Transformation In Poland Research Articles

Wybory jako forma legitymizacji władzy w Polsce w dwudziestoleciu przemian ustrojowych

During the political transformation in Poland, electoral law was frequently changed. The general principles, already adopted in 1991, were maintained in parliamentary elections (to the Sejm). The changes only affected the detailed solutions concerning how the votes were calculated as mandates, and the sizes of constituencies. The so-called elective thresholds, which were introduced in 1993, have been maintained. In practice, the result of the current system of parliamentary elections is that the parties that attract approximately 25% of the votes cast by all those authorized to vote, win over half the parliamentary mandates, thereby exercising power. Therefore, the claim that a democratic electoral system is based on the principle of majority rule seems doubtful here, as what we actually get entails the rule of the largest social group, or at least the one that has the most effective organization. Contrary to popular belief, the majority elections to the Senate do not change the above rule. A voter supporting a given candidate in these elections is mainly directed by the political group which supports this candidate. The electoral system to the Senate was finally formed in 1991 and only slightly amended in 2001. Asingle-mandate constituency in the elections to the upper chamber of the parliament was only introduced by Electoral Law in 2011.

Book Review: “Syndrome of a Peacock and a Parrot. 20 years of Political Transformation in Poland” [Syndrom pawia i papugi. 20 lat transformacji ustrojowej Polski], ed. Marek Sokołowski, Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek, Toruń 2010, pp. 264

In Poland’s most recent history, year 2009 was a time to celebrate a special anniversary. Twenty years ago, events that started a political transformation in Poland took place. They were connected with the Round Table Talks, elections to the so-called Contract Sejm and the fact that Tadeusz Mazowiecki became the Prime Minister. In 2009 Poland also celebrated 70th anniversary of II World War, 10th anniversary of its admission to NATO and 5th anniversary of joining the European Union. The celebrations of these events involved exhibitions, conferences and scientific seminars. Articles were written and television networks broadcast interviews and documentaries about the recent historical events that happened in Poland’s history.

Film Festivals in Łódź as a Main Component of Urban Cultural Tourism

Film Festivals in Łódź as a Main Component of Urban Cultural TourismIn the early 19thcentury Łódź became a huge centre of textile production. However, the transformations in Poland after 1989 led to the decline of this industry. At present the city is looking for new forms of development, such as services, including tourism and culture. One of the most important elements of the cultural function in Łódź are film festivals, based on over 50 year long tradition of film making in this city. The aim of this article is to present the film festivals organized in Łódź, which are a tourist asset and a kind of tourist product (an event). They are at the same time an element of cultural tourism, part of which is event tourism, connected with festivals and film tourism.

Transformation in Poland

Transformation in Poland The paper analyses transformation process in Poland between 1989 and 2004. The goal of the paper is to clarify the most important steps in the economic policy that were carried out in this period. The structure of the paper follows this general goal. We first of all analyse economic development of the country before the fall of the communist regime because this determined the whole following process. Then we shortly mention political development that had a significant impact on the transformation process, and its results. In the next part we concentrate on the main steps in the economic transformation, and consequently devote place to specific aspects - for example privatisation. The final part analyses the main economic indicators of this period. We conclude that the transformation process achieved its main economic goal and the economy's ability to grow increased.

Organizational restructuring and ownership transformation in Poland's inland shipping companies after 1990

This article seeks to reconstruct organizational and ownership changes affecting Polish enterprises in inland shipping since 1990. On the basis of data from various sources (above all the Polish Registry of Ships and Bulletins of Public Information), it was possible to determine the degree of advancement of the transformation processes affecting shipping companies, these first and foremost denoting privatization and partial communalization, as well as organizational changes. A particular kind of dichotomy is observable in that, while most newly-arising entities are small private shipping enterprises created as former state-owned enterprises have been divided up and their vessels sold to new owners, the systemic transformation plus Poland's EU accession have also given rise to the conditions underpinning the emergence of Europe's largest shipowners (the Odratrans group), the latter dealing with carriage by barge along inland waterways, including beyond Poland.

