Public Administration In Poland Research Articles

Public administration – legal regulations and its division and organization

In etymological terms, administration refers to activities performed in a permanent manner, aimed at achieving various goals and results. The Latin phrases ministrō and ministrāre mean: "to serve", "to perform" and "to manage", while the phrase minister refers to a person serving and performing. The use of the preposition ad should be interpreted in this context as directed activity - the equivalent of the Polish prefix "do", and therefore the expression ad ministro can be described as "directing" and "governing". The science of administrative law, just like the science of administration, provides that certain properties can be assigned to administration without defining it. It is such a complex phenomenon in itself that defining it is very difficult or even impossible. The same applies to individual forms of administration. Legal regulations were analyzed, including systemic ones related to the place, role and organization of public administration in Poland.

‘Project’ as a management method – challenges and opportunities for public administration in Poland

Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie wybranych rozwiązań zarządzania projektami w administracji publicznej, które nie wynikały z konieczności realizacji zadań związanych z zarządzaniem funduszami UE lub realizacji projektów współfinansowanych z tych funduszy. Chcąc osiągnąć ten cel, autorzy dokonali oceny skuteczności tego rodzaju zarządzania, przede wszystkim przez pryzmat racjonalnego rozporządzania środkami publicznymi, czyli podatkami pochodzącymi od obywateli oraz przedsiębiorstw. W pierwszej części opracowania zostało omówione wykorzystywanie projektów w działalności administracji publicznej. W kolejnych dwóch dokonano charakterystyki zarządzania projektami w administracji publicznej w Polsce oraz zarządzania projektami Unii Europejskiej w Polsce przez administrację publiczną. W podsumowaniu autorzy podjęli próbę odpowiedzi na pytanie, czy zarządzanie projektami w Polsce wynika wyłącznie z potrzeby pozyskiwania środków z UE, czy z potrzeby sprawniejszej i zarazem skuteczniejszej realizacji zadań publicznych, przy większej współpracy z partnerami prywatnymi. Pomimo wskazania wielu przeszkód autorzy artykułu przewidują, że nie w pełni: tam, gdzie będzie to konieczne i wymuszane zewnętrznymi procedurami oraz przepisami – np. w prowadzeniu inwestycji finansowanych ze źródeł Unii Europejskiej – opisane zarządzanie będzie, mimo wszystkich przeciwności, coraz skuteczniejsze.

Wytyczne dotyczące przeprowadzania kontroli postępowania z dokumentami elektronicznymi jako wynik zmian postulowanych przez środowisko archiwistów

The emergence of legal acts on the computerisation of public administration in Poland, the spread of electronic documentation and various types of IT tools and electronic document management systems have not always improved the performance of office activities and the documentation of cases. The lack of guidance on the rules for archival audits of electronic records, which are collected, produced and stored differently in the organisational units under archival supervision, has resulted in a marked diversity in the verification and description of data collected during archival audits. The article includes examples of problems raised by the archives community and attempts to analyse guidelines for carrying out controls on the handling of electronic documents.

ANALYSIS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS IN POLAND

The subjectivity and independence of local self-government expressed in theConstitution of the Republic of Poland and concretized in local government laws has a systemicsignificance for determining its position in the state and in the law. Local self-government isthe key principle of the organization of public administration in Poland. Local governmentunits, i.e., municipalities, counties and provincial governments, are entities endowed with rightsand obligations and entities performing public tasks. They can be described as independentcorporations of local society, created by law, with their own internal organization, endowedwith the attribute of legal personality, subject to state supervision to the extent prescribed bylaw.

