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This paper presents an analysis of statements issued by the Polish Ministry of Family and Social Policy, relating to care homes and the threat to the health and lives of their inhabitants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the declared intention by the government to carry out the transition from residential care to community-based support, the results of the study reveal that under the slogans of care, safety, and commitment, the traditional vision of disability that promotes the operation of segregated institutions is reinforced. Ensuring safety is understood as strengthening the institution of a care home by emphasizing its importance, allocating additional resources, and introducing organized isolation practices that do not necessarily account for subjectivity and residents' rights. The authors, using the critical approach, point to elements of the discourse that may be remembered most by recipients. The paper is focused on an approach presented by the Polish Ministry of Family and Social Policy during the COVID-19 pandemic regarding care homes. While the discussion about transition from residential care to community-based support in Poland seems to be advanced, there are still facilities for over 100 inhabitants. In the face of the COVID-19 crisis, the Ministry's communication related to facilitating the transition to independent living was pushed aside, while the traditional institutional-oriented approach came to the fore. The communication by the Ministry is transmitting to the public a strong message that presents care homes as safe places that should be supported and developed as a key housing option. The lack of attention to issues such as transition from residential care to community-based support and a human-rights approach in communication led us to formulate the concept of a turbo-institutional approach implicit in the Ministry's communiques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper looks at one of the most dynamically evolving migration processes in contemporary Europe – labour migrants in Poland. Poland, until very recently a typical emigration country started receiving large numbers of migrants only after 2014. This process, however, cannot be explained in supply terms only. In fact, it was also a strong structural demand for foreign workers that played at least an equally important role. This newly established migration system has been tested during the pandemic along with policy adjustments and economic changes. We claim that despite the very fact that the 'essential workers' rhetoric was almost absent in the Polish public discourse, foreign workers played a significant role in securing the continuous operation of many sectors of the economy. The paper shows that the role of migration in Poland has changed along with the transition from a net-sending to a net-receiving country, but still it worked as a safety valve during the pandemic. We argue it was possible because of liberal rules regarding international movement and work abroad. By focusing on the role of exogenous shocks and by considering the very specific migration system in Poland, this paper contributes to the growing literature on the labour market-immigration nexus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A situation of emergency involving the whole population introduces changes in the dynamics of the health services that are provided. The magnitude of these shifts should be also linked to the medical speciality within which the health benefits are delivered. The aim of the paper was to identify changes in tendencies in inpatient medical service delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic by medical specialties. On the basis of a database extracted for in-patient treatment received from the public payer, a retrospective analysis was carried out. Comparing the values of the dynamics of the services provided in each medical speciality, the period before the COVID-19 pandemic was collated to the years of the pandemic (2020–2021). In the period before COVID-19, positive patient dynamics were observed in more than half of the specialities. Between 2020 and 2021, virtually all specialties reversed the trend and negative dynamics were recorded. The dynamics in 2021 indicate a process of return to the values from 2015 to 2019. Emergency situation has affected the dynamics of healthcare provision in different specialities to various extent. The most resistant to the negative impulses of the state of emergency were the areas that are strictly organisationally and financially defined (e.g. the group of "therapeutic and drug programmes"). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to present the issue of border traffic of foreigners and their expenses on the Polish maritime border. The study is based on quantitative data on border traffic and expenses of foreigners in Poland. The time of the study was 2014–2021. Thus, the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on foreigners' mobility and spending in Poland was additionally taken into account. For the purpose of this paper, the following study methods were adopted: reference literature analysis, secondary data analysis and comparative analysis. The paper mainly uses data from official statistics and the Border Guard. The study has shown that the Polish maritime border generates the smallest volume of border traffic, however, its share increased during the analysed period from 0.7% in 2014 to 0.8% in 2021. Nevertheless, it is foreigners crossing the maritime border who on average spend in Poland more than twice as much as foreigners crossing the Polish land border. In 2020, they spent the most on non-food goods (40%) and services (34.7%). As the study results reveal, their spending patterns and travel purposes are different from those of foreigners crossing the land border. The potential that foreign visitors bring is significant for the development of border areas in such sectors as tourism, services and trade. The analysis of the motivation of foreigners crossing the sea border makes it possible to shape the regional development policy of this particular area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research background: In the last few years, e-commerce market has increased in population shares, but the situation has changed dramatically since the Covid-19 pandemic. Electronic marketplaces have changed due to rapid digitalization and shopping. Online services offer the possibility to choose a different delivery method such as home delivery or out-of-home delivery. This aspect of the e-commerce market faces an increased interest among practitioners and academia in the field of sustainable last mile deliveries. Interestingly, the subject literature consists of papers analyzing the e-commerce impact on the last-mile delivery. However, the identification of factors for choosing a delivery method and factors that motivate e-customers to choose an eco-friendly delivery method is still an unrecognized field of research. Purpose of the article: The authors of the paper focused on the e-customer perspective on sustainable deliveries in cities. Thus, the main purpose of the paper is to compare factors among the generations that motivate e-customers for choosing a delivery method. Methods: The research was conducted among 1.110 e-customers in Poland in 2021. The paper aims to answer the following research question: what factors motivate each generation for choosing a delivery method? To answer the above-mentioned question, the correspondence analysis (MCA) is prepared that help to identify and compare factors in each generation. Findings & value added: The original research procedure focused on the use of multivariate statistical methods in the study of e-customers' preferences. The analysis revealed three clusters of e-customers in terms of pro-sustainable factors: (a) aged 65+ without pro-sustainable tendency, (b) aged 18-64 with pro-sustainable attitudes, and (c) mixed with no identified delivery preferences. As a result of the research, it can be concluded that the parcel price and the possibility of free return are still the most important factors in choosing the delivery method. From a business/practical perspective, the research results can be used by companies that are the main stakeholders in last mile deliveries, including mainly forwarders and transport companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to establish strategies of coping with COVID-19 pandemic adopted by the clients of social assistance from the perspective of social workers. The qualitative research among Polish social workers and family assistants was conducted from September to November 2021. Based on 30 in-depth interviews with social work professionals, groups of social assistance clients' behaviours were identified and classified into the theoretical models of reactions to social change by Merton and Giddens. The following types of behaviour have been selected and categorized into four groups of reactions when dealing with social workers in a pandemic situation: coolheaded calculation, defiance, confusion, and adaptation. At the same time, reactions to the situation of