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The political landscape of the radical right has long been a major discussion point in the political and social sciences. By considering the variety of radical right organizations (movement parties and non-parliamentary organizations) and the particular national and transnational political and discursive opportunity structures, the paper aims at a comparative analysis of the main discursive frames present in political programs and manifestoes of radical right social movement organizations and movement parties in Poland (Konfederacja Wolność i Niepodległość and Obóz Narodowo-Radykalny) and Germany (Alternative für Deutschland and Identitäre Bewegung Deutschland). Moreover, based on approaches developed by Cas Mudde and Jens Rydgren, this article analyses how the features presumed essential to the radical right (nativism, authoritarianism and populism) are reflected and interconnected in the official discourses of the selected radical right organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers migrant parenting as a dynamic project that entails interactions between social class, migration experiences, individual and collective beliefs, and transnational attachments. Previous research has examined migrant parenting predominantly concerning children's social mobility in the immigration country by using the acculturation framework or by comparing migrants with non-migrants. Recently, research has accounted for child rearing in transnational families with an emphasis on gendered parenting and role reversal among parents who take care of their children from a distance. This paper analyses parenting orientations among settled migrants who maintain close connections to their country of origin. Findings from in-depth interviews with mothers from Poland with different class backgrounds who raise their children in Germany highlight their varying migration experiences and structural conditions for child rearing. The analyses show how these mothers engage in building successful migration projects for themselves and their children, albeit with very diverse socio-cultural and economic resources that shape their child rearing, navigating between support of children's accommodation, transnational connections and ethnic identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the push to strengthen European defence cooperation, the topic of whether a European strategic culture is emerging has become widely contested. Since convergence between member states is the key that would unlock the way to a European strategic culture, this paper examines how they perceive crucial aspects of strategic culture and in what aspects they have converged and diverged. This study selected Germany, Poland, and Ireland as cases of the EU-27 member states. It compared the three national strategic cultures in three aspects: strategic environment, cooperation patterns, and strategic goals and means, by conducting a computer-based content analysis of strategic documents and official speeches of high-level national policymakers between 2000 and 2020. This study found that despite the persistent divergence in strategic goals and means, the three countries have shown greater convergence in their perceptions of the strategic environment and that while their preferences on cooperation patterns are largely unchanged, they seem to be accepting the EU as a legitimate and favourable platform for security and defence cooperation. These findings suggest that the prospects for the emergence of a European strategic culture and further developments of the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy are both challenging and promising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose dynamic, short-term, financial risk management strategies for small electricity producers and buyers that trade in the wholesale electricity markets. Since electricity is mostly nonstorable, financial risk coming from extremely volatile electricity prices cannot be reduced by using standard finance-based approaches. Instead, a short-term operational planing and a proper trade diversification might be used. In this paper, we analyze the price risk in terms of the Markowitz mean–variance portfolio theory. Hence, it is crucial to forecast properly the variance of electricity prices. To this end, we jointly model day-ahead and intraday or balancing prices from Germany and Poland using ARX-GARCH type models. We show that using heteroscedastic volatility significantly improves probabilistic price forecasts according to the pinball score, especially if variance stabilizing transformation is applied prior to a model estimation. The price forecasts are then used for construction of dynamic diversification strategies that are based on volatility-type risk measures. We consider different objectives as well as a buyer's and a seller's perspective. The proposed strategies are applied for the diversification of trade among different markets in Germany and Poland. We show that the objective of the strategy can be achieved using the proposed approach, but the risk minimization is usually related to lower profits. We find that risk minimization is especially important for a seller in both markets, while for a buyer a profit maximization objective leads to a more optimal risk–return trade-off. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy crisis in Europe in 2022 and its consequences have brought changes to approaches towards the issue of energy security, energy policy, and the ability to react to crisis phenomena in the energy market in a short period of time. European countries that are dependent on Russian fossil fuels have faced numerous dilemmas and challenges in 2022. This paper aims to analyse the instruments and energy policies introduced as the reactions of European countries, specifically with the examples of Poland and Germany, to the ongoing fossil fuel crisis in the context of a short period. Due to the specificity of the energy market, the countries' energy policies mainly concern long- and medium-term goals. In 2022, there was an unprecedented situation in which many European countries had to make significant changes to their fossil fuel imports quickly. We analyse and evaluate how two European countries that are heavily reliant on imported energy resources responded in a short time to the necessity of modifying their patterns of fossil fuel supply and demand. The results of our research are models that illustrate both countries' reactions