SYSTEM TRANSFORMATION IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND SUBJECTIVE WELL‐BEING

One of the vital questions connected with the system transformation in Poland and other former Soviet Bloc countries is whether the overthrow of the communist system was caused by the poor state of their economies or rather people's struggle for their civil rights. However, the “either/or nature” of this question is disturbed by another possibility: it might have been a relatively good state of the economy which made the overthrow possible. Moreover, there is no doubt that the introduction of free market and democracy resulted in many positive changes in people's lives: from the increase in life expectancy and subjective well‐being to the growth of civil liberty. Yet, economic development and (more broadly) modernity also produce extensively described negative effects which, at certain point, seem to “neutralise” their positive ones. Poland and other Central and Eastern European countries seem to follow this path. Sistemos transformacija vidurio ir Rytų Europoje, ekonomikos plėtra ir subjektyvioji gerovė Santrauka Vienas svarbiausių klausimų, susijusių su sistemos transformacija Lenkijoje ir kitose buvusiose sovietinio bloko šalyse, yra toks – ar komunistinio režimo nuvertimas buvo sukeltas neturtingų valstybių ekonomikos, ar žmonių kovos dėl savo teisių? Kad ir kaip būtų, šio klausimo atsakymui „arba... arba“ trukdo kita galimybė: tai galėtų būti gera valstybė, kurios ekonomika sudarė palankias sąlygas nuversti minėtą režimą. Be to, nėra abejonių, kad laisvos rinkos ir demokratijos įvedimas sukėlė daug pozityvių pokyčių žmonių gyvenime – nuo didėjančių galimybių ir gerovės iki augančios pilietinės laisvės. Vis dėlto ekonomikos plėtra ir modernumas taip pat sukelia plačiai aprašytų negatyvių pasekmių, kurios tam tikrais atvejais naikina pozityviąsias. Lenkija ir kitos Vidurio bei Rytų Europos šalys eina šiuo keliu.

Organizational and Ownership Transformation in Poland’s Urban Transport Companies

This paper seeks to reconstruct the organizational and ownership transformation involving Poland’s urban transport that companies passed through after 1990. Data collected from various sources (above all the Internet, including the Bulletins of Public Information) were used to establish the degree of advancement of the transformation processes. Despite the passage of nearly two decades since the new economic reforms were launched, the privatization processes involving enterprises of municipal origin are not well‐advanced. There is not a single private company among the organizers of urban transport. Instead, an absolute domination of budgetary‐sphere entities may be noted. Furthermore, there are seven transport municipal unions. Among the operators (carriers) public ownership remains dominant in the form of single‐person local authority companies, local government companies, municipal union ownerships, municipal companies as well as budgetary units. Privatization processes have encompassed fewer than 10% of all operators in the form of companies with foreign participation, workers’ companies and companies with Polish non‐public sector participation. Moreover, in 20 localities urban transport is supplied by multi‐trade municipal services enterprises (as of end‐2008). Thus, transformation processes, though started earlier than in the case of Poland’s State Road Transport coach companies, are much less advanced.

Cultural policy at the regional level: a decade of experiences of new regions in Poland

The political transformation in Poland led to the decentralization of many activities from the state level to that of democratically elected governments at regional and local levels. Since 1999 each of the newly established regions has to formulate and implement policies in numerous fields, including culture and heritage. The cultural policies that they have pursued are influenced not only by structures inherited from socialist times, regional artistic traditions, perceived development needs and aspirations but also by the ability of particular regions to seize the opportunities provided by them (for example by the European Union funds) and by approaching culture as an important factor in economic and social development. Using the example of the Małopolska region, the author examines the regional cultural policy as evident in strategic documents, the financing of cultural institutions, programmes and projects on the regional level.

Impact of education and place of residence on the risk of metabolic syndrome in Polish men and women