social change were categorized into one of the strategies of active or passive behaviour: innovation, contestation, retreat, and acceptance. In addition, we discussed the impact of clients' coping strategies on social workers and established three attitudes of the surveyed social workers: adapting to the pandemic situation and customer behaviour, assuming the role of an emotional buffer and informant, and expecting support from superiors and coworkers. Knowing the behaviour of social assistance clients in a challenging situation makes it possible to adopt tailor-made measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sex workers may show extreme sensitivity to power relations during qualitative research due to the previous experiences of stigmatization and marginalization. The purpose of this article is to analyze how technologically mediated communication between researchers and participants during an interview may influence the scope of control exercised by the interactional partners. During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, I conducted 16 qualitative phone and videoconference interviews with female sex workers in Poland discussing the social stigmas they encounter. Each interview was followed up with extensive field notes that were analyzed using the procedures of grounded theory methodology. These very field notes serve as the basis for the paper herein. As a result of the analysis, I distinguished areas of power negotiated by the interviewer and interviewees in successive phases: before, during, and after the interview. The sense of control over the respective aspects of a study may contribute to the establishment of a more democratic power relationship between the researcher and the participants who belong to a population bearing a stigma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic revealed societal challenges, with passenger transport rapidly experiencing the impacts of the virus and the evolution of the concept of safety in transport. Evaluating the likelihood of viral transmission within transportation systems may be a substantial challenge, considering the complex processes that influence the incidence of random transmission events. This paper introduces a method for determining the probability of pathogen transmission in public transport, focusing on the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The study draws on scenarios from the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland, a period that was devastatingly marked by the lack of available vaccines. This study aims to add value to the scientific community by offering an estimation of the likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in public transport and a preliminary risk assessment for COVID-19 infection, considering the number of active, non-isolated COVID-19 cases in the Polish population. The potential of this approach was demonstrated through a comparison between two different categories of passenger transport in a city bus. Based on the presented case study and the calculated probability of pathogen transmission, it is estimated that the probability of SARS-CoV-2 infection during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland through the use of public transport was approximately 0.05%. Probability estimations based on elementary events, which can vary depending on the service category (for instance, the form of ticket purchase, availability of seating or standing places, or ticket inspection), can reveal even the smallest differences in the total likelihood of pathogen transmission. However, these minute individual variations significantly impact the total metrics calculated for daily users of public transport. For effective monitoring of potential epidemic threats and for designing suitable interventions and restrictions to lower the risk of future pandemics, it may be necessary to understand the role that transportation systems, particularly public transport systems, play in the spread of pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper focuses on farmers' strategies for coping with the shock caused by the outbreak of the pandemic of COVID-19. Using the concept of farm resilience, which underlines the role of capacity and abilities as well as different actions undertaken in difficult situations, this study proposes an analytical framework of farmers' coping short-term micro-strategies in relation to external crises, on the example of the COVID-19 pandemic. Taking into account academic literature, qualitative data gathered from fruit and vegetable producers in different regions in Poland and the information from sector experts, the paper outlines the varied consequences of the pandemic for farms, and also farmers' diverse reactions to them. The findings from this study suggests that the analysed farms' relative resilience to the crisis was achieved thanks to their available economic and social resources and the actions they undertook. The above-mentioned resources and activities were considered in the study primarily using the relational (process-based) approach, focusing on the ways of their creation, maintenance and adaptation. At the same time, the empirical material under analysis has shown that the adaptive measures adopted were short-term and did not respond to the farms' permanent problems, which the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated significantly. It is assumed that presented results and proposed framework of farmers' micro-strategies, which were taken during the pandemic, might be useful for future studies focusing on various external shocks as well as for research to be conducted in other CEE countries due to many common contextual factors that has shaped food practices and institutional arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines three case studies: RescEU, SURE, and EU support for SMEs. These case studies represent three relevant EU actions that responded to the first phase of the Covid-19 emergency in the sectors of health, work, and economic support for businesses. The main research questions are: What kind of actions have been financed in these sectors with EU funds? What kind of administrative checks were carried out for these EU emergency funds? The paper looks at these issues from a multilevel perspective: starting from the EU framework it reaches national levels, especially Italy, Poland, Belgium, and Germany. In the conclusions, the paper seeks to understand how promptly the EU emergency actions were taken and whether the planned controls prevented fraud. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows how the metropolitan creative classes in Poland reacted to the changes in the organization of everyday life caused by the COVID‐19 pandemic, especially its temporality and rhythmicity. The pandemic and lockdowns reorganized previous ways of experiencing and managing time. Based on our empirical research and research by other scholars, we have identified some of the most common disruptions of pandemic temporality. However, a vital element of the article is to specify how the social category we studied dealt with these disruptions. In doing so, we show that the response to the breakdown of the previous order of everyday life was to restore a sense of stability actively. We were also interested in the possible, also negative consequences of the findings for the social category under study. The empirical basis for the article are in‐depth interviews conducted during the fourth phase of the ongoing research project [title anonymized], which began during the first weeks of the lockdown in Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to identify organisational abilities that influence the company's survival during crises. To address this issue, first–through literature review–we identified five groups of crucial organisational abilities that companies pursue during the crisis, i.e., strategic, technological, collaboration, entrepreneurial and relational. We have also identified four objectives that relate to surviving the crisis. Next, we have scrutinised 226 companies from two sides of the world, Poland (Europe) and Morocco (Africa), during the Covid-19 crisis. Quantitative analysis using Structural Equations Modelling demonstrated that surviving during a crisis depends mostly on strategic and entrepreneurial abilities such as the ability to shift resources quickly, organise the work in the firm effectively and plan strategically, as well as diversify its products and services perceived as critical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor in women in Poland and in the world. It accounts for about 24% of all cancer cases in Polish women. The aim of this study was to analyze the coverage of the population eligible for a population-based breast cancer prevention program in Poland before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and to compare the Polish data with data from other countries around the world. Material and methods. The study was based on epidemiological data related to the performance of mammography examinations among Polish women under the breast cancer prevention program. The results were compared with data from other countries around the world. Results. In