The formation of Poland’s Modern Historical Policy (2000s)

The article is devoted to the early stage of the formation of the concept of historical politics as a special sphere of public administration in Poland (2004–2007). The prerequisites for its appearance, its background, the logic of its main ideologists are considered. The author analyzes the typology of this phenomenon presented in the Polish academic literature. It is pointed out that its main features are derived from the ideological originality and politic identity of the “Law and Justice” party. It was the notion of their political predecessors and their place in Polish history, which was strengthened in this movement, that determined the main accents of the historical policy of the Polish governments in 2005–2007. Attention in the article is also paid to the criticism of this policy by the main opponents. The Polish historical politics is also analyzed at the regional level as a natural reaction of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe both to the previous system and to the new neoliberal values coming from the West. The spread of a certain political fashion for the politics of memory is seen as part of the conservative trend in the politics of the countries within the region. At the same time, the author points out a number of specific partizan features of the historical policy of “Law and Justice”, which impede the implementation of its main goal — the consolidation of the nation — and turn it into a means of internal political struggle.

Shaping a Strategy for Developing Applications of GIS Tools for the Smart City

The article deals with the application of GIS in different types of cities. The development of GIS technology is opening up new applications. In addition to the collection and cartographic visualisation of data, higher-level information functions such as automatic analysis, control, spatial planning or decision support can be realised. GIS technology can also be used to visualise abstract spaces. The article deals with the application of GIS in different types of cities. The article is intended to be the result of an analysis of the direction of the use of GIS technology in public administration in Poland. For this purpose, a model was developed to examine the state of GIS technology application. Two criteria were used to determine the state: groups of factors influencing the use of GIS technology (organisational, functional, informational and technical) and the level of maturity of GIS tools. Four levels were distinguished (from zero, i.e. no application of GIS technology, to a third level indicating the strategic importance of the tools studied). To this end, an empirical study was developed to determine the level of maturity of the application of the tools in question. After analysing the results, it can be concluded that the systems studied are still evolving. From the perspective of the proposed model, it can be assumed that the development of GIS tools has reached the second level in most of the surveyed offices. However, it will still be difficult to develop the software if not all the currently available GIS software capabilities are used.

Rzetelność jako konstytucyjny wymóg jakości działania administracji publicznej

The article analyzes reliability as a constitutional requirement of the quality of public administration in Poland. Integrity is traditionally framed within the control criteria. The second element is the regulation concerning the civil service. The third perspective is determined by the principle of reliability and efficiency of public institutions. The main purpose of the article is to determine the content of the concept of reliability used in the Constitution in these three contexts, as well as what are the differences in meaning from the perspective of the requirements for public administration, derived both from the constitutional provisions themselves, as well as from other normative acts and court decisions. In addition, the purpose of the analysis is also to determine the meaning of the constitutional concept of reliability in the Polish legal system.

Public Utility Services in Poland and Belarus

The text deals with the definition of public services and their scope in Belarus and Poland. As a result of the conducted research, it was found that it is difficult to accept one criterion indicating that the given services are public. A permanent criterion of non-payment for the services provided cannot be accepted, as there are public services which are paid for. A wide group of beneficiaries may indicate that it is a service or product of general interest. A comparison of the scope and services of public utility in Belarus and in Poland shows their wider scope present in Belarus. The aim of the study is to investigate: − whether the scope of public utility has evolved in the last thirty years, after the political transformation that took place in Poland and Belarus, − what scope of public utility services is provided by the public administration in Poland and Belarus, − whether services of general interest can be provided by private entrepreneurs in these two States. Conducting the research required the use of a comparative research method aimed at comparing the legal regulations regarding the conduct of activities in the field of public utility in Poland and in Belarus. The historical-legal method was also used to show the evolution of the scope of public utility services through the change of legal regulations.

War in Ukraine as a Factor Determining the Scope of Judicial Review of Public Administration in Poland: Remarks on the Municipal Resolutions Providing Aid for Ukrainian Local and Regional Communities

This paper aims to determine whether the war in Ukraine will affect the scope of judicial verification of public administration in Poland. According to new legislation (the socalled Aid Act), which Polish Parliament passed shortly after February 24, 2022, the Polish municipalities (cities) are entitled to provide aid for local foreign communities, especially those within the borders of Ukraine. The basis for such aid will take the form of a proper municipal or city council resolution. The main issue concerning this form of aid is the necessity of applying Ukrainian law, at least in the context of decoding who is entitled to be a beneficiary. Against this background, it is vital to determine whether such circumstances as war and humanitarian reasons should affect the scope of judicial review. In theory, two approaches are available, formalism and judicial relativism which both are inappropriate. The author argues that the doctrine of deference, as understood by justice A. Scalia must be applied to secure both rule of law principle and the legitimacy of administrative courts in Poland. The main subject of the analysis was the content of the law, which was the starting point for analysing the views of the doctrine and jurisprudence. Due to the international nature of the issue, it was necessary to refer to the achievements of Ukrainian law.

