Search

This article explores the intertwinement of politics, international affairs and culture during the Cold War through a case study of Polish-Dutch cultural relations and the heterogeneous factors that shaped them. The study centres around the turbulent events of 1968 in Poland, and their impact on the international cultural policies of the Polish People's Republic and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It demonstrates that the cultural field suffered the most immediate consequences of the political decisions taken by both parties – consequences which lasted for a considerable time – thus making it a metaphorical litmus test for the Cold War international relationships. This article reconstructs and analyses Polish and Dutch reactions to the 1968 events and their use of culture for the sake of their own policies – both as a form of protest and as an anti-crisis tool meant to influence the authorities and citizens of the target country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 5 May 1957, Leopold Löwenheim passed away in a Berlin hospital following a short but severe illness, unnoticed by the community of mathematical logicians who believed that he had perished in a Nazi concentration camp in or shortly after 1940 (the year of publication in the Journal of Symbolic Logic of his last paper before the end of World War II). The 50th anniversary of his death seems an appropriate date for the posthumous publication of a paper that was supposed to appear in Fundamenta Mathematicae in 1939, the galley proofs of which Löwenheim had already seen and corrected when German troops invaded Poland on 1 September 1939. Löwenheim managed to save the proofs through the War, despite the loss of most of his possessions during the bombing of Berlin in 1943 and 1944. By another lucky chance, a copy of the proofs survived in the present author's possession, when the originals were lost during a flat clearing in Berlin as part of the estate of Johannes Teichert (1904-1994), Löwenheim's step-son, when his widow moved into a nursing-home in May 1999. Later, I will expand these short remarks slightly but seize the present opportunity to resume (and in some places add to) the extant data on Löwenheim's life and writings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The papers of Zygmunt Haupt, Polish emigre writer and painter, are now fully processed and open to researches in the Department of Special Collections, Stanford University Libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a discussion of a paper on sulfur isotopes in the mineral springs in the Polish Carpathians.

The European Universities Initiative (EUI) was established in 2017. Its aim is to strengthen strategic partnerships between higher education institutions across the EU by building networks of universities. At the end of 2023, there were already 50 European University Alliances gathering 430 higher education (HE) institutions. In each of these Alliances, academic libraries are members, too. These libraries are already involved in intra-alliance projects, and these alliances will probably happen more often due to the EU's project-driven approach. This practice paper is, to the authors' knowledge, the first attempt to describe another challenge that European academic libraries currently face i.e., project management practice. The alliance partner universities operate under distinct national laws and institutional practices, making it challenging to easily align them for effective cross-university collaborations. Familiarity with the theoretical principles of EU project management and project management methodology greatly facilitates the preparation of the proposal and the work of the project. It also allows more effective management of the project as a whole or its individual parts. This paper maps the challenges that work in international projects brings and provides suggestions on how EUI libraries can utilize project management techniques, while also aiming at showing the paths to facilitate cooperation. Drawing from an analysis of the literature on project management that might apply in library-led projects to strengthen communities of purpose, the paper is based on the example of the work experience on the project TRAIN4EU, that was co-led by the academic librarians from the University of Warsaw Library, Poland, and run by 4EU + universities. The paper concludes with a set of recommendations based on TRAIN4EU practices, lessons learned, as well as pitfalls to avoid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper offers a case study of the dynamic of securitisation of asylum seekers and migrants in Poland since 2015. It uses a unique case of the external actor – the Belarussian government – not merely threatening to escalate the pre-existing situation but actively constructing it by creating new migration flows and forcibly pushing asylum-seekers and migrants into the EU. By reconstructing the discourse and practice of the securitising actor and the intervention of the external actor, the paper shows that the pre-existing securitisation of asylum seekers and migrants in Poland was instrumentalised by the external actor, which led to the further development and intensification of the securitising policies and practices and their justifications. The analysis contributes to our understanding of the securitisation process in the moment of the context change as triggered by an exogenous factor – an intervention by the external actor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main aim of this paper is to identify the anticipated political and social consequences for the security of Poland and its citizens due to the presence of hate speech in public discourse. A morphological method was used in the research. The paper consists of an introduction, three