to the disturbances in the energy market during the initial months of the energy crisis. As part of the research, we conducted an analysis of the energy mix of Poland and Germany, their import energy dependency, and self-sufficiency. We then compared them with the short-term energy policies of both countries. As a result, we elaborate on a comparative analysis of the models of Poland's and Germany's responses to the crisis. The research also assesses the similarities and differences in the response models in Poland's and Germany's short-term energy security policies. The results of our research may help, in the future, to choose the available short-term instruments in the energy policy of countries in the face of a sudden need resulting from disruptions in supply chains. The article contributes to the future discussion on renewed national and regional energy security, as well as efficiency concepts. Our research findings could be valuable in selecting appropriate short-term energy policy tools for countries during supply chain disruptions. This article provides significant input for future deliberations on enhancing national and regional energy security, and also efficiency strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyses the level of procedural protection of a defendant who engages in a discussion regarding the application of negotiated justice solutions in five countries: USA, Germany, France, Italy and Poland. In each of the analysed countries a form of negotiated justice exists, whether it is a classic version of plea bargaining in the USA or a mechanism inspired by plea bargaining but adjusted to continental or inquisitorial setting. These institutions have to provide certain level of protection of the defendant from the risk of making a misinformed or even coerced decision to enter an agreement, in order to assert true voluntariness of the defendant's waiver of procedural rights. The aim of the paper is to review the procedural safeguards implemented for this purpose and critically assess their effectiveness. [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 ecological indicator values are the most common and sufficiently effective method of habitat assessment. The aim of our research review is to analyze current studies from 2020 to 2022 in which researchers have used Ellenberg indicator values to address a variety of problems. We limited the study to papers that are published in journals indexed by Scopus and Web of Science. The total number of records examined was 358. The number of records selected was 98. Visualization of the distribution of studies by country is based on the GeoCharts library. The results revealed that about half of the studies were conducted in Germany and Poland, and the most common objects were forests and grasslands. Almost half of the studies were devoted to ecological niches, habitat analysis, assessment of vegetation dynamics, and influence of various factors on plants. The analyzed articles are actively cited. In general, our research analysis revealed the effectiveness of Ellenberg indicator values for solving a wide range of urgent problems for a variety of plant communities, and different climate zones. The results of our research confirmed the advisability of actively using this approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Major manufactures are moving towards a sustainability goal. This paper introduces the results of collaboration with the leading company in the packaging and advertising industry in Germany and Poland. The problem addresses the manufacturing planning problem in terms of minimizing the total cost of production. The challenge was to bring a new production planning method into cardboard manufacturing and paper processing which minimizes waste, improves the return of expenses, and automates daily processes heavily dependent on the production planners' experience. The authors developed a module that minimizes the total cost, which reduces the overproduction and is used by the company's manufacturing planning team. The proposed approach incorporates planning allowances rules to compromise the manufacturing requirements and production cost minimization. [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]

Background: The so-called sports consumption models are looking for the factors that influence the sports spending of households. This paper aims to examine the Hungarian, Polish and German households' sports expenditures which can be an important indicator of physical activity and sporty lifestyle.Methods: Surveying of households in three countries (Hungary, Poland and Germany) has been conducted with a self-designed questionnaire. We have used descriptive and bivariate non-parametric and parametric statistical methods: (1) χ2 test, Mann-Whitney test and Kruskal-Wallis test for checking the relationship between sociodemographic and physical activity variables and (2) independent sample t-test and ANOVA for checking the differences in sports expenditures.Results: Our research concluded that men, especially previous athletes, exercise more than women and those who have no history as registered athletes. The choice of sports venues is obviously different between the countries in the sample. Members of the study population spend the most on sports services while they spend the least on sports equipment. German households have the highest spending rates compared to the other two countries.Conclusions: Results are in line with our previous research findings and with other literatures. The difference in preferences of sports venues could have the reason of different supply of sports clubs or the different living standards too. It needs further researches to clear it. Material wealth, income level and sport socialisation can be a determining factor regarding the level of sports spending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since European Union (EU) enlargement in 2003, labour migration from East to West and South to North has increased. It is to be expected that a share of these workers will want to retire in their host countries. According to the academic literature, EU legislation protects such mobility well by allowing the transfer of rights accrued in any EU country to another. However, such research has focused on legislation, not outcomes. We know little about how migration will affect the financial status of retired migrants in their host country and their ability to sustain a life there, should they stay after retirement. Using