System elektronicznego zarządzania dokumentacją EZD PUW a wewnętrzne normatywy regulujące zarządzanie dokumentacją w jednostkach administracji samorządowej i rządowej w terenie (2011–2021). Wybrane aspekty

Artykuł zawiera sprawozdanie z badań dotyczących funkcjonowania systemu Elektronicznego Zarządzania Dokumentacją Podlaskiego Urzędu Wojewódzkiego (dalej EZD PUW), który jest drugim pod względem liczby wdrożeń systemem typu EZD w administracji publicznej w Polsce. Celem badań było ustalenie, w jaki sposób wprowadzenie do stosowania EZD PUW wpływa na działanie registratury w urzędzie, obieg dokumentów oraz sposoby załatwiania i dokumentowania spraw. Tekst składa się z części wprowadzającej, omówienia metody gromadzenia i analizy materiałów źródłowych oraz prezentacji wyników w dwóch ujęciach – dla jednostek, które wskazały system tradycyjny jako podstawowy sposób dokumentowania przebiegu załatwiania i rozstrzygania spraw oraz dla urzędów, które za główny system zarządzania dokumentacją uznały EZD. Badaniem objęto 163 urzędy administracji samorządowej i rządowej w terenie, które w latach 2011–2022 wprowadziły do stosowania system EZD PUW. W grupie tej znalazły się 133 urzędy miejskie, gminne oraz miejsko-gminne, 32 starostwa powiatowe, 13 urzędów wojewódzkich oraz 5 urzędów marszałkowskich. Autor przeanalizował odpowiedzi udzielone w ankiecie skierowanej do wytypowanych urzędów oraz udostępnione przez respondentów normatywy wewnętrzne dotyczące zarządzania dokumentacją elektroniczną, będące suplementem do podstawowych instrukcji kancelaryjno-archiwalnych wymaganych przez przepisy prawa. Badanie pokazało niejednorodność regulacji wewnętrznych dotyczących wdrożenia systemu EZD PUW i jego funkcjonowania w poszczególnych urzędach, zarówno w wypadku pełnego wprowadzenia elektronicznego obiegu dokumentów, jak i rozwiązań hybrydowych. Zdaniem autora, ta różnorodność rozwiązań przekłada się na heterogeniczność funkcjonowania urzędów i dokumentowania ich działalności, co w obszarze działania administracji publicznej jest zjawiskiem niepożądanym. Wskazano dwie główne przyczyny takiego stanu rzeczy. Pierwsza to obowiązywanie – nieprzystających do obecnych rozwiązań stosowanych w biurowości elektronicznej – przepisów państwowych z 2011 r. regulujących organizację biurowości administracji publicznej w Polsce. Drugą jest nieadekwatna do współczesnych potrzeb kancelarii elektronicznej polityka nadzoru nad narastającym zasobem archiwalnym prowadzona przez archiwa państwowe. Do artykułu załączono dwa aneksy zawierające wykazy wewnętrznych regulacji wpływających na postępowanie z dokumentacją. The EZD PUW electronic records management system vs. internal norms governing records management in local and state government units in the field (2011–2021). Selected aspects The article is a report from a survey concerning operation of the Podlaskie Voivodship Office’s Electronic Documents Management system (hereinafter: EZD PUW), which is the second most implemented EDM- type system in public administration in Poland. The aim of the survey was to determine how the implementation of EZD PUW affects the operation of the Office’s registry, the workflow of documents and procedures for handling and documenting cases. The text comprises an introductory part, a discussion of the method of collecting and analysing source materials, and a presentation of the results divided into two perspectives – for the offices that indicated the traditional system as their primary method of documenting the course of handling and resolving cases, and for those offices that recognized the EDM system as their main documentation management environment. The survey covered 163 offices of self- government and government administration units, which implemented the EZD PUW system in 2011–2022. The group included 133 Municipal Offices (urban, rural and mixed), 32 County Offices, 13 Voivodship Offices and five Marshal’s Offices. The author analysed responses to a survey addressed to the selected offices, as well as the internal regulations, provided by the respondents, determining procedures for management of electronic records, supplementary to the basic office and archival manuals required by law. The survey revealed lack of uniformity of internal regulations regarding the implementation of the EZD PUW system and its operation in individual offices, both in case of implementation of fully electronic document workflow and in case of hybrid solutions. According to the researcher, such diversity of solutions translates into heterogeneity in the operation of offices themselves as well as in the documentation of their activities. According to the author, such a situation is undesirable in the field of public administration operations. Two main reasons for this state of affairs were indicated. The first is the applicability of the 2011 framework state regulations governing the organization of clerical work in public administration in Poland, which are not adapted to the current electronic office solutions. The second is the supervision policy on the part of the state archives with regard to the growing archival resource, inadequate to modern needs of an electronic chancellery. There are two appendices to the article , containing lists of internal regulations affecting the handling of records.