the years 2014–2022, a significant decrease was observed in the number of mammography examinations among Polish women under the population-based breast cancer prevention program. Conclusions. A continuous decrease in the number of preventive examinations in Poland is related not only to the COVID-19 pandemic, but also to the discontinuation of sending paper invitations for mammography under the breast cancer prevention program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to identify the changes in religiosity among Catholic practitioners in Poland that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, based on the changes in the realization of religious practices by students (N = 354). A questionnaire prepared by the authors was used for the study. We sought to answer the question of the extent to which the socio-demographic characteristics of the subjects, a history of COVID-19, and the death of a family member due to SARS-CoV-2 infection differentiated the subjects' opinions about religiosity and their undertaking of religious practices. The paper also addresses the issue of media-facilitated religious practices. The study showed that the frequency of religious practices was influenced by the perceived religiosity of the family, the religiosity of the respondent, and the declaration concerning the belief in God. The same factors most often significantly differentiated respondents' opinions on COVID-19. No relationship was confirmed between having COVID-19 and subjects' beliefs about the pandemic or frequency of religious practice. Among the respondents, the pandemic did not intensify the practice of religion. In the face of danger, respondents did not turn to God; there was no revitalization of religion. The situation of limiting the physical experience communion of the Church was treated not as an acute undersupply but as an opportunity or a pretext to abandon the practice of religion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An unexpected and on a large-scale expansion of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a global health and economy crisis, affecting many organizations. On the first line of the industries, which challenged the crisis was the healthcare one. This is because this industry on the one hand provided treatment to infected patients putting at risk its employees and on the another faced many business challenges resulting from the economic slowdown. Healthcare industry is considered highly reliant on its stakeholders as it is considerably dependent on medical staff. The objective of this paper is to study the role of significant stakeholders of small and medium sized outpatients’ clinics in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic. Given relatively limited quantum of literature on studied area we employed a multiple case study approach, rooted in two small and medium sized outpatient clinics in Poland. The results of this study indicate the role of stakeholders for studied companies was critical. Right management of stakeholders’ relationships allowed studied cases not only to go through the COVID-19 pandemics but also to expand their activities and improve financial performance. We recommend policy and business decision makers of healthcare industry for future potential pandemics or major economic disruption to focus on stakeholders' management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Given the nature of the spread of SARS-CoV-2, strong regional patterns in the fatal consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic related to local characteristics such as population and health care infrastructures were to be expected. In this paper we conduct a detailed examination of the spatial correlation of deaths in the first year of the pandemic in two neighbouring countries – Germany and Poland, which, among high income countries, seem particularly different in terms of the death toll associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis aims to yield evidence that spatial patterns of mortality can provide important clues as to the reasons behind significant differences in the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in these two countries. Methods: Based on official health and population statistics on the level of counties, we explore the spatial nature of mortality in 2020 in the two countries – which, as we show, reflects important contextual differences. We investigate three different measures of deaths: the officially recorded COVID-19 deaths, the total values of excessive deaths and the difference between the two. We link them to important pre-pandemic regional characteristics such as population, health care and economic conditions in multivariate spatial autoregressive models. From the point of view of pandemic related fatalities we stress the distinction between direct and indirect consequences of COVID-19, separating the latter further into two types, the spatial nature of which is likely to differ. Results: The COVID-19 pandemic led to much more excess deaths in Poland than in Germany. Detailed spatial analysis of deaths at the regional level shows a consistent pattern of deaths officially registered as related to COVID-19. For excess deaths, however, we find strong spatial correlation in Germany but little such evidence in Poland. Conclusions: In contrast to Germany, for Poland we do not observe the expected spatial pattern of total excess deaths and the excess deaths over and above the official COVID-19 deaths. This difference cannot be explained by pre-pandemic regional factors such as economic and population structures or by healthcare infrastructure. The findings point to the need for alternative explanations related to the Polish policy reaction to the pandemic and failures in the areas of healthcare and public health, which resulted in a massive loss of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of Poles and the availability of psychiatric and psychological support during the pandemic. A prospective, cross-sectional web-based survey design was adopted. It was carried out on a sample of 1080 Polish citizens above 18 years old. The majority of Poles (70%) experienced symptoms of mental disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sleep disturbance (63.79%), anxiety (48.79%), low mood for most of the day (44.63%), sadness, tearfulness (41.29%), and concentration disorders (35.93%) were the mental disorder symptoms reported most often by the survey subjects. To reduce the potential acute and long-lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, decision-makers of the Polish health system should implement stepped multilevel and multi-target psychological support services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, one of the main priorities in Europe is to introduce measures to increase environmental protection. Therefore, SMEs operating in the branch related to renewable energy are essential for several EU priorities. SMEs can also be vulnerable, especially during times of crisis, which could negatively affect renewable energy development. Therefore, this paper aims to evaluate and analyze the financial security management of renewable energy SMEs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research is conducted on SMEs operating in the renewable energy sector in Poland. The research periods are 2019 (before the COVID-19 crisis) and 2020 (during the crisis). By analyzing different financial performance ratios, we found that SMEs operating in the energy sector have been able to stabilize and maintain their current economic position compared to the past. The results of this study indicate that the receivables collection period, cash conversion cycle, and operating cycle could have been insignificantly shorter during the COVID-19 crisis. Furthermore, to have stronger financial security, SMEs have adopted a conservative policy in which the share of accounts receivable in current assets has been significantly reduced during COVID-19. In contrast, an insignificant increase in liquidity, quick ratios, and inventory turnover have been observed. In general, Polish SMEs have chosen to adopt conservative strategies during COVID-19 to have better liquidity security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research background: The development policy currently promoted by the European Union is focused on the use of the territory's internal resources. Among the factors affecting regional development, by building its potential, infrastructure, being a basic necessity for developing activity in a given area, is of significant importance. Hence, investment in infrastructure is critical to stimulating economic dynamism, as it is the basis for supporting a variety of measures aimed at economic growth. Purpose of the article: This paper aims to evaluate the level of development of technical infrastructure and changes taking place in this field in Polish voivodeships in 2008 and 2020. Methods: The study was carried out using the Hellwig development pattern method and a comparative analysis of the technical infrastructure of Polish regions. The above approach makes it possible to measure the diversity of the state and availability of infrastructure for the communities