Reform In Poland Research Articles

The Central Functions of Cities in Poland in Light of Administrative Reform

The aim of this article is to determine and assess the changes in the central functions of major Polish cities in the context of Poland’s 1999 administrative reform. This study covers a period of twenty-two years (1998–2019), which provides a solid perspective for evaluating the functional changes occurring within the current territorial division of the country. The conclusions indicate that the dynamics of changes in central functions in former provincial capitals differed from those in cities that retained this status. At the same time, it was found that the administrative reform sanctioned the scope and scale of earlier socio-economic dependencies in the present regional centers. The research results suggest that administrative reforms in Poland solidified existing socio-economic development paths in cities, but were not the sole catalyst for change. They point to a complex interaction of factors influencing urban evolution. By utilizing indicators that measure the centrality of cities in relation to their demographic potential, this research offers a quantitative assessment of the level of development of central functions, which is crucial for monitoring progress towards sustainable urbanization. By providing this information, this research also contributes to a broader discussion on the advancement and dynamics of sustainable urban development.

Foreign Language Teaching in Poland - Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. An Interview with Professor Hanna Komorowska

Hanna Komorowska, full professor of applied linguistics and language teaching, University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Warsaw, works in the field of pre- and in-service teacher education. As head of the curriculum development centre, she built a team which designed the first set of communicative syllabus documents for second and foreign languages taught in the Polish school system. After the fall of communism, she was heading the Expert Committee for foreign language teaching and teacher education reform in Poland. Former vice-President of Warsaw University, the Polish delegate for the Modern Languages Project Group of the Council of Europe, member of the EU High Level Group on Multilingualism, consultant to the European Centre of Modern Languages in Graz, co-author of the European Portfolio for Student Teachers of Languages she now serves as president of the Polish edition of the European Language Label and the Training and Consultancy expert of the ECML.

Unbinding ideology: The impact of communist indoctrination revocation in polish schools on later life self-employment

Given communist ideologies discourage individual enterprise, this research investigates whether eliminating compulsory Marxist-Leninist indoctrination from schools influences later life self-employment. Focusing on a mid-1950s reform in Poland that revoked the Communist indoctrination curriculum while holding other aspects constant, the study leverages variation in exposure based on annual school enrollment cut-off birthdates. Contrary to expectation, the empirical analysis finds no discernible effect of indoctrination removal on later-life self-employment. Additionally, the study examines whether Polish immigrants exposed to reform and arriving in the US after 1960 exhibit increased self-employment propensity, but finds no significant differences. Overall, the study's findings highlight negligible impacts of the revocation of Communist indoctrination in Polish schools on self-employment.

Theoretical framework for an analysis of the recent criminal law reforms in Poland

In the article, I analyse certain aspects of recent criminal law reforms in Poland from the perspective of criminal punishment being a complex legal and social institution of a processual nature. It is intended to enable a critical examination of the punitiveness of the penal system, which can hardly be explained by its effectiveness or even by penal populism. In the study I use the following methods: historical legal, comparative legal, formal logical, dialectical, analytical, synthetical and inductive/deductive. The synthesis and triangulation of the methods follow the principles of culturally integrated social and legal studies (Królikowska, Utrat-Milecki 2010).

Życie i twórczość Józefa Łukaszewicza w świetle artykułów wspomnieniowych prasy XIX-wiecznej

The article focuses on Józef Łukaszewicz (1799-1873), a historian, director of the Raczyński Library, librarian, publisher, editor, and founder of Tygodnik Literacki, Przyjaciel Ludu and Orędownik Naukowy. Author of monographs on the history of cities in terms of material culture, history of Catholicism and the Reformation in Poland in the 17th century, as well as on the history of education. The review of 19th-century press included in the article is a selection from the published texts after Łukaszewicz’s death, summarizing the life and legacy of this distinguished scholar, an outstanding figure who made a lasting mark on the history of the Raczyński Library, the history of the city of Poznań and the region of Wielkopolska.

Long-lasting effects of indoctrination in school: Evidence from the People’s Republic of Poland

This paper studies the effect of communist indoctrination in school on labour force participation and human capital investments. Specifically, we evaluate the impact of a reform in Poland that revoked political indoctrination in school in the mid-1950s, while leaving the rest of the curriculum unchanged. To overcome endogeneity concerns, we exploit cut-off birth dates for school enrolment that exhibit variation in the level of exposure to the reform. We find that a reduction in school indoctrination increased the probability of finishing secondary and tertiary education, and expanded labour force participation about 50 years down the line.