migration, wage and pension policy data (Eurostat, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), this paper projects the post-retirement incomes of a range of hypothetical EU migrants, selected in relation to the most common migratory flows since 2003. After having worked in their home countries (Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Italy) for at least ten years, these people move to richer countries (Italy, Spain, Germany, United Kingdom) and work there for at least 30 years. To determine whether they can remain settled after decades of labour force participation in the host country, the paper adds their pension entitlements from home and host countries and compares this income with the relative poverty line of the host countries. This shows that good portability of entitlements matters little when these are very low because of a large wage gap between home and host country. Thus, after at least 30 years of enjoying all citizenship rights as workers, most of these individuals are projected to receive incomes below the relative poverty line of their host countries and thus experience a sharp drop in this status. Their citizenship is diminished. The paper concludes by considering policies that could avoid such an outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on research undertaken as part of the EU funded EPPIC project, this paper aims to update and elaborate on the relationship between drug use and offending behaviours by exploring variations within a cross-national sample of drug-experienced young people in touch with criminal justice systems. Adopting a trajectory-based approach, interviews were undertaken with 198 young people aged 15–25 in six European countries (Austria, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Poland, and UK). Data were analysed by applying the Bennett and Holloway categorization of the drugs-crime link, with a focus on the concept of social exclusion as developed by Seddon. Three main types of mechanisms (economic, pharmaceutical, and lifestyles) are used to interpret the data, showing how the relationship between drugs and offending can vary according to type of substances and over time. Furthermore, it can be associated with very different degrees of social exclusion and needs. The results suggest that while economic inequalities still play key roles in explaining drug use and offending, both behaviours can originate from a state of relative deprivation, resulting from the contradictions inherent in 'bulimic societies' that raise aspirations and desires while providing young people scarce opportunities for self-realisation and social recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1989 the building of new Polish-German relations has been carried out in the dimensions of both time (historical reconciliation) and space (reintegration eastern and western parts of Europe). This determines their fundamental importance for contemporary Europe. This article presents an analysis of Polish-German relations from the perspective of issue salience. The source base of this paper comprises Addresses by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs (AMFAs), i.e. annual speeches given by foreign ministers presenting the major goals of Poland's foreign policy. It makes it possible to adopt a long-term perspective (1990-2018). The quantitative analysis was based on the rules of the Comparative Manifesto Project. Its results allowed the author to determine the position of Germany in Poland's foreign policy; to identify the major periods in mutual relations; to indicate the main concepts of the Polish governments concerning Polish-German relations; and to specify the major problematic issues in mutual relations. The performed analysis shows that relations with Germany play the dominant role in the structure of Polish foreign policy, and particularly European policy. This stands in stark contrast to the ambivalence of the Polish political elites, especially those on the right side of the political spectrum, towards the western neighbour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Depression is highly prevalent worldwide and generates significant economic burden. Despite this, there is still insufficient information on hospitalisation costs related to depression. Therefore, this paper presents a comparison of costs of inpatient care of depression among patients hospitalised in 2014 in Kiel (Germany) and in Poznan (Poland). Methods: The retrospective study was conducted from October 2015 to May 2017 in Kiel and in Poznan and concerned all patients (n = 548 and eventually included n = 444; 334 in Kiel and 110 in Poznan) hospitalised in these centres. Results: The annual cost of inpatient care of patients hospitalised due to depression in 2014 was EUR x ¯ = EUR 9397.21 (total EUR 313,8667.2) in Kiel and EUR x ¯ = EUR 2962.90 (total EUR 325,919.38) in Poznan. In Kiel, the most frequently prescribed medicine was mirtazapine while in Poznan it was venlafaxine. Conclusions: The 3-fold difference in average costs of hospitalisation might result from differences in funding of mental health care which in Poland needs urgent amendment. Besides, mental health care was underfunded in Poznan. In general, treatment was comprehensive in both centres. Non-pharmacological treatment, however, was more comprehensive in Kiel. The cost of inpatient care of depression was very high both in Kiel and Poznan. Inpatient care of depression is long-lasting, but a reduction in the length of hospital stay seems to be possible. Hospital stay is the main part of costs of inpatient care of depression. Treatment of depression should be comprehensive, but differences e.g. in pharmacotherapy used are possible between hospitals and/or countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The information presented here is based on 174 sites; it is a result of a detailed historical collection revision of materials from Silesia and also the first comprehensive paper after the early German and Polish compilations. Though our work includes both quantitative and qualitative updates, it is neither exhaustive nor complete. It is very likely that many finds have not yet been reported to scientific institutions or museums, or else remain in private collections. The localities concerned are dominated by remains found under or within alluvial deposits of the last glaciation or in the context of loess sediments. Most of the documented remains are from the Late Pleistocene. Cold-adapted members of steppe-tundra