Polish Political Science Research Articles

Report of the Branch Board on the activities of the Gorzów Branch of the Polish Political Science Association for the years 2019-2021

This report presents the activities of the Gorzów Branch of the Polish Political Science Association during its first term of existence. The branch's activity was primarily focused on the organisation of discussion meetings, methodological seminars and the co-organisation of conferences organised by the Faculty of Administration and National Security of the Jakob of Paradies University.

As the twig is/was bent? Managers (founders) of political science and educating its students in Polan

Polish political science is accused of not being as global as Polish sociology, or of not taking the scientific method and scientific theory very seriously. In contrast to the three basic social sciences (psychology, economics and sociology), political science is more limited to description and humanistic interpretation. One may ask why Polish political science, as it results from the above accusations, deviates slightly from the positivist pattern. The hypothesis suggests that this may be related to the education of the founders, the first managers of political science (directors of institutes, representatives of political science in the Central Commission of Scientific Degree). As it turns out, they were mostly lawyers, and to some extent historians. Graduates of basic social sciences were rare. Political science also lacks (considering textbooks) influential methodologists. As a consequence, there are fewer social methodological subjects in political science studies than in the other aforementioned fields of study.

Specificity of Narration and Explanation in Polish Political Science

The article presents the specificity of understanding and using the category of narration and explanation in Polish political science after 1989. At the beginning, the author briefly recalls the meaning of the concept of narrative, and then presents two dimensions of its presence in domestic political science. On the one hand he elaborates on its conceptualization within the methodology of political science, and on the other hand he discusses the two main political science narratives he has distinguished, which, in his opinion, were born in Poland after 1989. Both narratives (liberal and critical) offer their own interpretations of the political and social transformation of post-communist Poland. The author of the article also argues that the liberal narrative is supplanted by the critical one, which applying among other things, the concept of integral explanation seems to explain the troubled and crisis-ridden present times more suggestively.

Concepts in Polish Political Science Relating to Conflictual Views of “the Political”

The terms “politics” and “the political” have been conceptualised, used, and understood differently in modern Polish political science and theory over the past 50 years, having been featured in a long list of books and scholarly articles. In addition to an overview of major initiatives, conferences, and discussions around these terms, the article includes a discourse analysis prepared with qualitative research tools. The purpose of the discourse analysis is multifold. First, it aims to map the presence of these terms in the discourse of modern Polish political science and theory. Second, it aims to identify to what extent the Polish discourse has been influenced by authors such as Carl Schmitt or Chantal Mouffe, and to what extent the two terms were conceptualised in an original way, proper to the Polish social science discourse. Third, how often scientists have used the words that were associated with the conflict.

Gdzie publikujesz, politologu? Wpływ reformy ewaluacji nauki w Polsce na międzynarodowy prestiż polskich nauk o polityce

The article aims to diagnose how Polish political science is internationally recognized, and how this recognition has changed during the last period of research evaluation (2017–2021). For this purpose, several quantitative indicators from the 2013–2016 and 2017–2021 evaluations were analyzed: the number of publications, place of publication, the impact of both the journal and the article. The hypotheses assume that in 2017–2021, the numerical output of Polish political science works indexed in international databases increased significantly. Still, when it comes to the impact of the Polish academy on global political science, it remains weak. The data provided in the SciVal program was used for the analysis. Articles were selected from the Scopus database, specifically from the “Politics & International Studies” collection. The results of the conducted research confirm the assumptions formulated in the hypotheses.

Polish Political Theorists on the Position and Role of the Individual in Politics

This article aims to survey the principal viewpoints of Polish political theorists regarding the position and role of the individual in politics. The discussion involves a thorough analysis of the categories of individual and collective political actors, their distinctive features, and the concept of agency and its new interpretations within the Polish political science. These new interpretations signal evolution in the traditional categorical framework in response to contemporary challenges. The study applies a method of analysis and synthesis incorporating aspects of the dialectical method. The outcome presents a juxtaposition of viewpoints within political science spanning the past several decades, identifying areas of convergence and significant divergences.