Current trends in the modernization of corporate law in Poland

The article analyzes the latest trends in corporate law reform in Poland. The main emphasis is placed on the system of economic companies and the variety of subclasses of classical types of companies that should satisfy the needs of the modern economy (simple joint-stock company, limited joint-stock company).The author justifies that in the conditions of the initiated process of Ukraine’s integration into the EU, it is relevant to take into account the experience of other European countries that have gained membership in the European Union. Taking into account the experience of Poland seems especially appropriate, since the same challenges faced the Polish legislator among the EU member states: reformatting the economy in accordance with new market conditions, privatization, abolition of socialist legislation, etc.It is argued that an important feature of Polish corporate legislation is the division into partnerships and corporations. This line of demarcation follows the pattern known in most modern jurisdictions and has been developed by legal doctrine with the emergence of the theory of legal personality.Special attention is paid to limited joint-stock partnership and simple joint-stock company. It is emphasized that the double taxation of limited joint-stock partnership ‘s profit eliminated the main advantage of the latter. That is why, today, limited joint-stock partnerships are not popular in the process of conducting an existing or registering a new business. And a simple JSC is a potentially effective legal form of business, first of all, for technology companies.The author concludes that several attempts have been made in the corporate law of Poland to offer the market an effective tool for attracting equity capital (limited partnership on shares, simple joint-stock company). However, none of them has yet lived up to expectations. However, such attempts are a confirmation that the system of business associations is a dynamic phenomenon and periodically needs modernization in accordance with the socio-economic needs of a specific state.It is concluded that the polish experience of limited joint-stock partnership and simple joint stock company should be taken into account during further changes in Ukrainian corporation law, especially within the framework of the recodification of the Civil Code of Ukraine.

Operation of Mental Health Centres (CZP) in Poland during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

The aim of the study is to characterise the changes in the operation of the Mental Health Centers (CZPs) in Poland during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Changing the concept of psychiatric care and moving towards a community model under the CZPs is, inter alia, no need to present and implement strictly defined schedules by service providers, which allows to respond to the current needs of patients and allows for the adaptation of the conditions and methods of providing psychiatric care services in Poland during pandemic. On the basis of the experiences from the pandemic period, recommendations were presented the aim of which is improving work organisation of the CZPs in Poland. A new map of mental health services' organisation following the peak of the pandemic in Poland is urgently needed. Well-functioning community care fosters good understanding of patients' needs, which means that even in a situation of, for instance, there is no element of surprise and there are known channels and methods of reacting to an emergency situation. The pilot CZPs quickly and easily adapted their response methods to the changing or new needs/new circumstances. As part of the activities in the field of psychiatric care reforms in Poland, it seems appropriate, at the present stage, to use all observations and information on the operation and organisation of work of entities that were included during pandemic in the CZP pilot programme in order to continuously improve the functioning of a new model of mental healthcare.

Measuring Integrated Care - Methodological Reflections from Monitoring and Evaluation Process of the PHC Plus Pilot Program in Poland.