of the regions. Findings & value added: While implementing the study aim, particular attention was paid to the spatial differences in the level of development of the technical infrastructure of Polish voivodeships. The analysis enabled to distinguish groups of voivodeships with the highest, high, low, and very low level of technical infrastructure development. From a long-term perspective, the conducted research can be seen as a contribution to existing research and serve to further compare the impact of technical infrastructure on the economic development of countries. The strength of the study is the adequately long time span of the analysis (2008 -- the period of the financial crisis and 2020 -- the COVID 2019 pandemic), which provides a basis for the formation of the infrastructure in question. The added value of the article is also a regional perspective on the level of development of technical infrastructure using multidimensional methods of statistical analysis. The results of the study can be used to make decisions at the national level regarding the retrofitting of infrastructure in regions with a low level of infrastructure development. For the European Union's decision-makers they can be a source of knowledge of where to direct EU funds the purpose of which is the infrastructural development of regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper was to examine whether the COVID-19 epidemic has slowed the fulfilment of one of the core tasks of the energy sector "Ensure Access to Affordable, Reliable, Sustainable and Modern Energy for All" (SDG7) taking into account corporate social responsibility. Four research questions and hypotheses were posed, relating to the perspectives of local authorities, the activities of large energy companies, the impact of the epidemic on the implementation of the SDG7 and, in addition, to the understanding of CSR principles from the point of view of ordinary entrepreneurs. A qualitative descriptive analysis based on two reliable databases and a survey procedure (Question 4) was used to answer the research questions posed. The goal was achieved by positively confirming three hypotheses and testing one negatively, relating to COVID-19's slowing role in SDG7 implementation. The analysis showed that the 2020–2021 epidemic in Poland has led to more initiatives in this area, contrary to expectations. However, they were linked to the simultaneous implementation of other SDGs, which distorted their importance for achieving Goal 7. In summary, although energy companies were more active than expected during the epidemic, they had a low contribution to SDG 7. This also applies to local authorities. An analysis of the knowledge about CSR in a group of entrepreneurs from the Lublin district (case study) confirmed the opinion appearing in the literature about the lack of understanding of the concept and the need for its application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic brought many changes to social behaviours in Europe. One of its major consequences was the temporary closure of borders, which was introduced as a measure to prevent the uncontrolled pandemic spreading and involved internal Schengen borders. This has had a major impact in the way in which cross-border cooperation has been conducted in Europe, including the Czech-Polish borderland, as it dramatically restrained all flows across borders. In this paper, we evaluate the impact of the pandemic on five roles of cross-border cooperation: 1) as a multi-level governance form; 2) as a regional development tool; 3) as a para-diplomacy form; 4) as a post-conflict reconciliation tool; and 5) as Europe-building. We argue that the impacts of the pandemic complicated regional development and the Europe-building role of cross-border cooperation in the Czech-Polish borderland. The article envisages re-bordering processes also in the Czech-Polish borderland, but with important exceptions in the regions with a high level of cross-border integration, mainly in the Euroregion Těšínské Slezsko/Śląsk Cieszyński. The paper also calls for the elaboration of the guidelines for possible repeated (Schengen) border closures and proposes modifications of the INTERREG microprojects schemes, to keep them attractive also in times of expected cuts in public finances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An average case fatality ratio over the first six months after the outbreak of COVID-19 in Poland was 5.43% (95% CI: 5.08% – 5.73%), while among hospitalized cases 16.9% (15.8% – 17.9%). • The case fatality rate had a decreasing trend in time starting from 7.83% (7.08% – 8.61%) during first eight weeks after the outbreak (March – April), to reach 2.52% (2.06% – 3.02%) during the summer season (July – August). • Recent medical care as well as the identification of the source contact, independently of the age, sex and comorbidities, significantly impact an individual mortality risk. After more than one and a half year since the COVID-19 pandemics outbreak the scientific world is constantly trying to understand its dynamics. In this paper of the case fatality rates (CFR) for COVID-19 we study the historic data regarding mortality in Poland during the first six months of pandemic, when no SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern were present among infected. To this end, we apply competing risk models to perform both uni- and multivariate analyses on specific subpopulations selected by different factors including the key indicators: age, sex, hospitalization. The study explores the case fatality rate to find out its decreasing trend in time. Furthermore, we describe the differences in mortality among hospitalized and other cases indicating a sudden increase of mortality among hospitalized cases at the end of the 2020 spring season. Exploratory and multivariate analysis revealed the real impact of each variable and besides the expected factors indicating increased mortality (age, comorbidities) we track more non-obvious indicators. Recent medical care as well as the identification of the source contact, independently of the comorbidities, significantly impact an individual mortality risk. As a result, the study provides a twofold insight into the COVID-19 mortality in Poland. On one hand we explore mortality in different groups with respect to different variables, on the other we indicate novel factors that may be crucial in reducing mortality. The later can be coped, e.g. by more efficient contact tracing and proper organization and management of the health care system to accompany those who need medical care independently of comorbidities or COVID-19 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning losses during the COVID-19 pandemic have been well documented. In this paper, we attempt to learn more about the determinants of the magnitude of the adverse effects of the emergency shift to remote learning in Polish upper secondary schools. Because of concerns that differences in access to and quality of local internet would disadvantage lower socio-economic status children, the analysis focuses on local internet speed and the structure of remote classes. We adopt a value-added framework to account for differences among students, families, and prior school quality and find that local internet speed and the structure of remote classes are strongly related to the achievement of vocational school students. Those in communities with internet speed in the lowest decile fare particularly poorly in mathematics, highlighting the adverse effects of deficiencies in infrastructure and access to higher-quality internet services. • Vocational school students in communities with the lowest internet speed fare particularly poorly in mathematics. • Vocational school students who are given assignments, in place of remote instruction, do less well in mathematics. • The requirement to have a camera on is associated with higher Polish achievement of vocational school students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is concerned with the spatial dimension of the coronavirus crisis and the tensions it created in multilevel governance in the Polish–German border region. Regarding the spatial dimension of the crisis, territoriality is referred to as the political competence to exert control over a national territory and over places particularly affected by the coronavirus crisis and its management – from local hubs of outbreaks to twin cities in border regions facing closed borders. Territoriality was mirrored in the unilateral decisions of the central governments to close national borders in Europe. Considering spatiality as well as the asymmetric multilevel setting of cross-border Polish–German relations, this paper investigates to what extent subnational actors were able to interact in a cross-border sense in this situation. The paper shows the relevance of subnational political authorities and highlights the significance of civil society actors in times of crisis, as they were able to lobby for a less restrictive border management response and helped to hold – merely through digital activities – the web of bilateral relations together. In this light, it may enhance the ability of further research to take