Methodological Dilemmas of Political Science

The article identifies and analyses methodological dilemmas in Polish political science in the last fifty years. These dilemmas concern: the object of cognition – its existence and preferred research strategies, the development model of the discipline, methods in political science, methodological identity of political science, the essence of politics and what is political, empirical or theoretical character of political science, the possibility of formulating grand theories in political science, new subdisciplines in political science, political anthropology, individual agency and the ontological status of social groups, value judgments, and axiological neutrality of the researcher. The article concludes that Polish political scientists in the last fifty years have been advocating a complementary position that goes beyond concrete alternatives.

Understanding in Political Science: A Primary, Complementary or Supplementary Task?

This paper is a contribution to the discussion concerning the methodological and theoretical orientation of the Polish political science community. It aims to answer the question posed in the title by analysing representative texts by Polish political theorists. The scholarly output of four well-known political scientists – Filip Pierzchalski, Kamil Minkner, Artur Laska and Łukasz Młyńczyk – was examined. The interpretation of selected texts by these authors made it possible to show the applications of the category of “understanding” in the concepts of interpretationism, narrativism, understanding naturalism and integral approach. The conducted study indicates that understanding is perceived as the main, albeit multi-variant, task of political science, determined by ontological and axiological perspectives. The analysis proper is preceded by a presentation of the main problems of the subject under discussion, including the meaning of the key terms such as understanding, interpretation, communication, and knowledge.

Specyfika badań politologicznych w Polsce

The aim of the article is to examine whether and what are the characteristics of political science research and reflection conducted in Poland. To achieve this, two dimensions of specificity were distinguished, namely disciplinary specificity (features that distinguish political science from other disciplines, especially those within the social sciences) and local specificity (characteristic features of Polish political science compared to the discipline practiced in other countries, particularly Anglo-Saxon). The specificity of Polish political science was then analysed in four fundamental areas that determine the discipline’s identity: 1) the subject of research, 2) research methods, 3) subdisciplinary structure, and 4) structure of theories functioning within the discipline.

Theory of Politics in Poland on the Track of Consensual Approaches to “the Political”

Polish political theorists’ research revolves around the question of the political. There have been many analyses of this issue in Polish political science journals, for which the starting point was antagonistic and subsequently agonistic approaches to the political. Against this background, inquiries going in the direction of consensual approaches constituted a minority; additionally, it is difficult to synthesise them directly from the output of Polish theorists, as these approaches are often not explicitly articulated, but their significant elements appear in nominally non-consensual considerations. The purpose of this article is to bring this picture closer, not only from the personal side, but also as an attempt to reconstruct the essence of the political in terms of consensus, no longer antagonism or agonism. The other objective is to indicate both the theoretical potential of this approach and its interpretative usefulness against the background of other dominant approaches.

Explanatory Qualities of the Concept of “the Political” in Polish Political Science Research

The aim of this article is to look at “the political” as an explanatory category. “The political” is a concept naming a feature of political phenomena, which means that it belongs to the foundations of political sciences. It has a profound impact on the development and structure of knowledge of political phenomena. Moreover, it is also a significant research object among political scientists. Especially in recent years, the phenomenon and concept have been reworked in various dimensions, indicating the distinctiveness of the problem. This makes it possible to ask the question about the status of “the political” in relation to the explanatory function of political sciences. A working axis that would serve to explicate “the political” in Polish political science research, while at the same time systematising its complexity, comprises two levels: a subjective level and an objective level. The former should be understood as being strongly related to the researcher and their decisions. The latter is related to the object of cognition, the matter under examination.