Administracja w dobie pandemii

The sudden and dynamic development of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 had a negative impact on the functioning of public administration in Poland. It was associated with the need to take appropriate actions, solutions and procedures whose main goal was to prevent infections. One of the forms was to work remotely, which was to protect officials and applicants from the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Due to this situation, most public administration offices in Poland changed the system of work and contacts with applicants. Many organizational units closed their stationary branches and transferred their functioning to the virtual sphere, which directly resulted in an increased interest of citizens in e-services. As a result, it resulted in limited access to public administration buildings and the need for applicants to submit documentation necessary to settle official matters to inboxes. Contact with the office took place via e-mail, telephone, ePUAP platform and traditional mail. In the text, the Author synthetically presents and analyzes the situations that took place in the sphere of administration activities during the pandemic, indicates the normative acts and procedures that had an impact on the operation of these entities.

The National Revenue Administration as an Element of the Organisational Structure of Public Administration and as an Element of the Financial Security of Poland

The study presents a fragment of Polish public administration, namely the National Revenue Administration (“Krajowa Administracja Skarbowa”). The National Revenue Administration is an element of the structure of public administration in Poland and forms part of the administration designed to safeguard the financial security of Poland. The study presents characteristics of the public administration, including units of the National Revenue Administration, and the role of this administration in safeguarding financial security, emphasizing the role and responsibilities of the National Revenue Administration in this regard.

The Employment of People with Disabilities as Office Employees in the Public Administration in Poland

Unemployment among people with disabilities of working age is a problem throughout Europe, including Poland. Here, the national employment rate is only 26.5%, almost twice as low as the European Union average. Private sector is the main workplace for people with disabilities in Poland. In the last decade, hope for improvement in the employment situation of this social group has been discerned in the public sector. Legislation obliging employers to employ people with disabilities and giving people with disabilities priority in public sector employment was expected to mobilize them. The article verifies the compliance of the state of practice with the current law within the framework of the title issue. The article presents basic legal regulations in the field of employment of people with disabilities in the public administration including civil service, both international and national. It then presents the recruitment procedure for civil servant positions in the public administration. The paper concludes with a presentation of the state of the practice of hiring people with disabilities in the public administration, distinguishing between systemic barriers, barriers on the part of public employers and barriers on the part of people with disabilities.

Efficiency of lattice-based security mechanisms supporting public tasks on digital integration platforms

Integration platforms are the solution increasingly used by the public administration in Poland in order to make public tasks available and implement the tasks on these platforms (in the form of electronic services). In earlier publications, the author proposed a mathematical model based on lattice mechanisms that ensures the secure provision of these services (from a confidentiality perspective). In the following publication the author's model was cited (its main elements) and then the analysis of a time efficiency of the approach with using lattice mechanisms with the general model was performed. The efficiency examined concerned both the implementation of public tasks – and more precisely the verification of their correctness from the security perspective before the implementation as well as concerned an expansion of the process of handling the public task. The author has demonstrated that in both cases it is appropriate to use the lattice solution, as its time efficiency is better.