a multilevel territorial perspective for a more nuanced picture of the pandemic's effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the preliminary results of the 'Pandemic Diaries' research project, carried out by a 5-member team of Polish researchers under a form of open diary writing competition. Its aim was to gather a possibly widest body of personal accounts of the coronavirus pandemic experiences. Within it, 403 entries were submitted, providing a detailed insight into the daily practices, emotional and material difficulties of all age, gender and education-based groups of the Polish society. The paper presents initial observations on the dataset and the most often expressed notions that arise, including a widespread exacerbation of mental health issues as well as the process of defining the period of pandemic through references to collective memory and patriotic milieus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Polish government decided to shut down all public and private institutions, including schools, from 12 March 2020. Since then, 4.58 million students from 24,000 schools have remained in their homes and practiced distance learning. Distance learning has greatly affected children's social practices, including domestic, everyday, specialist, and cultural practices. This paper applies social practice theory, rooted in Schatzki's ontological theory of practices, and Shove, Pantzar, and Watson's structure of social practices to study the changes to migrant primary school children's social practices during distance learning in Poland. The data are derived from a subsample of a larger qualitative study of the transnational transition processes of migrant children in Poland. This paper investigates how the COVID-19 lockdown and distance learning have prompted migrant primary school children to reflect on the transformation of traditional social practices and the value of school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of sociological qualitative research on safety management in work organization. The focus was on how to adapt the workforce to the sanitary regime during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic in the lignite mining and energy sector in the Bełchatów poviat (Łódź voivodeship, Poland). The study aimed to identify the dimensions of safety and the work culture created in crisis conditions as perceived by workers. Based on the conducted analysis, the process of adapting employees to the new rules of work organization was reported, including the transition from fear and anxiety to control over threats and negative emotions. The essence of the research was to support institutional memory to consolidate the existing knowledge and use it in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of the research on the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the dissemination of innovative e-learning tools in higher education. Research was carried out in Poland in December 2021 on a sample of 621 students. The main issue that was the subject of the author's analysis was the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the change in the use of innovative e-learning tools in university education. After conducting the research and discussing this and related research about e-learning during the pandemic, it was concluded that the percentage of students familiar with the analyzed e-learning tools has increased significantly during the pandemic. There has been a visible rise, especially in the usage of the following tools: MS Teams, Zoom, and Google Classroom. The most frequently used e-learning tools during the COVID-19 pandemic have been mainly videoconferencing tools such as MS Teams and Zoom. However, students also have used e-learning platforms and e-mails. The author's research identified three hidden factors (categories) of the used e-learning tools. They include the following categories: popular services and applications adapted to e-learning; popular applications for synchronous meetings adapted to e-learning; and other synchronous and asynchronous e-learning methods. The familiarity with information technology, as well as an interest in innovative e-learning tools, have positive influence on the ease of acquiring content in e-learning. Having the proper resources also positively influences the absorption of e-learning content. On the basis of the achieved results, the authors prepared a model of relations between students' interest in innovative e-learning technology and the resources they possess to participate in e-learning classes. This model enables us to assess which method—e-learning, traditional or hybrid—should be used in the given situation. The developed model can be useful for universities. They can assess the students' interest in innovative e-learning technologies and their level of technical resources using questionnaires and on this basis divide students into groups to prepare the optimal learning way—e-learning, traditional or hybrid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic affected not only global economy and society, but also particular institutions, including those of higher education. The aim of the paper is to determine changes in students' life at selected universities in Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus. An online survey was applied, addressed to students of four universities in Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus (n=380). As a result of the pandemic, more than 46% of students declared worsening of their material situation. In comparison to the period before the pandemic, the respondents observed appearance or intensification of various psychosomatic symptoms, and a 12 percent point decrease in the assessment of their own health. The comparative analysis showed similarities between students' life preferences, plans on university education, and differences in their material situation, health, and employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article is to analyze the empirical evidence collected in the form of in-depth interviews, observations, statistics and accounts concerning the assistance provided by female and male religious congregations in the fight against the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland during the first year after the outbreak (March 2020 to February 2021). The paper describes the nature of the assistance rendered by religious congregations to the sick, to those affected by the pandemic and to healthcare facilities during the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in Poland. Our findings reveal that the activities undertaken and the support provided by religious congregations in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland have spanned many areas: medical assistance and nursing within the healthcare system, charitable work (including material, financial and welfare/housing aid), and pastoral, religious, educational, psychological, ecumenical, evangelization and missionary activities. The support provided by religious congregations as part of the coronavirus response efforts proved crucial and invaluable during the first weeks of the pandemic, that is in March and April 2020, when the healthcare system was faced with severe staff shortages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modeling the number of individuals in different states is a principal tool in the event of an epidemic. The natural transition of individuals between possible states often includes deliberate interference such as isolation or vaccination. Thus, the mathematical model may need to be re-calibrated due to various factors. The model considered in this paper is the SIRD epidemic model. An additional parameter is the moment of changing the description of the phenomenon when the parameters of the model change and the change is not pre-specified. Detecting and estimating the moment of change in real time is the subject of statistical research. A sequential (online) approach was applied using the Bayesian shift point detection algorithm and trimmed exact linear time. We show how methods of analysis behave in different instances. These methods are verified on simulated data and applied to pandemic data of a selected European country. The simulation is performed with a social network graph to obtain a practical representation ability. The epidemiological data used come from the territory of Poland and concern the COVID-19 epidemic in Poland. The results show satisfactory detection of the moments where the applied model needs to be verified and re-calibrated. These show the effectiveness of the proposed combination of methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented event which is transforming societies and strengthening the bond between human and technology. However, less attention is paid to nonusers of the Internet. To combat the pandemic, the Polish government introduced, in June 2020, a new policy that made it possible for citizens who had lost their job as a consequence of the crisis to obtain financial support. The application for this allowance was, however, possible only via an online platform. The paper discusses how this violated the right of the unemployed to stay