Główne źródła danych to: Główny Urząd Statystyczny, Bank Danych Lokalnych, Narodowy Spis Powszechny 2011 (NSP) oraz dane dotyczące poziomu rozwoju lokalnego LHDI pochodzące z Krajowego Raportu o Rozwoju Społecznym. Polska 2012.

Participatory Budgeting in the Major Cities in Poland – Case Study of 2018 Editions

Abstract The paper refers to the social innovation of participatory budgeting which has become a very popular tool for stimulating citizen participation at the local level in Poland. It focuses on the major cities, defined as capitals of the voivodeships or regions. Based on the data concerning 2018 participatory budgeting editions in the eighteen cities, it describes the funding, organisation of the process, forms of voting and voter participation as well as the nature of projects selected and implemented. According to the amended Act on the Local Self-Government, organisation of participatory budgeting will only be obligatory for Polish cities from 2019. Despite that fact, it has already become quite popular and broadly applied in local communities. However, citizens’ participation and involvement in the process seems quite low, suggesting a need for experience sharing and improvement of the initiative. Also, project selection reflects the influence of various social groups within urban communities, rather than assisting groups which are at risk of marginalisation.

Did transition bring cleaner air? Effects of ownership, territorial and technology policy on air pollution

The paper investigates trends in air pollution in Poland during transition to a market economy. By analysing how the EU, national and regional development policy mix affects environmental outcomes we show the importance of context in terms of assessing the contribution to air pollution of different stakeholders such as foreign investors. The results show that while state owned firms pollute more, new domestic firms make a positive contribution to reducing emitted particulate matter and foreign owned subsidiaries on average have an increasing or neutral impact on air pollution. However, territorial policy becomes in Poland the focal point for understanding these changes as there are large differences for areas that are subject to this policy. When accounting for the combinations in these policies results suggest that zone governance has been very effective in reducing emissions of particulate matter. Zones combine ownership changes with technological changes associated with restructuring of enterprises and FDI along with EU subsidies associated with technology policies such as adoption of more green technologies in general. Both policy factors (e.g. using FDI to restructure former SOEs within the zones and using zones also as a policy tool to distribute structural funds) aid in reducing emissions, while to the extent we can compare them (due to differential measuring scales) we conclude that technology policy through structural funds has been by far the most effective policy tool towards curbing high emissions levels in Poland.

Assessment of nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural soils at local level in Poland

Assessment of nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural soils at local level in Poland

The Beta‑Convergence of the EU–10 Countries and Regions in the Years 2004–2015

The article analyzes the beta‑convergence of the EU–10 countries and the EU–15 for 2004 and 2015 at four levels – the state, NUTS 1, NUTS 2 and NUTS 3. The strongest beta‑convergence is at the level of the EU–10 countries; however, the lower the level of the regional unit, the weaker the beta‑convergence. At the NUTS 3 level in Poland, Slovenia and Hungary, divergence was found, which means there are convergence and divergence processes.

IIMPACT OF THE TYPE OF AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITY UNDERTAKEN ON INCOME EARNED FROM INDIVIDUAL FARMS IN POLAND – A REGIONAL ANALYSIS

Variation in income earned from individual farms is affected by a variety of factors such as soil quality, technical advancement, agricultural policy reforms, work efficiency, as well as scale and directions of agricultural production. The level of income earned by business entities, including individual farms, is a significant factor that affects expenses incurred in relation to the operation of an agricultural business and expenses to satisfy the needs of each member of a farmer’s household. The objective of this paper is to determine the impact of the type of agricultural activity undertaken and the area of agricultural land on income earned by individual farms in Poland. In addition, an attempt was made to evaluate regional variation in financial, area–related, and production indicators taken into consideration in the course of the study between individual farms. The results have been presented at the regional NUTS 2 level in Poland for 2017. Results of the study conducted have been visualised by means of the statistical, descriptive, comparative, and graphical method. Coefficients of variation Vs and correlation coefficients rxy were calculated. The study has revealed that there is a significant regional variation in Poland in terms of income earned by individual farms. Regional variation has also been found in the scale and type of agricultural production undertaken. In addition, it has been proven that the level of income earned from individual farms depends on the type of agricultural activity undertaken and on the area of agricultural land.