⁎ Corresponding author. Department of Physiology, Medical University of Wroclaw, Poland. Tel.: +48 606742344. E-mail address: rskalik@fizjo.am.wroc.pl (R. Skalik). The metabolic syndrome (MS) is a constellation of cardiovascular risk factors including abdominal obesity, atherogenic dyslipidemia, elevated blood pressure, insulin resistance, a proinflammatory and prothrombotic state. This syndrome is associated with an approximately 2-fold increase in risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The social gradient observed in MS could help explain socioeconomic inequalities in heart diseases. Hence, factors that causeMSmay also be important for the formation of social inequalities in stratification of CVD risk.MSmayalso offer a simple screening tool tofind subgroups at high risk of heart diseases. The economic transition period associated with political and social transformations in Poland since 1990 has contributed tomajor changes in lifestyle, dietary habits and knowledge of health promoting behaviours and influenced social stratification in this country. Some groups defined by their low educational and occupational status before the political and social transformation period experienced significant changes in income and lifestyle that might have influenced the body mass. Most of the evidences about inequalities in MS and impact of education and place of residence on development of MS have been gathered from Western industrialized societies so far. The latest results of SUNSET study by Agyemang C et al. demonstrate that low educationmay be associated with increased risk of MS among native white inhabitants but not among other ethnic groups in the Netherlands which is another evidence of inter-ethnic variations in the incidence of MS irrespective of the actual place of residence [1]. In our study we investigated the effect of the level of education and place of residence on the risk of development of MS among Polish population. A representative sample of 1648 adults (999 women and 649men), aged 25–85 years, from the local community of town of Jelcz-Laskowice (province of Lower Silesia, Poland) was examined (Table 1). The investigated individuals lived in a small town with a population of approximately 16 000 inhabitants or adjacent villages.Weused education as the sole criterion of adherence to a given social class because in Poland high correlation between three most often used predictors of social class, i.e. level of education, occupation and income is observed [2]. MS based on IDF criteria occurred significantly more often in men than in women whereas incidence of MS based on NCEP-ATP III-R criteria did not differ in both gender groups (Table 2). Generally in both sexes, MS was more frequent among town inhabitants as compared with inhabitants of villages. Percentage of men and women with MS increased with lowering the position of examined group on the social scale (Figs.1 and 2). The place of residence was a significant risk factor for developing MS in both genders. Men and women living in the urban area had a significantly higher risk of MS than individuals living in the countryside. Level of education significantly influenced the risk of MS only in women. Each step down in the level of education increased the risk of MS based on IDF criteria by 15% and by 26% when NCEP-ATP III-R criteria were used (Table 3). Among components of MS place of residence was significantly related to low HDL in men and low HDL and hyperglycemia inwomen (Table 3). Additionally, living in urban areas increased the risk of insulin resistance by 55% in men and 60% in women as compared with individuals living in the countryside. The low education significantly elevated the risk of abdominal obesity, arterial hypertension and hyperglycemia in women. None of the MS components was affected by level of education in men.

Instruments of Polish Foreign Policy towards the Post–Yugoslav States

The realization of Polish foreign policy after 1989 was carried out in the dynamically changing international situation. Political transformation in Poland and the redefi nition of its foreign policy was parallel to farreaching events occurring in Europe. These were brought about by political transformation in Central and Eastern Europe, that is the collapse of the Easter block, reunifi cation of the German states, break-up of the USSR and the independence of former Soviet republics.

Dylematy i paradoksy identyfikacji ideologicznych w okresie transformacji

The history of political transformation in Poland is an uninterrupted process of forming identifications along party lines, as well as of the political milieus’ searching, for a response to the question regarding the location of their own subjective space within the wider political sphere. It is worthwhile, when we discuss this, to ask whether the building up of a party’s identity is dictated by ideological and programmatic reasons or whether it is an incidental matter. The values and beliefs concealed in the 80s, when the opposition belonged to the underground, have been permanently inscribed into the Polish political landscape. A group of doctrines which served as a component in the build-up of party identity may be perceived. The religious and national values, as well as the historical and cultural issues, which emerged into the daylight, may be treated as the embryo of certain ideas, which in time, as a result of public debates, have become fundamental determinants of many political parties.

Agriculture as a “Repository” for Excessive Workforce during the Period of Systemic Transformation in Poland

Artykuł dotyczy funkcji rolnictwa jako „przechowalni” siły roboczej, w okresach trudnych dla wsi i jej mieszkańców. Jeden z takich okresów stanowiły lata transformacji gospodarczo- społecznej w Polsce, rozpoczęte w 1989 roku. One też stały się przedmiotem analizy opartej na dostępnych danych statystycznych.

Article Commentary: The transformation of Poland since 1989

The article describes the internal influences in Poland that allowed the country to emerge from Soviet influence with relative ease and prosperity. The author examines the strong public culture that led to the weakening of the grasp of the Communist Party on the nation, and the decisive political and economic reforms taken by Solidarity that allowed Poland in the 1990s to emerge quickly from the perils of misdevelopment that were due to Soviet influence. The author describes the useful role played by major political goals, such as the Copenhagen criteria, in helping to further develop the stature of the country into the beginning of this decade. The author asserts that the decisive transformations that took place in Poland over the last two decades provide principles to strategize economic recovery in present day.