faunal assemblages, such as Mammuthus primigenius, Equus ferus, Coelodonta antiquitatis, Rangifer tarandus, Ovibos moschatus, and Bison priscus dominate. Most artiodactyls were found in alluvial sediments, in bogs or swamps, while carnivores are represented only by isolated remains. The location of faunal assemblages and isolated finds shows the importance of river valleys as migrations routes. Silesia stretches along the Odra River, which runs in a roughly south-north direction, and connects the Sudety Mts and the Głubczyce Plateau with the wide, open lowlands of Eastern Germany and Western Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary objective of this paper was to determine the circulation conditions of the occurrence of cold spells in Poland and Germany. The observed inconsiderable warming slightly contributed to a change in the number of cold days and cold spells. The occurrence of cold spells in Poland and Germany was related to considerably more active and intensive pressure systems than on average in the winter season in the studied years. A strong high pressure system was located over much of the continent, blocking westerly circulation. During the occurrence of cold spells, negative anomalies of isobaric surface heights were recorded with the greatest anomalies being in the 300–250 hPa heights. The highest air temperature anomalies were recorded on the lowest isobaric levels, where they amounted to <−10°C. On average, anomalies on the 300 hPa isobaric level began developing approximately 9 days before the beginning of cold spells over the study area. The decay of cold spells was not related to rapid exchange of air masses, but rather to gradual weakening of anomalies in the upper troposphere, and their shifting westwards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper looks at war-induced migration flows from Ukraine to Poland and Germany in 2022 to understand who is migrating and the challenges they face. Data were collected in the spring and summer of 2022 through survey questionnaires and interviews. The results of the research reveal that a) this wave of migration from Ukraine is overwhelmingly female; b) women are often migrating with children, which makes arranging appropriate childcare and school placement essential to their entry into the destination workforce; c) Ukrainian labor migration patterns before the war have had a significant impact on current flows; d) Ukrainian refugees to Poland and Germany often want to be able to travel regularly back to Ukraine; this affects their willingness to apply for temporary protection schemes that oblige them to remain in destination countries, which in turn makes it difficult to precisely quantify the number of refugees in a given country. • The war in Ukraine has led to a wave of feminized migration. • Ukrainians find work in Poland more easily than in Germany, but school/childcare problems persist. • Female migrants to want to travel back to Ukraine are disincentivized to apply for TP status. • Earlier labor-driven migration patterns influence decisions of war-forced migrants today. • Ukrainian refugees seek to return home asap, which hinders adaptation/anchoring in new settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the urban context and spatial manifestations of the construction of shared heritage sites resulting from cross-border interactions in Polish–German border towns. A comparison of the three border towns of Frankfurt (Oder)/Słubice, Guben/Gubin and Görlitz/Zgorzelec offers insights into the relationship between the creation of transnational urban places and the contrasting spatial circumstances in the urban environments of the border towns. The greater permeability of the border in the Schengen period from 2007 has intensified cross-border activity, and actors from both sides of the river have cooperated to create new shared places, most prominent among these are heritage sites. These new transnational heritage sites emphasise different aspects of the past, including valorising ‘neutral’ heritage, rediscovering sites of trauma and victimhood, or reinventing existing sites. While divisions persist, rooted as much in the burden of the past as current socio-economic asymmetries, some evidence is coming to light of the forging of shared heritage sites linked to narratives of reconciliation and mutual recognition. The creation of shared heritage is a fragile process which depends on contingent urban conditions. This paper draws attention to the need for heritage sites to evolve gradually and with significant participation from civil activists if they are to gain local transnational significance. Moreover, heritage sites only have transformative potential when they become integrated in the urban environment as active settings for everyday life which transcend commemorative or tourist purposes alone. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper aims to unravel the effects of both policies and autonomous developments driving the changes of final energy consumption for the European Union (EU28) and its member states complemented with an in-depth analysis of two EU member states, Germany and Poland, for the period of 2000 to 2015 by the logarithmic mean Divisia index methodology (LMDI). We examine the influences on the changes in final energy consumption for each of the five main demand sectors at aggregated level and at a more detailed level of residential end-uses, transport modes and industrial sub-sectors. With the second level, we provide insights into the effects of policies from a European and national perspective. Our analysis shows that final energy consumption in the EU28 is primarily influenced by an increase in energy efficiency in industry followed by households. For the latter, the energy savings were mainly realised in space heating. The main counteracting drivers were increasing economic activity and the rising demand for higher comfort and social factors, such as a declining household size. Germany shows relatively low energy efficiency improvements in industry, but strong energy efficiency gains in households followed by transport. Poland's transport, however, is responsible for a strong increase in final energy consumption mainly through increased activity, while here the sector industry—despite strong effects of increased activity—in total shows a significant reduction in energy consumption through energy efficiency improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As compensation for their disempowerment