Integrated care is an important strategy for increasing health system performance. Despite its growing significance, detailed evidence on the measurement properties of integrated care instruments remains vague and limited. This article aims to present the Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (M&EF) used in the pilot program of coordinated primary care in Poland. It can serve as an example of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) concept for the countries taking their first steps in the care integration implementation or establishing PHC reforms. This article belongs to the series of publications entitled: "Highway to hell or stairway to heaven - evaluating complex integrated care models - lessons from the Primary Healthcare Plus pilot program (PHC Plus) in Poland". The M&EF of the PHC Plus was based on the Theory of Change within which a shift was to take place in the following 4 aspects: (1) change in health outcomes among participating patients; (2) change in health care experience among participating patients; (3) change in the fragmentation of care provided for chronic diseases among participating patients; (4) change in overall spending on health services for the patients in the PHC Plus facilities. Data for the M&EF of the PHC Plus came from two main sources: the National Health Fund (national insurer) database and the results survey questionnaires. Based on the established M&EF of PHC Plus it was possible to monitor and evaluate the change in patients' health outcomes, health experience and health literacy, fragmentation of care index, and overall spending on healthcare services offered in the pilot. Some of the analyzes planned could not be carried out due errors in data reporting systems, the lack of data of adequate quality or the pandemic. However, M&E implementation process provided many insightful information supporting broader PHC reform in Poland. Inclusive process of information and data sharing, discussions with the country health stakeholders and solid analytical background allowed for better informed policy making and scaling up the pilot. M&E process was put in place to help identify interventions, processes and approaches that could be scaled up and implemented at the country level. This approach resulted in broader understanding and acceptance of the proposed reforms in the PHC in Poland, following PHC Plus pilot implementation. Tools and approaches available and used to evaluate care integration in the PHC setting may not fully respond to the PHC and care integration system characteristic and country capacity. Therefore, revised M&E approach should be an integral part of the health policy interventions and further development of the PHC. Care integration specific measurement tools should be considered. Integration is a complex, multidimensional concept that requires measurement at multiple levels, including the patient level, the provider (professional) level, organizational and systems level. The M&E system of care integration requires use of multidimensional approach, complexed data systems, but also active sharing process of key findings. A phased approach is recommended to help researchers define clearly where they are in the research process and show progress on the outcomes' achievement. Some simplification of the M&EF used in the PHC Plus is recommended to increase its sustainability without loosing key analytics.

The development of case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union on the assessment of the independence of judges in Member States: an analysis on the example of cases concerning the judicial reform in Poland

In recent years, interpretation of the concept of an independent and impartial court has been the subject of debate in national and international legal space. In particular, the issue of the admissibility of an assessment of the independence and impartiality of judges, and the criteria that should be taken into consideration in such an examination, raise doubts. This problemis discussed in a broader context concerning the competences of European Union bodies to assess the organisation of the system of justice in Member States.The article presents the matter of the formation of the competences of the Court of Justice of the European Union with regard to the functioning of the judiciary along with the mostimportant judgments from the perspective of the issues in question. An analysis of the court rulings enabled a conclusion to be drawn of the creation of two different ruling practices: in the domestic aspect, it allows for an arbitrary and abstract test of judicial independence, whereas in the EU aspect the test is objective and individual.

Business power against redistribution: The case of watered-down tax reform in Poland

AbstractIn 2021 the ruling party in Poland proposed a reform to reverse the regressivity of the Polish tax system. Although the number of potential beneficiaries significantly exceeded the number of sufferers, the media coverage of the reform was strongly negative. This pushed the government to introduce reform adjustments, all of which benefited the high-income self-employed, increasing the cost of the reform and reducing its redistributive effect. To explain this, we analyze articles on the reform published in the three most opinion-forming newspapers. We demonstrate that the negative media coverage stemmed from successful incorporation of business narratives in the public debate by the business lobbying associations. It was supported by the weakness of workers’ organizations and a low level of citizens’ trust in government.

Sprawczość przestrzeni i przestrzenie sprawczości. Antropologiczne uwagi na temat metodologii badania reformy rolnej

The Agency of Space and Spaces of Agency. Anthropological Remarks on the Methodology of Research on Polish Land Reform: The aim of this article is to discuss the category of manor space in the context of the PKWN land reform in Poland inaugurated in 1944. The main point of reference is the research of Anna Wylegała (Był dwór, nie ma dworu. Reforma rolna w Polsce, 2022) and Andrzej Leder (Prześniona rewolucja. Ćwiczenia z logiki historycznej, 2014). In line with the actor-network theory (ANT), space will be conceptualized as a material condition of possibility, contributing to the portrayal of villagers’ attitudes towards the land reform. In this context, Wylegała’s findings will be criticized for their involuntary reconstruction of hegemonic discursive frameworks. Also Leder’s refusal to recognize the active participation of rural residents in the events of the reform will be problematized. The last part of the work focuses on the category of emancipation in relation to the new position of villagers in the social hierarchy. In this context, attention will be paid to certain actions that may have intentionally sought to remain unseen at political and social level.