A two-thirds of success. Poland's post-communist transformation 1989–2009

The progress toward institutional changes should be evaluated through the prism of their influence on a country's development abilities. In Poland, during the twenty years of comprehensive systemic shift, gross domestic product (GDP) has increased more than in any other post-communist country. While judging the transformation progress, not only the improvement of competitiveness and growth in terms of quantity must be taken into account, but also social and cultural aspects. There have been five distinct periods in Poland, from the viewpoint of economic growth. Had there been a better policy coordination of systemic change and socio-economic development, GDP over the periods considered could have increased by a half more. This opportunity has been missed due to the intermittent implementation of wrong economic policies based on wrong economic theories. Poland's transformation can be seen as a success, but only to the extent of two-thirds of its potential.

Ruch Młodej Polski. Historia i współczesne reminiscencje

Young Poland Movement The article considers the phenomenon of one of the most intellectually active, anticommunist opposition group in Poland. The Young Poland Movement organiza- tion was established in 1979 and ended its activity after ten years. Furthermore, the magazine Bratniak” constituted the main press measure in presenting the ideas of its members. The author presents the peculiarity of creating the Young Poland Movement, es- pecially the significance of the group connected with magazine Bratniak”. Moreover, the author analyses the ideological declaration of Young Poland Movementand out-lines principal values acknowledged by the group. The article also emphasizes the importance of obstacles thatthe group was facing during the political transformation in Poland. The final outcome of the events at the turn of the 1989 and 1990 was particularly visible in termination of Young Poland Movement activity. In order to such occurrence its members joined various political groups. Itcould be caused by two differentviews of political action, thatwere noticeable among the Young Poland Movement members.

Income Situation of Farmer Families in Poland in the Light of Economic Transformations and European Integration

Political and economic transformations in Poland, which began in the 1990s, had a significant impact on the economic situation of all households, and in particular on farmers’ households. These households experienced the highest, among other social and professional groups, real decrease of income. Also price relations in agriculture deteriorated. Agricultural production became less profitable, mostly as a result of the increase of prices of materials used for the production. The supply of agricultural raw materials was higher than the demand, therefore farmers encountered problems with selling their products. The income structure experienced a decrease in the share of income from individual farm, while the gainful employment outside of agriculture and social benefits grew. Polish integration with the EU and including Polish agriculture in the common agricultural policy contributed to the amelioration of the farms’ economic situation, mainly as a result of influx of funds under direct payments. The level of the support depended on the size of a farm, thus small farms, most numerous in Poland, did not benefit significantly. A considerable range of poverty in rural areas and a disparity between the income and expenditures of households, to the disadvantage of farming families, still prevails.

Decline and revitalization in post-communist urban context: A case of the Polish city—Gdansk

This paper examines how different social, economic, historical and physical conditions coincide in the formation of space and processes of decline in the period of transformation in Poland. The focus lies on a specific residential area in the centre of the Polish city of Gdansk and the question why no improvements have been done in this particular area to stop its successive decline. It is among other things argued that clear urban policy together with improved urban planning and clear legislation on ownership are needed in order to improve conditions in this and other deprived areas of the city.

The Efficiency of Ownership Transformations in Poland - Macroeconomic Approach

The Efficiency of Ownership Transformations in Poland - Macroeconomic Approach

Intolerance Toward Gays and Lesbians in Poland

The protection of rights of freedom of speech and assembly for gays and lesbians in Poland has come under greater international scrutiny because of the mismanagement of peaceful demonstrations throughout Poland in 2005. An overview and context of the political, economic, and social transformation of Poland in the 1990s shows a flourish of activity among gays and lesbians as the economic and political spheres open, as well as weaker law enforcement during the rapid change to capitalism and democracy. Although society has opened dramatically and tolerance has grown recently, the concept of protecting minority rights for gays and lesbians in Poland continues to be weak in public opinion, laws, and the top sources of opinion.

Economic growth in Poland from 1990 to 2006

Economic transformation in Poland began 18 years ago, so there are a few questions that one should attempt to answer, namely: Has Poland succeeded in maintaining a relatively constant tendency towards changes in main factors characterising economic growth and to what extent? Which kind of growth, extensive or intensive, is found in Poland? To answer these questions, the following issues are going to be presented in the paper: synthetic characteristic of path of economic growth in Poland in the period from 1900 to 2006, and characteristic of chosen factors determining economic growth.