Діяльність Йозефа Бузека у галузі польської та галицької статистики

The article analyzes the activities of Professor Józef Buzek (1873–1936), a prominent figure in Polish and Galician statistics of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, an economist, demographer, lawyer, and sociologist. In leading positions of state statistical bodies, as a politician and teacher, he made a significant contribution to the historical and statistical research of Galicia, analyzed the economy and economy of the region, raised the issue of the position of national minorities in the Austrian Empire, which were both Ukrainians and Poles at the time. Since the contribution of Jozef Buzek to the Polish and Ukrainian statistical affairs is not sufficiently covered in domestic science, the purpose of the article is to expand Ukrainian historiography on Polish and Galician statistics and economic thought with the scientific works of Professor Buzek. The author provided a brief biographical reference, characterized the educational and scientific activities of Josef Buzek in the field of economics, jurisprudence, and statistics. The analysis of important political achievements, work experience in the Central Statistical Commission in Vienna, the Polish Central Statistical Office, and the Statistics Office in Lviv was carried out. The Polish and Galician scientist-economist and statistician also devoted his scientific activity to issues of national policy, characterized by works in which the problems of social and educational statistics are investigated. Important works on Polish and Galician statistics in the field of economy, population and demographic processes in Poland and Galicia have been singled out and analyzed. The assessment of achievements in the field of Polish political science and jurisprudence is given. It has been proven that his practical activities in the management positions of state and regional statistical bodies had a significant impact on the development of statistical affairs in Galicia and Poland, as well as contributed to the improvement of statistical information collection and processing methods.

Co-Creation of Public Services in the European Union. Concepts, Approaches and Practice

Abstract The concept of co-creation of public services, which is the essence of this thematic issue of Polish Political Science Review, is part of the current debate on the modernization of the delivery system in the European Union upon Europeanization and globalization. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to enhance the understanding of the factors that assist the co-creation in public service delivery and its capabilities on the both conceptual and practical level. The article works towards presenting the perspective in public governance by examining key aspects which make the ecosystem of the co-creation of public services. In addition, it is intended as an introduction to this thematic issue, and it is a basis for a better understanding of topics discussed in individual articles by authors representing the European research community and non-governmental organizations. The authors present, in detail, considerations on both approach-oriented perspectives and empirical findings, which refer to various socio-cultural, political and economic contexts in different regions of the European Union. To achieve the research aim, following research questions were developed: What concepts and approaches reflect the idea of co-creation of public services in the European Union? Do they impact the institutional practice? Thus, the first part of the article discusses the key concepts and approaches with the aim to provide guidance and a joint understanding, and then introduces the main notions which make up the ecosystem of the co-creation of public services in the European Union understood as a method (citizens’ participation), a process (social innovation) and a system (public governance). The last part of the article is a reflection on challenges and limitations as well as stimulants that determine its practicing in changing settings and contexts.

Carl Schmitt w polskich interpretacjach politologicznych 1984–2007

Carl Schmitt in Polish political-science interpretations 1984–2007The article discusses Polish political-science interpretations of the German legal and political theorist Carl Schmitt. It gives an overview of the main literature published between the 1980s and 2000s. Polish political scientists became interested in Schmitt only after a period of intensive studies conducted by lawyers. Polish political science, ideologically oriented during the times of the communist regime, took its leading role in Schmitt’s reception with the transformation of Poland’s political system. Interestingly, the flow of new translations of Schmitt’s writings in the first decades of the century shifted the reception substantially and moved it towards more philosophical and theological interpretations. The interpretations present in the field of political science have been divided into two kinds based on different methodologies: the first, focused on Schmitt as a political theorist, which aims at introducing his substantial contributions to political science, and the second, which focuses on Schmitt as a representative of conservatism. The article may serve as a practical introduction to Polish political-science research on Schmitt.

VALIDATE? VERIFY? DO NOT MOVE? ABOUT NON-STATISTICAL, SCHOLASTIC AND QUANTITATIVE METHODS OF QUANTITATIVE DATA STORYTELLING

The article deals with the quality of data obtained in the quantitative research process. The authors decided to raise the subject, because in the Polish political science – in the opposition to sociology – it’s not well described. The text was made mainly on the basis of a literature review devoted to particular parts of the article and is its synthesis. During the work it was discovered that thanks to relatively simple tools, as well as the use of some programs the quality of the data set can be checked in a simple and precise way.

Political without classesand corporations, political science without political economy. The science of the political or politics?

The article shows the weakness of mainstream Polish political science. Its main weakness, according to the author, is omitting the industrial and corporate power conflict among the factors determining the contemporary politics. As a result, the relations between political science and political economy have become weak. Its place as a source of inspiration for political scientists has been taken by social philosophy. It seeks the various non-economic sources of politics. The postulated critical political science puts in the spotlight the main processes of the global capitalist economy located in a phase of stagnation and closing in on the natural limits of its duration. In particular, closer attention should be focused on tracking a new, already the fifth configuration of the market society. It will be the several partial processes weave; the recovery process of autonomy by the state to corporations and the financial sector (deglobalisation); the process of recovering control of the state by the old and new social movements (democracy participatory), and the process of transformation of the energy economy, coupled with the process of changing lifestyles: from consumerism to paideia as a human community responsive to its activity on the development, openness and creativity in shaping new rules for civilization.