in the process of European integration, national parliaments have been provided with various new rights and powers since the 1990s, culminating in the current provisions of the Lisbon Treaty. This paper argues, however, that rather than simply re-enhancing traditional powers of national parliaments, these reforms imply ideas of a new type of parliamentary democracy in Europe. It identifies three different roles for national parliaments in the EU: preventing rather than shaping legislation (gatekeeping role), cooperating with other parliaments and supranational institutions (networking role), and adopting a uniform mode control of government across all party groups (unitary scrutiniser role). All these roles require a significant deviation from the standard role legislatures usually play in European parliamentary democracies. The paper briefly explores how national parliaments in two ‘old’ (France, Germany) and one ‘new’ (Poland) member state fulfil these three new roles. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper reviews seasonal migration from Poland to Germany from the perspective of gender. The main lenses used are the participation in this migration by individuals as members of families, the informal recruitment mechanisms that bring new migrants on board, and the legal environment. The paper argues that the selection of a migrant by the family depends importantly on the costs of migration for the family, and shows how this consideration bears on the choice of women as seasonal migrants. In addition, the paper argues that the patterns of recruitment are gender-specific, explains why women recruit new migrants in a manner which differs from that of men, and assesses the impact of the underlying legal environment on the differential participation of women and men. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The objective of this paper is to understand how the public's beliefs in five countries may change as more families have direct experience with Alzheimer's disease. The data are derived from a questionnaire survey conducted by telephone (landline and cell) with 2678 randomly selected adults in France, Germany, Poland, Spain, and the United States. The paper analyzes the beliefs and anticipated behavior of those in each country who report having had a family member with Alzheimer's disease versus those who do not. In one or more countries, differences were found between the two groups in their concern about getting Alzheimer's disease, knowledge that the disease is fatal, awareness of certain symptoms, and support for increased public spending. The results suggest that as more people have experience with a family member who has Alzheimer's disease, the public will generally become more concerned about Alzheimer's disease and more likely to recognize that Alzheimer's disease is a fatal disease. The findings suggest that other beliefs may only be affected if there are future major educational campaigns about the disease. The publics in individual countries, with differing cultures and health systems, are likely to respond in different ways as more families have experience with Alzheimer's disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper aims to examine the impact of enterprise education on entrepreneurial attitude within European higher education institutions (HEIs) in France, Germany and Poland. The research seeks to consider whether differences between cultural and industrial heritage can influence entrepreneurial attitude and mediate the effectiveness of enterprise education. Design/methodology/approach - Research argues that Europe requires more entrepreneurs willing to innovate and create new ventures to facilitate economic growth. This research builds on prior studies, which have examined the impact of enterprise education and training on business start-up. In particular the study utilises the concept of entrepreneurial attitude to measure how enterprise education influences students'' perceptions of, and motivations towards, entrepreneurship as a viable career option. The study contrasts and compares the impact of a short enterprise course on entrepreneurial attitude among undergraduate students in French, German and Polish HEIs. A quantitative methodology employed a research instrument utilising five-point Likert arrays to contrast attitudes and opinions of students both prior to, and after, the delivery of the course. Findings - Enterprise education has a positive impact on entrepreneurial attitude of French and Polish students. Conversely, the course had a negative impact on male German students. It was also found that while female students are more likely to perceive a greater benefit from the learning experience, the impact of enterprise education on entrepreneurial attitude is actually more significant for male students. Practical implications - The research findings are of interest to academia and policy makers. The study suggests that entrepreneurial attitude among European students can be influenced by exposure to enterprise education. The results also indicate that gender, cultural and industrial heritage can moderate the impact of enterprise education. Originality/value - The paper provides evidence that differences between gender, culture and regional settings need to be considered in the design and delivery of enterprise programmes if they are to have the desired impact on entrepreneurial intent and graduate entrepreneurship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to offer an assessment of the nature of identity among Poland's German minority and to investigate why since 1950 large numbers of that minority have migrated to Germany. It does so by examining the nature of identity in the historic Polish-German borderlands, by recounting the experiences of those Germans who remained behind in Poland after the post World War Two expulsion process was completed in 1949, and by examining the continued salience of negative stereotypes of Germans and Germany among elements of Polish society. The paper highlights a number of salient factors of importance for members of the minority in deciding whether or not to stay in Poland or to migrate to Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents hydraulic field researches (graining, velocity distributions) and calculations carried on in order to determine the possibility of reaching the border Oder river depth equal to 1.80 m at least at the highest possible warranty. The division into regulation reaches and calculations