"Reorganization of the Primary School Network in the Polish Carpathians in the Period 2000 - 2020 "

"The study focuses on the process of reorganization of the primary school network in the Polish Carpathians, in the period 2000-2020, determined by population dynamics and the education reform in Poland, which focused on the abolition of middle schools (junior high schools) and the return to eight-year primary schools. Primary schools located in the Polish Carpathians represent almost 10% of all schools of this type in Poland, usually with a smaller number of pupils/school (1/4 when compared to the national average). In mountainous areas with a specific settlement network, the closure of a primary school in a small village usually leads to several socioeconomic issues and may become subject to changing the managing authority due to budgetary reasons. The main aim was to determine the dynamics of the process and analyze spatial differentiations, by investigating the relation between population change in the 15-39 age group and the change in the number of schools, and to identify the location of the closed schools. Results show variability in the dynamics of the analysed variables in the case of Polish Carpathians compared to the national level, for instance, much slower dynamics of school closures than the rest of the country, the number of primary schools dropping by 14% between 2000 and 2020, while the greatest decrease in the number of pupils was observed in the Carpathian communes of Subcarpathian Voivodeship, especially in peripheral locations. However, we can conclude that in mountainous areas school closure has been highly avoided due to the engagement of different types of managing authorities, from local government to other public or private entities, in governing these schools. "

LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM IN POLAND AS A LESSON FOR UKRAINE FOR THE POST-WAR PERIOD

The war has reduced the intensity of the discourse on decentralization reform in Ukraine, but recent events and statements suggest that this reform will continue, particularly in the political context.
 The purpose of the article is to analyze the local self-government reform in Poland in order to highlight those aspects that were not resolved in Ukraine at the time and will accordingly appear on the agenda in the post-war period.
 The analysis of decentralization in Poland shows that the reform is not limited to a change in the administrative and territorial structure, but is a complex process. In addition, it is a long-term process and involves the implementation of certain measures in other spheres of public administration, in particular with the aim of overcoming shortcomings that were inherent or were not taken into account during the administrative-territorial reform. First of all, this concerns the financial and budgetary sphere, the democratization of local government, the sphere of education, etc.
 Extracting the lessons of the Polish reform for Ukraine, it is possible to hypothesize that in the post-war period, during the resuscitation of the decentralization policy, the following areas of reform will be relevant: the financial and budgetary sphere, the introduction of a system of local taxes based on the principle of "one tax – one level of management"; the administrative-territorial system, namely the presence of state administration bodies at the district level and consolidation of the regional division of the country; political governance at the local, district, and regional levels, namely, the activation of civil society, the introduction of new democratic institutions, and the strengthening of transparency and accountability of local authorities; education etc.
 At the same time, the implementation of these and other directions is impossible without the creation of a political prerequisite – a "unified political headquarter" of the reform, namely the achievement of a consensus of the most influential political forces regarding the principles and directions of the reform. This also follows from the experience of decentralization in Poland.

The lockdown generation: Facing multiple crises in education and the labour market

The aim of this article is to analyse the impact of both the latest education system reforms in Poland and the COVID-19 pandemic on the educational trajectories and the labour market situation of vulnerable youth. 
 To fully grasp the complexity of the current circumstances we start with a review of research on the so-called “lockdown generation”, i.e. young people who, as a result of the pandemic, have had their participation in education and vocational training hindered for a long time due to political decisions on school closures and online education. These analyses are complemented by individual interviews with relevant stakeholders. 
 The results of the analyses conducted so far show the disturbing effects of the current political changes and global crises on the trajectories and labour market entry of groups that are habitually considered as the most at risk of educational exclusion. 
 We discuss the greatest barriers and new inequalities created by the current accumulation of adverse external contextual factors and pre-existing risk factors at the individual and meso levels, as well as possible systemic measures of support for young people.

Academic Researcher Work and the Confusion of Public Authorities. A Bleak Outlook for the Consequences of the Higher Education Reform in Poland – Comparative Approach

From the very beginning, it was assumed that the new regulation – Law on Higher Education and Science (LHES) would mark the implementation of a ground-breaking, comprehensive reform – “Constitution for Science.” It was emphasised that the project constituted the most extensive reform implemented within the framework adopted by the EC as the model for all large-scale systemic changes since the last thirty years. Unfortunately, the efforts made to date by the Minister of Finance and Minister of Science and Higher Education in the face of the many difficulties emerging at the meeting point between copyright, tax and education laws have to be deemed ineffective. Against the background of the analysed solutions in BRICS countries, the Polish solutions are the most far-reaching in terms of protecting the interests of academic teachers. They lead to a reduction of the tax burden (by applying 50% tax deductible costs) by exactly half. While the very idea adopted on the grounds of Polish legal solutions deserves a high assessment and may constitute an interesting model to be copied in the BRICS countries (as far-reaching benefits for university researchers), the manner of its introduction deserves criticism. The adopted legal basis, as shown in the study, is not internally coherent at the junction of tax law, copyright law and higher education law. In fact, they are even mutually exclusive. For this reason, the manner of proceeding with this legitimate regulation cannot be recommended in the BRICS countries.