offline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decentralization of public management in the sphere of tertiary education in developed countries has led to the spread of similar trends in developing countries and countries with economies in transition. The academic paper assesses the effectiveness of forms of decentralization of public management on the basis of statistical analysis of quality indicators of tertiary education system of Hungary, Poland, Romania and Ukraine. As a result, the effectiveness of decentralization has been confirmed, provided that the transformation of public management institutions is ensured. Forms of decentralization determine its effectiveness. Common problems of tertiary education systems have been identified, which have led to the need for decentralization: the need for quality educational services, increasing the level of public access to tertiary education, financial pressure on central budgets. It has been determined that territorial and functional deregulation was aimed mainly at self-financing of tertiary educational institutions, formation of a competitive market of educational services, integration of the private sector into the public one for the development of the quality of state tertiary education. The basic advantages of decentralization have been highlighted in the academic paper, namely: 1) increasing the level of enrollment of the population to tertiary educational institutions due to accessibility; 2) reducing the level of state expenditure on education; 3) improving the quality of state tertiary educational institutions, meeting the requirements of the labor market; 4) actualization of the autonomy of higher educational institutions uner the conditions of pandemic of Covid - 19. Three distinct models of decentralization of tertiary education have been identified, namely: territorial decentralization in Poland, asymmetric decentralization with an emphasis on self-financing in Romania, and functional decentralization in Hungary and Ukraine. The basic features of decentralization of the studied countries have been highlighted, namely: flexibility, adaptability of legislation, transformation of public management institutions, deregulation of government functions, change of financing tools with the possibility of attracting funds from private partners (business), expansion of access to educational services, formation of hybrid private-state institutions with corporate status, reduction of financial pressure, supervision and control. The need for decentralization and improvement of its forms within the conditions of a pandemic of Covid-19 has been confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a treatment modality that saves the health and lives of a growing number of patients around the world. In the majority of cases, the procedure is conducted to treat haematologic neoplasms, although it can also be used as a therapy for some non-haematooncological diseases. The progress that has been taking place in the field of haematopoietic stem cell transplantation involves the need for recruiting more and more potential unrelated bone marrow donors for allotransplantation. In Poland, the number of people registering as potential bone marrow donors has been continuously growing and in order to maintain this trend, it is necessary, above all, to consistently spread the noble idea of bone marrow donation and to raise Poles' awareness and knowledge about haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Unfortunately, the situation caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic limited the opportunities to act in public space and, as a consequence, it has become more difficult to achieve the objectives associated with recruiting new potential donors. The article provides a presentation of ethical and practical aspects associated with bone marrow donations as well as an overview of the legal situation concerning bone marrow donating and transplantation in Poland. The purpose of the paper is to also present some of the changes in transplantation procedures that have emerged as a consequence of the current epidemiological situation. The authors would like to emphasize the importance and the rightfulness of taking action that enables further development of transplantology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus pandemic has influenced cities' shape and future. Telecommuting, teleconferencing, telelearning and e-commerce are creating a new environment of human life. These new factors should be added to the existing problems of urbanisation that are urban sprawl and depopulation. The authors of the paper decided to examine the intensity and spatial distribution of residential construction activity and residential real-estate trade in one of the biggest Polish cities - Łódź - and neighbouring municipalities to answer the question of whether the pandemic has affected housing decisions taken by developers and buyers. Based on statistical data, attempts were made to observe new signs confirming the intensification or weakening of past trends. The research was based on desk research and comparative analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses restrictions enforced by the Polish authorities following the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Catholic Church’s position on it. The article addresses attitudes to vaccination held by the believers and the hierarchy. Subsequently, it assesses the church’s decline, which in Poland dates back to the times before the pandemic. Finally, it addresses the common practice of receiving the holy communion in the hand as well as ecumenical engagement during the pandemic. While the former is a serious obstacle to combating the spread of the virus, the latter seems insignificant for a sizable group of traditional Catholics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the situation in the Polish steel sector in 2020. The year 2020 was called the “pandemic year” due to the economic and social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The scope of the analysis included: crude steel production total and by processes in Poland in months of 2020. The data on crude steel production was compared with data from previous five years from 2015 to 2019. The analysis performed provides detailed information on increases or decreases in the amount of crude steel produced in Poland in individual months. The paper is based on data from the Polish Steel Association in Katowice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Sharing a light-hearted account of important events in an academic career and life. • Introducing bifurcations in life and their local and global consequences. • Demonstrating beauty of undertaking quality research with friends from around the world. This paper dedicated to my late mum and dad (Ludwika and Karol Wiercigroch), presents a light-hearted account of important events in my academic career, which have influenced my development and contributed to my achievements. It meant to be published on the occasion of my round birthday, which celebration was delayed by COVID-19 pandemic and some other factors. Predominantly, it is based on a booklet I wrote in 2013 on the occasion of bestowing on me a title a doctor honoris causa by the Technical University of Lodz (LUT) of my native Poland. The main focus of this piece is the friendship and interactions with my academic colleagues around the world and in particular with Professor Tomasz Kapitaniak of the LUT. In mathematics, a bifurcation is a qualitative change in a solution, wherein a march is not only a synonym of a periodic excitation but also the passing time. In this context, a bifurcation being a qualitative change has a major influence on the global solution. This definition resonates well a much wider context and this paper attempts to provide some examples. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poland and Hungary seem to represent the same type of constitutionalism. It can be defensibly labelled as illiberal, as it is based on a longing for a charismatic leader and specific national identity, combining individual freedom with non-liberal values, and distances itself from western standards comprising the Rule of Law, democracy, and human rights protection. Weak restraint is provided by EU and international norms and procedures. The aim of this paper is to recognize the tendencies in legislative practice in Poland since 2015 that are associated with the illiberalization of the constitutional system, and investigate their role in deterioration of the legislative quality, and thus, maintenance of illiberal constitutionalism. These tendencies are detected as inequality, defective constitutional justice and compromised judicial independence, accelerated and pure majoritarian approach to legislation, and illiberal content of laws. It is found that the legislation has been fuelled by the majoritarian vision of a state community that is emphasized in the political narrative of the ruling alliance. This vision has been transformed into political decision-making and situated against rule-of-law considerations. It generates de facto discrimination against certain groups of people (LGBTQI+), de iure inequalities (retirement age and pension), and the will of the (majority of) people is placed above the Constitution. A captured constitutional court is not able to defend the Constitution. The legislative process has been accelerated to such an extent that there is no meaningful discussion, consultation, or public participation in the procedure. The statutes are abused for informal constitutional changes or have symbolic meaning without proper legislative effectiveness. Legislation during the COVID-19 crisis has not improved the quality of laws at all and could not properly addressed the criticism emerged after some experiences of the pandemic-related functioning of the parliament and government. The combination of all these tendencies makes the Polish legislative practice distinctive in its illiberal tone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence is accumulating of the negative impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic and related public health measures on mental health. In this emergent field, there has been little research into the role of risk perception on depressive symptoms and the contribution of health‐care resources to model risk perception and mental health. The aim of this paper is to describe the relationship between individual‐level perception of risk and depression, controlling for a set of confounders and for country‐level heterogeneity. A cross‐sectional and observational online survey was conducted using a non‐probability snowball sampling technique. We use data on 11,340 respondents, living in six European countries (Italy, Sweden, United Kingdom, France, Poland, Czech Republic) who completed survey questionnaires during the first months of the pandemic. We used a fixed‐effect approach, which included individual and macro‐level variables. The findings suggest that a high proportion of people suffering from depression and heightened risk perception is positively associated with reporting depressive symptoms, even if this relationship varies significantly between countries. Moreover, the association is moderated by contextual factors including health‐care expenditure as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product, hospital beds for acute care, and number of medical specialists per head of population. Investment in health care offers a concrete means of protecting the mental health of a population living under pandemic restrictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, medical teleconsultations using various technologies have become an important tool to mediate communication between general practitioners (GP) and the patients in primary health care in many countries. The quality of the GP-patient communication is an essential factor, which improves the results of treatment and patient satisfaction. The objective of this paper is to study patients' satisfaction from teleconsultation in primary care and the impact of teleconsultations on GP-patient communication through the Covid-19 pandemic in Poland. We analyse whether the teleconsultations performed without physical examinations have a positive impact on GP-patient communication. The quality of teleconsultation and GP-patient communication have been measured using a questionnaire regarding the quality of medical care in a remote care conditions. Among 36 items, nine questions have been related to the dimension of GP-patient communication and ten to system experience. Our results suggest that the quality of teleconsultations is not inferior to the quality of consultation during a face-to-face visit. The patients indicated a high level of satisfaction regarding communication with their GP during teleconsultation. We have also identified that the technical quality and the sense of comfort during teleconsultation positively impact the communication quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, many scientific papers have described the medical aspects and treatment of the virus infection and its symptoms. There are also many studies on how pandemics of this magnitude affect psychological wellbeing. Despite the spread of COVID-19, it has remained a rather abstract threat for many people in Poland. They have often expressed disbelief and negative attitudes toward social restrictions. The study aimed to investigate changes in attitudes to the COVID-19 threat in young people and the psychological repercussions of social isolation. Material/Methods: The present study examined the changes in young people's attitudes, ones not directly affected by COVID19, over a period of a month. It comprised 41 individuals aged 21 to 60. The participants were asked to fill out a specially designed Internet questionnaire. This consisted of 5 open questions concerning their attitudes, values, feelings, reactions, and vision of the future. They were also encouraged to give their own remarks. Results: At first, 46.6% of participants reported a feeling of discomfort, while 48.4% treated the situation as an opportunity to tempora - rily slow down the pace of life. However, negative moods and deterioration of mental state arose over time, and 58.7% of respondents reported discomfort in the second study. It shows that counter-arguing against information that causes discomfort and fear does not work for long. Moreover, the majority of them believed that the epidemic would result in the deterioration of their psychological wellbeing. Conclusions: The study revealed that psychological restlessness was almost imperceptible at first, and many participants reported a feeling of relief. Nevertheless, deterioration of mental state arose gradually, often leading to a lack of motivation, feelings of loneliness, helplessness, and, consequently, aggressive behaviors. The neuropsychological and biological aspects of long-term stress are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Patients with cancer undergoing active systemic anticancer treatment (chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted, or combination therapy) are at greater risk of COVID-19 infection than persons without cancer. In this paper, the authors analyse the spread of the coronavirus among cancer patients undergoing systemic therapy, and the impact of COVID-19 infection on the continuation of cancer treatment and its outcome at one community hospital in a mid-sized city in the south of Poland. Material and methods: Nasopharyngeal swab was the only collection method used to obtain specimens for testing via real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Only those with positive RT-PCR results were considered as confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases. We analysed the medical records of patients quarantined in a hospital clinical oncology ward due to confirmed COVID-19 infection in one member of the group. Qualitative measures are presented as the percentage of their occurrence, and these were evaluated with Fisher's test. Differences were considered significant at p < 0.05. Results: Cancer patients had more frequent confirmed COVID-19 infection than other patients (3.7% vs. 1.2%). Among cancer patients COVID-19 infection was significantly more frequent in women than in men, p = 0.005. The fatality rate was 27.3% in cancer patients undergoing active anticancer therapy, compared to 3% in the general Polish population. Neither heparin nor G-CSF use had any influence on COVID-19 infection. Conclusions: In this analysis, the only significant negative factor for COVID-19 infection was female sex, RR (95% CI) = 4.5 (1.3-15.8), (p = 0.005), and this was attributable to individual behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poland was one of the countries that was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, and its government imposed restrictions to combat the spreading of the virus. The Internet and social media became outlets for people's reactions to the events that unfolded, including the lockdown. A part of this reaction came in the form of creating and sharing memes - an expression of digital participatory culture. This paper aims to analyze how Covid-19 was communicated and narrated through Internet memes and how they presented the pandemic and actors responsible for fighting it. 1,763 memes from six media platforms were analyzed using content analysis with framing elements and a comparative narrative analysis. The results show that the memes provided a form of commentary on the situation experienced by Poles. The most common category of memes was "bans and orders", involving restrictions that were often criticized and ridiculed as pointless. The main characters within the memes were ordinary citizens, often portrayed in a comedic way as careless in regards to the virus and violating the restrictions. They were also presented as victims of the police and the government. Furthermore, the people responsible for fighting the pandemic were portrayed as incompetent and imposing needlessly severe restrictions and penalties for not abiding by them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The National Health Fund finances rehabilitation services contracted in two scopes, therapeutic rehabilitation and health resort treatment. The aim of the study is to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the