Jak zmierzyć demokrację? Teoretyczne i metodologiczne podstawy budowy skal demokracji politycznej w politologii porównawczej

The author of the paper undertakes to present and analyze one of the research instruments applied by comparative political science in quantitative surveys, namely scales of democracy (sometimes referred to as indices or factors of democracy). This instrument is quite common in Western, in particular Anglo-Saxon political science, whereas it remains relatively unknown in Polish political science. The aim of the paper is therefore to introduce the reader to this theoretical and methodological construct. In order to achieve this aim the author indicates the possible uses of scales of democracy and the areas of research that apply them. He also analyzes methodological problems related to the development and application of scales of democracy. Although they offer a useful tool in comparative analyses, the essence of this instrument may raise certain methodological and epistemological doubts. Therefore it is significant to maintain the utmost diligence when developing these scales, which must be based on the application of advanced statistical instruments and research algorithms. On the basis of the conclusions of G. L. Munck and J. Verkuilen, the author presents a model process for developing scales of democracy and demonstrates the challenges faced by the researcher trying to develop such scales. The last part of the paper discusses the place of the issue of democracy measurement in Polish political science. The author claims that Polish researchers’ interest in this issue does not correspond to its significance and the potential advantages that could be obtained.

Politologii polskiej meandry

The paper contains the author’s attempt to review the history of Polish political science from World War II to the present day, its condition and characteristics. The progress political science has made in Poland has been crowned by its achieving the status of a rightful science, recognized by the representatives of numerous renowned fields of study. However, the factors that have contributed to the present status quo have also been administrative, even political. Yet these have neither determined the place of political science nor are they decisive in terms of its status in academia now. The stage of demonstrating its scientific status is already behind political science which, firstly, has demonstrated a clearly defined range of research issues, secondly, has undertaken significant research and arrived at valuable conclusions, and thirdly, has attracted competent, increasingly more versatile and thoroughly educated professionals. At present, political science is facing the challenges reminiscent of those faced by the remaining social sciences. In these terms, political science has not reached the limits of its transformation or capacity.

How to Reckon with Past Evils? Rethinking Transitional Justice Strategies in Post-Authoritarian and Post-Conflict Environments

The Łódź PPSY International Seminar Transitional Justice: Between Redemption and Retribution was the first scientific event co-organized by the Chair of International Law and International Relations (Faculty of Law and Administration, University of Łódź), Research Centre of University of Łódź "The Balkans at the Turn of the 20th and the 21st Century", Professor Czesław Mojsiewicz International Cooperation Fund, Adam Marszałek Publishing House and the Editorial Board of the Polish Political Science Yearbook. The idea that stood behind the organization of the academic seminar was to analyse the current scientific and practical trends witnessed in a global discourse on transitional justice. Deliberations on post-violence efforts and all closely related topics, especially the issue of politics of memory, gathered in the Polish city of Łódź 20 researchers, coming from 7 Polish universities and 8 foreign academic centres. It is worth mentioning that participants of the seminar represented 9 different countries, such as Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, South Sudan, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States.

MediaEgo w MediaPolis: Wstęp do rozważań nad zmianą paradygmatów komunikacyjnych w kształtowaniu wizerunku „nowych” polityków

Preferences (p-ISSN: 2450-873X; e-ISSN: 2449-9064) is a scientific journal with the social science profile that shows interdisciplinary approach to the problem of electoral behavior, particularly the factors determining political identifications. Until 2015 journal has been published as Preferencje Polityczne (p-ISSN: 2083-327X; e-ISSN: 2449-9064, from no. 6/2013 Preferences functioned as parallel title). The magazine is open to collaboration with various research centers in the country. Journal is published by the Institute of Political Science and Journalism at the University of Silesia and the Center for Innovation, Technology Transfer and Development Foundation of the University of Silesia. Patronage for the project is exercised by Electoral Research Committee - Polish Political Science Association.