Excise tax reform in Poland on electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products and Personal Income Tax reform

The purpose of the paper is to present the most important changes to the laws on excise tax and personal income tax (PIT) made in Poland in 2022. Due to the importance of these changes, they can be considered as tax law reforms. The changes to the excise tax may not only affect the amount of taxes levied but may also influence the health-related behaviour of Poles in the coming years. The changes to the PIT may affect as many as 18 million taxpayers. The main purpose of this paper is to verify two research hypotheses: first, that public consultations do not have any impact on the shape of the tax law being developed; and second, if the legislator adopts a tax law quickly, it will very likely contain many errors, the consequences of which may be serious.

Transnational Flows of Knowledge and the Legalisation of Homosexuality in Interwar Poland

The article demonstrates how the transnational flows of sexual knowledge created a consensus among medical and legal experts for the decriminalisation of homosexual acts in the Polish Criminal Code of 1932. This happened despite the absence of any significant activism that would demand such a reform in Poland. The German movement's goal to repeal the notorious anti-homosexual paragraph 175 of the German Penal Code was ultimately brought to fruition in Poland but not in Germany. The medical and legal knowledge spread through imperial networks and became useful for the new Polish nation-state in its search for identity and distinctiveness. The novelty of the reform ideas created in German-speaking countries led Polish legal experts to consider their adoption a perfect opportunity for the new nation-state to prove its modernity. Additionally, an authoritarian setting in Poland after 1926 allowed the decision makers to shut out the Church and parliament from the legislative process.

Primary health care reforms in Poland: ambitions versus reality

Abstract Poland, like many other former eastern bloc countries, inherited a health system dominated by narrow medical specialties, a large number of hospital beds and relatively weak primary health care (PHC). Since early 1990s, efforts have been made to strengthen the role of PHC, starting with the introduction of specialization training in family medicine. With privatization of PHC practices the standard of PHC care has improved. However, national audits have repeatedly found PHC to still be inadequate, with the key weaknesses including shortages of family medicine specialists, insufficient provision of preventive services, and limited use of diagnostics, which led to inappropriate referrals and long waiting times for specialist consultations. Between mid-2018 and the end of 2021, a new model of PHC organization was piloted in around 40 PHC practices across Poland that met the model's requirements. The pilot, supported by the World Bank, put much emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention by including health educators and dieticians in PHC teams and by introducing periodic check-ups. It also aimed to reduce referrals to specialist care by allowing PHC doctors to order extensive diagnostic and laboratory tests and, if needed, consult with a range of cooperating specialists. It also sought to increase the role of PHC doctors in the management of chronic conditions by introducing disease management programmes (DMPs) for 11 most prevalent conditions. PHC teams were made responsible for coordinating patients’ care pathways, including post-hospital treatment, and a new role of care coordinator was introduced to that end. After the pilot was concluded, all PHC practices were mandated to hire care coordinators. Implementation of other solutions tested in the pilot remains uncertain, mainly due to the lack of financial and human resources, and the dominance of small PHC practices that struggle to meet the ambitious requirements set out in the new model.

Degraded Objects, Harrowed Bodies: Roman Stańczak and Shock Therapy in Poland, 1990–96

Abstract Roman Stańczak's artistic practice can be seen as a symptomatic expression of the multi-layered processes of degradation as experienced in some Polish regions with the advent of capitalism and the country's entry into the global market at the turn of the 1990s. The neoliberal reforms in Poland brought about dramatic social consequences, leading to an exponential increase in income inequality, unemployment rate and the share of population living below the minimum subsistence level. On the rise throughout the 1990s and reaching its peak in the 2000s, the degradation suffered by some social groups and communities was both material and psychological, social and class-related. Stańczak's performances and sculptures, with their depictions of ruined, wounded and degraded bodies and objects, closely correspond to that reality, which for a long time remained outside the scope of interest of Polish neoliberal parties and the media sphere, which fully endorsed the government's policies throughout the 1990s.