Modernization of public administration in Poland in the 21st century – theoretical assumptions and administrative practice

Both structures – government (or more broadly state) and local administration have been functioning in the contemporary Polish state for over 20 years. Hence, a natural analytical procedure is to review the structures and principles of operation, including, in particular, their efficiency and effectiveness. The subject of the article is to make a political science analysis in the context of postulates submitted (mainly by academic and scientific circles) relating to the modernization of public administration in Poland in the 21st century and to compare it with the administrative practice of the contemporary Polish state. Several research methods were used in the presented article: historical-descriptive analysis, legal-institutional analysis, comparative and systemic method.

Changes in the functioning of public administration in Poland during the COVID-19 epidemic

The dynamics of the epidemic development (a sudden increase in the number of cases from March 2020) forced the necessity to take appropriate actions, launch mechanisms and procedures, the primary goal of which was to counteract infections. One of the greatest challenges has been the reorganization of the state administration. In Poland, numerous solutions were adopted to enable the functioning of the administration in specific conditions. One of such solutions was the possibility of working outside the usual place (outside the office building) – remotely (so-called remote work).

Implementing modern management orientation with the use of IT technologies in public administration in Poland

The task of management concepts, methods and techniques is to diversify the toolkit for the management staff so that they can lead organizations more efficiently and effectively. The possibility of having a variety of tools gives better prospects for developing effective strategies, creating an appropriate competitive position, faster decision-making, as well as progress, especially in the field of information technology, pose qualitatively new challenges for managers. It is of particular importance in the public administration sector, which is related to the state budget and is financed from it. The administration has to carry out the tasks for which it has been assigned, but it does not always have the appropriate human or financial resources. Modern management orientations can be helpful in this, especially when they are supported by IT technologies. Taking into account the above, the aim of the paper was formulated, which is to define the necessary conditions conducive to the implementation of new management tools with the support of IT technologies in public administration organizations. The research was conducted on a group of 20 public administration offices in Poland in the period 2018-2021. The main results show that the organizations participating in the study most often perceived the COVID-19 pandemic as a particular determinant of introducing changes in organizations and the search for new tools helpful in management, and IT technologies turned out to be a significant support in the implementation of tasks. The implementation of the study during the current development of COVID-19 and drawing conclusions after the pandemic may be the reason for further observations in this area, both in Poland and internationally. Therefore, it would be worthwhile to evaluate and compare the test results from several periods. It is certainly an interesting research problem that requires further research and analysis.

Challenges for local government in Poland

Local government is the key principle of the organisation of public administration in Poland. Local government units, i.e., gminas, powiats and voivodeships local governments, are entities endowed with rights and obligations and entities performing public tasks. They can be defined as independent, legally constituted, corporations of local society, with their own internal organisation, equipped with the attribute of legal personality, subject to supervision by the state to the extent prescribed by law.

Selected aspects of the Europeanization of public administration in Poland

The main research purpose of the following article is to indicate selected models and methods of the Europeanisation of public administration, as well as their legal and social aspects. As a result of the research material selection, the article also attempts to indicate how certain conditions have influenced the processes of Europeanization. The political and legal context of preparing public administration (both government and local) for effective participation in the European Union public policies was also highlighted.

Political and legal position of municipal self-government in the public administration system

Public administration in Poland has taken the form of a system of entities with different tasks and objectives, as well as different competences. It is a part of the classical model based on the functioning of two separate components, such as the state administration, including the government and local self-government. From the perspective of a democratic state governed by the rule of law, the existence of local self-government is extremely important, and even becomes a necessity. Therefore, the deliberations addressed in the paper focus on the functioning of this form of public administration at the lowest level of basic division of the state, which is the commune. The presented research is an attempt to indicate the legal status and position of commune self-government not only in the broadly understood local self-government but also in the whole public administration system.