Local Political Business Cycles and Administration Spending in Polish Local Governments

Summary Subject and purpose of work: The purpose of this article is to verify the hypothesis of the occurrence of political business cycles at the self-governmental level in Poland. Materials and methods: The article presents a quantitative analysis of expenditures on remuneration in the administration of Polish self-governments at the county (district) level (in the period 2007–2018) and at province (regional) level (in the period 1999–2018) with the use of Arellano-Bond and LSDVC estimators. Results: The panel data analysis makes it possible to conclude that in Polish self-governments cyclical fluctuations of expenditure on remuneration can be observed. The increase in salaries depends on the power of the ruling coalition as well as unemployment and the output gap in a region. In the case of provinces and counties, also the increase of investment expenditures significantly affects the increase of salaries. Conclusions: The results of the estimation of models clearly point to the presence of cyclical distortions in remuneration in public administration, which are caused by the upcoming elections.

Disentangling the fiscal effects of local constitutions

We apply a regression discontinuity design to verify how constitutional rules, such as electoral systems, shape budget revenues at the subnational governmental level. We take advantage of a natural experiment involving an institutional reform at the local level in Poland. The reform introduced two electoral rules, which changed according to an exogenous population threshold: smaller municipalities used majoritarian elections and larger municipalities used proportional elections. While intergovernmental grants increased in both small and large municipalities, they increased less in municipalities with majoritarian elections compared to jurisdictions with proportional representation. This has further implications regarding the level of property taxes and vertical fiscal imbalance. The jurisdictions with proportional electoral systems had lower revenues from property taxes and higher vertical fiscal imbalance than jurisdictions with majoritarian systems. We show that this effect works through the alignment channel, which is driven by the political alignment of mayors with parties in the central government. This is more prevalent in proportional election scenarios. We also demonstrate that these effects are more pronounced in the period after 2002, when direct elections of mayors were introduced.

Освітня система Польщі крізь призму шкільних реформ в Україні

У статті досліджуються основні зміни, запроваджені в освітній системі України з прийняттям нового закону «Про освіту» у вересні 2017 року. Зіставлено реформи, проведені польським урядом свого часу із аналогічними в Україні.
 Оскільки обидві держави походять із постсоціалістичного табору, то і шлях реформ вони долають дуже подібний. Обгрунтовано, що зміни української системи освіти дуже схожі на ті, які проходили у Польщі в кінці 80-х –на початку 90-х р.р. Починаючи від 1989 р., у Польщі постає завдання відійти від освітніх орієнтирів СРСР. Україна від освітніх стандартів СРСР відходила поступово, але чіткий вектор західних реформ вибрала лише зараз, закріпивши його в новому законі, успішна реалізація котрого потребує багато зусиль як від влади, так і від суспільства в цілому.
 Автор акцентує і на відмінності освітніх систем Польщі та України. Рівні освіти у Польщі поділено на дошкільну, початкову, середню та професійну. Тобто, це по суті чотирирівнева система, три рівні якої є обов’язковими для отримання атестату. Дошкільна освіта у Польщі проходить у два етапи: для дітей у віці до 3 років у дитячих яслах, які в 2011 році були переформатовані у дитячі клуби; а для дітей у віці 3-6 років у дитячих садочках та підготовчих класах в початкових школах та в інших дошкільних закладах. Саме на цьому рівні можемо помітити разючу відмінність: акцент на дошкільній підготовці, як фізичній, так і психоемоційній, є важливою передумовою шкільної адаптації в польській шкільній системі. Це надзвичайно важливий момент, який давно під пильною увагою дитячих психологів. В Україні покиданий рівень дошкільної освіти відсутній як обов’язковий.
 Також проаналізовано основні компетентності середньої школи, що постулюються новою реформою в законі «Про освіту» та ті навички і знання, що пропонує своїм вихованцям сьогодні середня школа у Польщі. Проаналізовані пріоритети польської системи освіти, найголовнішим з яких є виховання людини, яка легко використовує сучасні досягнення, розуміє світ та добре орієнтується в життєвих труднощах, сприймає різні точки зору людей. Це людина, яка засвоїла знання, що допомагають їй у мистецтві життя з іншими людьми, високогуманна, культурна, яка є частиною світу і займає в ньому своє місце, розвиває власні здібності й інтереси, удосконалюється фізично та духовно.

O problematyce kobiecej na płaszczyźnie językowej w kontekście zagadnienia równych szans w Polsce, Rosji i Bułgarii

This article aims to outline issues related to equal treatment of women and men that can be observed at the language level in Poland, Russia and Bulgaria. So far, the Polish, Russian and Bulgarian languages have not been subjected to a comparative analysis with regard to the use of feminitives. The article provides a contrastive analysis of names for professions and functions as well as certain linguistic conventions in the languages in question. Drawing on extensive linguistic material, the authors’ research exposes the problem of linguistic asymmetry in the creation of female names in the three Slavic languages representing the Western, Western and Southern groups respectively.