results for particular reaches as well as the applied river training system have been presented. Also the hydraulic data (critical velocities, hydraulic slopes, warranted flows, roughness coefficients) and new types of proposed river training structures (ends of longitudinal off-bankline bunds) are given. The paper concludes with summary and working adjustments of initiatives adopted by Polish and German sides concerning the project performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Much of the farm work in Germany and Poland relies on migrant workers. • Migrant farmworkers are exposed to fatal and non-fatal accidents at work. • OSH of migrant farmworkers in Central and Eastern Europe has not been studied so far. • Structural vulnerabilities of farmworkers must not be overlooked. • Ethnographic methods gave insights into realities and OSH practices on the farms. • There is a need to research OSH of farmworkers during COVID-19 pandemic. This paper focuses on the occupational safety and health (OSH) of migrant farmworkers in two quite distinct socio-political contexts: Polish farmworkers in Germany and Ukrainian farmworkers in Poland. The authors apply the structural vulnerability concept to shed light on structural factors influencing migrants' vulnerabilities in the workplace and to address this issue through the perspectives of migrant farmworkers. This paper is based on participant observation and individual interviews that the authors conducted in Germany and Poland among migrant farmworkers, as well as semi-structured interviews with employers. The gathered evidence allows us to argue that functioning in different migration regimes results in differences regarding migrants' occupational safety and health, as well as in the levels of agency they are able to exercise given their migration-related positionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1928, Paul Katz (an employee of the Technische Hochschule Breslau) at the end of his paper "Die älteste eiserne Straßenbrücke des Europäischcn Kontinents" [I] wrote: "If we have managed to provoke an interest of the mentioned institutions (Technische Hochschule Breslau, German Museum of Technology in München, authorities of the city of Breslau) in preservation of the bridge in Laasan (Lażany), then our task has been fulfilled". Publication [I] mad much later papers [2-6], along with the present paper, stipulate similarly. Metallographic and strength tests made have shown that for construction of the bridge in Lażany unique material structure and architectonic solutions had been applied. The ports of the bridge structure have been made of grey pearlitic cast iron fulfilling all present-day requirements. There are still scarce preserved original ports of the bridge, whose documentation is available. Possibly, this is the last chance to rebuild the object, for example, in the settings of a Wroclaw park, thus maintaining it for posterity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the diversity in patients' experience of biomedicine and contrasts it with the normative view characteristic of health professionals. Ethnographic fieldwork among Polish migrant women in London, Barcelona and Berlin included interviews about their experiences with local healthcare and health professionals. Themes drawn from the narratives are differences between the cities in terms of communication between patients and health professionals, respect for patients' choices and dignity, attitudes to pregnancy and birth (different levels of medicalization), and paediatric care. It is argued that patients continuously negotiate among their own views and expectations based on previous experiences and knowledge from personal communication; internet forums and publications; and the offer of medical services in the countries of their settlement. Patients experience pluralism of therapeutic traditions within and outside bio-medicine. In turn, representatives of bio-medicine are rarely aware of other medical practices and beliefs and this leads to various misunderstandings. By highlighting the pluralism of medical practices in European countries and the increasing mobility of patients, this case study has useful implications for medical anthropologists and health professionals in a broader Western context, such as raising sensitivity to different communication strategies and a diversity of curing traditions and expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a methodology for selection of the optimal sources of supply, which is also known as the problem of supplier selection. Theoretical considerations are expanded with research related to aluminium supplier selection for a hypothetical manufacturer of aluminium parts for transportation equipment located in Poland. Evaluation of five suppliers of aluminium from Poland, Germany and Slovenia has been conducted using a weighted scoring method, a strengths and weaknesses method and a graphical method. Choosing the best offer and prioritizing suppliers allows not only the most rational decision in the field of supply logistics to be taken but also the quality of service in the metallurgical industry to be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on HTA, pricing and reimbursement of pharmaceuticals in Germany and Poland. The authors analyzed processes of decision making related to pharmaceutical reimbursement, as well as their transparency. Both Germany and Poland have developed complex processes of pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement, as well as incorporated HTA into decision making procedures. In Germany the stakeholders involvement and transparency of processes seem to be to higher than in Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper concerns the relation between revitalisation projects and socio-economic polarisation, and discusses the potential of new urban spaces for social inclusion. The phenomenon is considered on the example of recreational facilities that have emerged from brownfields located in the Ruhr region (Germany). It was ascertained that the diversity of implemented projects was important in terms of the significance of revitalisation processes for social polarisation tendencies. It allowed regional authorities to create income-generating facilities and spaces that can be used regardless of income, and to resolve deficits in urban recreational facilities. It was also noted that the Ruhr examples could provide guidance for the recently begun revitalisation processes in the Upper Silesian industrial area (Poland). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines differences in work restrictions of midlife family carers of older people in terms of prevalence, gender and explanatory variables, in six European countries: Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom. A sample of 2,897 carers aged 45–64 was extracted from the EUROFAMCARE (Services for Supporting Family Carers of Older People in Europe: Characteristics, Coverage and Usage) European project database, in order to analyse four possible work restrictions experienced in connection with the activity of care-giving: the reduction of working hours; giving up working; difficulties in career developments and forced occasional work. The results show that work restrictions are experienced differently between countries especially by women: they are reported to a higher degree in the United Kingdom, Germany and Greece, less so in Italy, and seldom in Poland and Sweden. Gender differences within countries are not so marked. Country differences are explained in the light of the different welfare regimes characterising the countries under investigation, in order to elucidate how policy makers may act to improve working carers' conditions through appropriate policies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

ABSTRACT One of the most enduring stereotypes concerning the history of Central and Eastern Europe is the notion of a German Drang nach Osten. While the German impact on the region is beyond doubt, its alleged motivation in terms of a 'drive to the East' has been dismissed almost universally by historians (especially in Germany and Poland) as a 'myth' that obscures the complexities of history more than it illuminates them. Starting from this observation, the present article approaches the phrase Drang nach Osten from a linguistic point of view for the first time. The historical content and background of Drang nach Osten are surveyed first, including its origin in the crisis of German-Polish relations during the 1848 revolution. Three linguistic approaches to stereotyping are then presented with regard to their application to Drang nach Osten. Starting from general cognitive-discursive strategies of stereotyping, Drang nach Osten is defined linguistically as a 'Nominationsstereotyp'; its characteristic syntactic and semantic stabilisation is explicated in frame-semantic terms, and its use as a German phrase in non-German discourse is analysed from a semiotic point of view. The paper closes with thoughts concerning the interdisciplinary nature of 'Stereotypenforschung'. Ein besonders hartnäckiges Stereotyp in Ost- und Ostmitteleuropa ist die Vorstellung, die Geschichte dieser Region sei in hohem Maße von einem deutschen Drang nach Osten geformt worden. Nachdem der Begriff Drang nach Osten als motivationale Kategorie von Historikern nahezu einhellig ins Reich der Mythen verwiesen worden ist, die die unzweifelhafte Komplexität und Ambivalenz der historischen Wirklichkeit eher verdunkeln als erhellen, versucht der vorliegende Beitrag, sich dem Ausdruck Drang nach Osten erstmals aus linguistischer Sicht zu nähern. Zuerst wird kurz der historische Gehalt und Hintergrund des Ausdrucks Drang nach Osten dargestellt, ausgehend von der Krise der deutsch-polnischen Beziehungen in der Revolution von 1848. Danach werden drei verschiedene linguistische Annäherungen an sprachliche Stereotypisierung im Hinblick auf Drang nach Osten diskutiert. Ausgehend von allgemeinen kognitiv-diskursiven Stereotypisierungsstrategien wird Drang nach Osten als Nominationsstereotyp definiert, dessen semantische und syntaktische Stabilisierung in frame-semantischen Kategorien beschreibbar ist; zusätzlich wird die Verwendung des deutschen Ausdrucks Drang nach Osten in nicht-deutschsprachigen Diskursen aus semiotischer Sicht interpretiert. Überlegungen zu den interdisziplinären Aspekten einer historisch-linguistischen Stereotypenforschung runden den Beitrag ab. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on a conference on the concept of democracy in Germany and Poland in the 20th and 21st centuries, held in Ciążeń and Poznań, Poland, from September 26-29, 2011. The papers presented discussed such topics as the role of democracy as a political idea and catchphrase in the aftermath of World War I, the democratization of Poland and East Germany after the fall of communism in 1989, and civic engagement in 21st-century German and Polish politics.

Actual ecological research postulates for alder carrs a cyclic alternation of Alnus tree vegetation with open fen or Salix dominated vegetation. Such cycles are also indicated in palaeo-ecological studies, but normally the temporal resolution of these studies is insufficient to resolve the duration of short-term cycles in vegetation development. This paper presents a high resolution palaeoecological study (including pollen, macrofossils and non-pollen palynomorphs) of a Late Holocene wood peat section from the small, long-term Alnus dominated peatland ‘Heger Soll’ in the ‘Rodder Forst’ in Western Pomerania (NE Germany) to reconstruct short-term vegetation changes. During a time-span of ca. 800 years, sedge-dominated fen vegetation types alternated with two phases of Alnus carr and one phase of Salix shrubland. The alder carr decline coincided with the beginning of intensified human activity in the surroundings of the mire and was probably connected to increased water discharge resulting from large-scale deforestation, after which willow scrub and sedge fen became established. Growth of Alnus trees was associated with prolonged phases of reduced human impact and probably less water supply. This study shows that human impact on the uplands surrounding the mire and on the alder carr itself may explain the observed “cyclic” vegetation development of alder carrs, willow scrubs and sedge fens in Central Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The purpose of the current paper is to report the levels of OC pesticides (∑HCHs, HCB, ∑DDTs), marker PCBs, PCDD/Fs, and dl-PCBs in the muscle tissue of European eel, Anguilla anguilla (L.), collected in the Vistula and Szczecin lagoons (Poland), and in the local market. The results obtained were evaluated according to maximum limits adopted by EU, and some national legislatures. The intake of organochlorine contaminants from the consumption of eel from Polish waters is also estimated. The residues of tested contaminants ranged between: 0.6 and 6.0ngg−1 ww for ∑HCHs; 9.8 and 273.9ngg−1 ww for ∑DDTs; 0.4 and 23.8ngg−1 ww for HCB; 4.0 and 533.9ngg−1 ww ∑7PCBs; 0.72 and 8.14pg-WHO-TEQg−1 ww for ∑PCDD/F/DL-PCBs. The levels of OCPs, and PCDD/F/dl-PCBs in the muscle tissues of eels captured in the Vistula and Szczecin lagoons were compliant with European regulations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The paper presents the statistical analysis' results of major models of the solar radiation intensity onto an inclined plane. Models with various degrees of complexity: from the simplest classical isotropic model to the most complex anisotropic model (the Perez model) were analyzed. The data yielded by the theoretical models were compared with a four-year measurement database from the actinometric station in the SolarLAB Photovoltaic Laboratory in Wrocław. Also the potential benefits of using albedo data characteristic of the measurement location versus the classical 0.2 albedo assumption were examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how the rise and fall of Polish agriculture affected the larger political and economic relationships among Poland and three key members of the western alliance—the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Federal Republic of Germany—in the first decade of the Cold War. This period is revealing precisely because the reversal of fortunes in the Polish agricultural economy required the Polish government and some western counterparts to maneuver through periods of both agricultural advantage and disadvantage. Agricultural strategies as means and ends motivated the Polish, British, West German, and American governments to actions that bent, stretched, and limited some well-established practices in Cold War relations across divided Europe. By explicating the political consequences of changing flows of agricultural exports and imports in one specific context, this essay serves as case study of the role of agriculture in the global context of the Cold War. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In years 2006-2007, at the area of Poland there were established a network of the absolute gravity measurements points for definition gravity reference system of the Polish Permanent GNSS network and geodynamic networks. Lower Silesian part of the system consist of five points situated in places: Wrocław, Kłodzko, Janowice Wielkie, Lubiąż i Świebodzice. The paper contain detailed description of location of the points Wrocław, Kłodzko, Janowice and Lubiąż, methods of monumentation and first results of measurements made at the points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most important developments in the incipient Berlin Republic's memory regime has been the return of the memory of German suffering from the end and aftermath of World War II. Elite discourses about the bombing of German cities, the mass rape of German women by members of the Red Army, and, above all, the expulsion of Germans from then-Eastern Germany and elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe have gained massive visibility in the last decade. Although many voices have lauded these developments as liberating, many others within Germany and especially in Poland—from where the vast majority of Germans were expelled—have reacted with fear. Yet, do these elite voices resonate with mass publics? Have these arguments had demonstrable effects on public opinion? This paper delves into these questions by looking at survey results from both countries. It finds that there has been a disjuncture between the criticisms of elites and average citizens, but that the barrage of elite criticisms leveled at German expellees and their initiatives now may be affecting mass attitudes in all cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we discuss air quality assessment in three Italian, German and Polish regions using the index methodology proposed by Bruno and Cocchi. This analysis focuses first of all on the air quality in each of the considered countries, and then adopts a more general approach in order to compare pollution severity and toxicity. In this context, air quality indexes are a powerful data-driven tool since they are easily calculated and summarize a complex phenomenon, such as air pollution, in indicators which are immediately understandable. The use of a unique index should be encouraged in a global European perspective where all countries are commonly involved in assessing air quality and taking proper measures for improving it. In particular, the main objective of this work is to evaluate the index performances in distinguishing different health risk related air pollution patterns. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Studies on dissolved silicate (DSi) and biogenic silica (BSi) dynamics were carried out in the Oder estuary, Baltic Sea in 2000–2005. The Oder estuary proved to be an important component of the Oder River–Baltic Sea continuum where very intensive seasonal DSi uptake during spring and autumn, but also BSi regeneration during summer take place. Owing to the regeneration process annual DSi patterns in the river and the estuary distinctly differed; the annual patterns of DSi in the estuary showed two maxima and two minima in contrast to one maximum- and one minimum-pattern in the Oder River. DSi concentrations in the river and in the estuary were highest in winter (200–250 μmol dm−3) and lowest (often less than 1 μmol dm−3) in spring, concomitant with diatom growth; such low values are known to be limiting for new diatom growth. Secondary DSi summer peaks at the estuary exit exceeded 100 μmol dm−3, and these maxima were followed by autumn minima coinciding with the autumn diatom bloom. Seasonal peaks in BSi concentrations (ca. 100 μmol dm−3) occurred during the spring diatom bloom in the Oder River. Mass balance calculations of DSi and BSi showed that DSi+BSi import to the estuary over a two year period was 103.2 kt and that can be compared with the DSi export of 98.5 kt. The difference between these numbers gives room for ca. 2.5 kt BSi to be annually exported to the Baltic Sea. Sediment cores studies point to BSi annual accumulation on the level of 2.5 kt BSi. BSi import to the estuary is on the level of ca. 10.5 kt, thus ca. 5 kt of BSi is annually converted into the DSi, increasing the pool of DSi that leaves the system. BSi concentrations being ca. 2 times higher at the estuary entrance than at its exit remain in a good agreement with the DSi and BSi budgeting presented in the paper. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]