realization of rehabilitation services financed by the National Health Fund in Poland in 2020 compared to the previous years (2016–2019). The paper also discusses the implementation of successive regulations regarding rehabilitation during COVID-19 pandemic in Poland in 2020. Based on the analysis, it was shown that the number of patients who benefited from rehabilitation services in Poland financed by the National Health Fund decreased by 17% in the case of services in the field of therapeutic rehabili- tation in 2020 compared to 2019 (the largest decrease, amounting to 80%, was observed in the case of pulmonary rehabilitation provided in the conditions of a day center or ward) and by 50% in the case of health resort treatment services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The publication consists on the situation in Polish steel industry after the start of COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the publication is to present the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on steel production in Poland. The analysis of the volume of steel production in Poland was carried out between January 2020 and June 2020 and compared to the production in the same period in 2019. In order to deepen the analysis of the situation in the Polish steel industry data about apparent steel use and situation in steel consuming sectors were presented. The paper ends pessimistic forecasts for steel production in Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper investigates the potential house price bubble in 18 provincial capital cities in Poland from 2000 to 2022. This is the first comprehensive effort to examine the house price exuberance throughout two housing market cycles (2000–2013 and 2014–2022, respectively). Additionally, we evaluate the risk of the housing bubble during a volatile era when the housing market in Poland was exposed to significant external shocks connected to COVID-19. In the study, we apply the new generation of recursive housing bubble identification procedures developed by Phillips, Shi and Yu (2015) and test whether the explosive behaviour of house prices in Polish cities was linked to household incomes and rents. Using the Error Correction Model, we also checked whether house prices were linked to fundamentals. In general, we observed explosive behaviour of house prices during the 2006–2007 period, which is not justified by fundamentals in all cities examined. The length and precise timing of the bubble phases varied amongst regional cities. Despite this, the findings are consistent with earlier data from other nations, which adds credence to the idea that the 2007 housing bubble was a worldwide occurrence. Contrary to what is commonly believed and reported in the media, we have not seen any indications of irrational house price behaviour in Polish cities during the Covid-19 outbreak. Contrary to the overwhelming evidence for the house price exuberance between 2006 and 2007, we conclude that there is no solid evidence of the existence of the housing bubble in recent years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article aims to identify good practices in epidemic risk management. Thus, by knowing and applying these good practices, results can be obtained to mitigate the negative consequences produced by extremely risky events such as epidemics. In order to achieve the proposed goal, the following were specified as objectives of the article: identification of measures adopted in the four countries analyzed, namely Spain, Italy, Romania and Poland, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and of solutions taken to reduce economic losses which arose as consequences of the imposition of these measures in the field of tourism. This paper combines elements of qualitative research, namely the use of methods such as data processing and analysis, comparative analysis, documentation of reports, and the presentation of conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper refers to the current energy situation in the European Union (EU) countries with a particular focus on energy produced from renewable energy sources and coal – sources that provide opportunities for balancing the energy of the region. The strengths and weaknesses of coal mining in Poland were also identified, along with its opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis). Innovative and sustainable development based on the Triple Helix Model (THM), as well as the Open innovation (OI) concept and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles were identified as opportunities for its sustainable development. The combination of these solutions should enable sustainable development of the industry, preserving its economic and social importance and reducing its negative impact on the environment. The use of new clean technologies in the operation and combustion of coal should reduce emissions of harmful substances into the environment. Intensive and government-supported cooperation between the scientific and research community and industry should significantly facilitate these processes. Another aspect important for the changes to be introduced is the social factor, for which the current situation represents an opportunity to preserve jobs in the mining industry, but also a challenge for its sustainable development. These seemingly mutually exclusive elements should form the basis of a new opening for Polish and European mining as an innovative industry based on knowledge and preserving the basic principles of ESG. The paper also outlines the most significant challenges facing the Polish mining industry on its way to innovative development. The article provides a new and relevant to the current reality perspective on the Polish mining industry in the context of the entire EU, for which the current geopolitical situation forces the necessity of setting a new direction of development. The geopolitical changes that have recently taken place in the global economy such as the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic and the armed conflict within Ukraine have caused very great turbulence in the energy market. Enthusiasm and uncritical adoption of green concepts in the EU has caused, along with the reduction of gas and coal imports from Russia, turbulence in the energy market. This situation has created a great opportunity for the development of the mining industry in Poland, which has not yet managed, following the example of other EU countries, to extinguish the industry. In order to take advantage of this opportunity and obtain a permanent place in the energy mix in the EU, it is necessary to rapidly develop the mining industry in a sustainable manner based on innovative solutions. [Display omitted] • The role and importance of Polish mining in the new geopolitical situation in the EU have been presented. • Challenges, opportunities and threats to mining on the path to its innovative and sustainable development have been identified. • A model of IO cooperation for sustainable and innovative development of the Polish coal mining industry has been developed. • Relationships between mining industry stakeholders have been identified, taking into account the IO and THM models and ESG principles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the effects of macroeconomic policy announcements on financial markets in three Central European economies: Czechia, Hungary, and Poland (CE–3). We focus on the unprecedented stabilisation policies implemented from March to December 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, including unconventional monetary measures and large stimulus programs. Detailed categories of monetary and fiscal measures are introduced into vector autoregressions with exogenous regressors and dynamic conditional correlations, which we estimate using daily data. This allows us to control for policy spillovers from abroad, as well as global risk factors and pandemic-related variables. We find that, in general, macroeconomic policy measures implemented in the CE–3 countries played an important role in stabilising financial markets during the pandemic. We uncover several notable patterns in the reaction of markets to anti-crisis measures across the region. The impact of the monetary policy announcements on 10-year sovereign bond yields was more substantial than on stock market returns and exchange rate returns. The communication of the unconventional tools proved effective in lowering the bond yields. Interestingly, we document that the effects of non-standard measures for some variables, such as the exchange rate, can be qualitatively different from those resulting from a conventional monetary expansion. Even though the domestic monetary events became more important than the fiscal ones, the latter proved relevant for financial market returns, especially when large-scale immediate fiscal measures and tax deferrals were introduced. We also show that the CE–3 economies were subject to the cross-border transmission of policy announcement effects from the Euro Area and the US, although the magnitude of these effects was smaller than expected and varied across the CE–3 countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]