Participatory budget in metropolies as instrument of direct democracy in public management: experience of Poland and Ukraine

Objectives: In the article a comparative research of the participatory budgeting systems at the local level in Poland and Ukraine was carried out. Research Design & Methods: The objects of the study were ten cities of the specified states (five from each country). In the case studies, systemic analysis of legislations of Poland and Ukraine in public finance sphere connected with participatory budgeting were used as well as quantitative analyses of budget resources directed at supporting participatory budget. Using this approach gave us the opportunity for complex research of participatory budgeting mechanism in both countries. Findings: As a result of the research, the peculiarities (differences) of the practice of using participatory budgets as tools of direct democracy at the Ukrainian and Polish cities’ level were specified. On this basis, the authors outlined obstacles for the efficient use of participatory budgets based on the experience of the two countries, formulated guidelines and standards in compliance with which it would be possible to implement quality participatory budgeting into practices of the cities’ public administration. Implications / Recommendations: This article indicates the need to conduct analyzes of participatory budgets to draw conclusions and effectively use this tool in the future. Contribution / Value Added: This research builds knowledge about participatory budgeting by analysing the use of this instrument of direct democracy in two different countries (Poland and Ukraine), which are at different level of EU integration an may help effectively plan and implement participatory budgeting in different national contexts.

Sales range and innovative activity in the manufacturing system of Poland

Research background: In the literature, there is a discussion on the importance of the spatial distance from the user in the context innovation activity. However, most of this kind of studies concentrate on exporting enterprises and compare them to domestic ones. Exporting activity is very important for catching-up countries, because of technology transfer in its background.
 Purpose of the article: The aim of this paper is to determine whether the innovative activity in Poland?s manufacturing system is a consequence of close interactions (local and regional), or perhaps conditioned by the imperative of functioning on the national and international market. The main hypothesis was that on the current development level of Poland, the relationship between the range of sales and innovation activities are different from those in the more developed countries.
 Methods: Empirical studies was created in 2006?2012 as a result of the systematic collection of questionnaires filled by manufacturing enterprises in Poland from all regions (5209 correct fulfilled questionnaires). Methodical analysis was based on the theory of probability ? probit modeling, because dependent variables were binary (0 or 1).
 Findings & Value added: Local and regional space is not stimulating innovation activity in opposite to national one. High intensity observed only when the company has been working on the international market. It means that the industry maturity level in Poland is good enough for creating a domestic innovation environment. This kind of an aggregation level should be stimulated by the government innovation policy.

The Formation of Local Self-government During the System Transformation Period in Poland and the Former GDR: A Comparative Study

This paper presents changes that have occurred at the local level in Poland and new German federal states during the process of the post-communist system transformation. The stages of rebuilding the local self-government and its structures are analyzed. The experiences of Poland and Eastern Germany – two states where the system transformation took different courses – were compared. At the same time, both countries have different constitutional orders of the unitary state and federal state, and this context are interesting fields for a comparative analysis. This paper also confronts the two methods of institution building – the importing of well-established institutions and developing them in the evolutionary way, where in both cases path a dependency can be well observed. In Germany this is considered a special case (Sonderfall) of institutional transformation, in which the key role was played by the transference of institutions, personnel and financial means. This was also done much quicker and in a more structured and comprehensive way than in Poland. In the case of Poland, the creation of local self-government structures or shaping the political actors was a grassroots and evolutionary process. This article points out the most important factors that had a crucial significance in the course and results of the transformation and explains different ways of developing the system of democratic local self-government.

WAGE CONVERGENCE ON THE COUNTY-LEVEL IN POLAND: A PANEL DATA APPROACH

This study investigates nominal wage convergence on the county level in Poland from 2005 till 2017, while accounting for the structural heterogenity of the units and common time shocks. Results reveal that wage levels converge to their own steady-state with the speed of 7.6% of the imbalance per year. When time fixed effects are accounted for, this speed becomes higher and has a value of 34.5%. Common time effects, such as economic cycle considerably contribute to the convergence speed. The exclusion of time effects tends to bias downward the estimated convergence rate. With regard to σ-convergence, wage inequalities across the counties decreased over the years 2005–2010 with their levels moving toward the national average. However, as of 2010 this process, if any, is very slow.