chapters and a conclusion. Introduction outlines the research problem and presents elements of research methodology. The second part provides examples of hate speech against refugees, migrants, national minorities, people with different culture, skin color, religion, while the third part characterizes attitudes and behaviors expressed in hate speech against LGBT people. The fourth part characterizes examples of hate language used in the political debate taking place in Poland. The conclusion summarizes the research results obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to extend discussion on teachers' leadership within International Baccalaureate schools in Poland. Background for the discussions on leadership in Polish context of education is the term Homo Sovieticus [in English: Soviet Man], a notion associated with sarcastic and critical reference to an average conformist person living in the Soviet Union or in other countries of the Eastern Bloc in Europe, a spineless person who lacks any 'bottom up' initiative. In the paper, it is claimed that teachers' limited leadership in a centrally steered system of teacher training in Poland, demonstrates features of leadership developed according to the Homo Sovieticus model of the citizen. Strong emphasis onto leadership within international culture do not let Homo Sovieticus features and behaviors to develop. In this understanding, international schools with strong emphasis on leadership in Polish post-soviet educational landscape creates path of evolution from stereotypical perception of teachers as passive 'Homo Sovieticus' to leader within school curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper considers the appearance and meaning of city walls on ducal and municipal seals in 13th-century Poland. Despite the great popularity of the motif, actual stone or brick fortifications, both of towns and castles, were rare in Poland at the time. It is especially striking that in the area of Kuyavia, where local dukes introduced the motif onto their seals at an early stage, such architectonic structures were almost entirely absent. Several towns also employed images of stone walls on their seals before they gained the real fortifications. The motif of fortification is examined here as a symbol of civilization in a wider sense, and particularly that of the communal town. The final section the paper explores ways in which Polish society might have come to understand this symbolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper adopts a transaction costs (TCs) approach towards analysing the transactions of local governments in the service sector. The objective of the paper is to expand the analysis of the TCs concept by going beyond the conventional service-type-driven models. This study examines the cost of monitoring (MC) service contracts in Poland as perceived by local government officials, focusing on different forms of externalisation. The research involves utilising quantitative methods to examine how five distinct governance structures influence perceptions of TCs. The study suggests that the entity type, whether a public or private agent, affects the perceptions of monitoring costs in contractual agreements. The research found that the monitoring costs associated with public sector contracts are perceived to be higher than in public-private transactions, challenging previous findings. Further research on Inter-Municipal Cooperation should focus on the final product quality monitoring area, representing the most costly aspect of multi-principal structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roadside memorials are made up of objects, usually flowers, candles and crosses, placed at the roadside to mark the sites of fatal accidents. The paper introduces the potential of Lefebvre's concept of rhythmanalysis and geography of rhythms in exploring roadside memorials. The aim of the paper is to investigate rituals and rhythms at roadside memorials in Poland. Data were collected during two-year field observations of 12 roadside memorials and from 10 semi-structured interviews. Polish roadside memorials are part of widespread rituals which either generate material changes to roadside memorials, like cleaning up works, leaving candles and flowers at memorials or which do not generate such changes, like saying prayers or reminiscing about the deceased. The specifics of roadside memorialisation in Poland are expressed in prayers being said and no personal belongings being left at the sites. We found that the coexistence of individual and social rhythms at roadside memorials was deeply rooted in Catholic liturgy and commonly accepted cemetery rituals in Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper sheds light on the feelings of exclusion and insecurity among female members of Catholic groups in contemporary Poland. It is based on data gathered in the years 2019–2020 within the research project Resistance and Subordination. Religious Agency of Roman Catholic Women in Poland, which involved 48 in-depth interviews with university-educated Catholic women living in large Polish cities and engaged in various religious groups. The conducted analysis indicates that the interviewees resorted to defensive actions, representing a cultural backlash. Taking into consideration the numerical and institutional dominance of Roman Catholicism in Poland, the overarching question of the paper is: why do the interviewed women feel excluded and at what or at whom is their resentment directed? The analysis draws upon a wider discussion on the ongoing ideological polarisation of contemporary societies, showing the case of a country that is religiously homogenous. The interviewed women recognise some external threats, such as liberal culture and feminism, but also internal ones, namely ritualised, habitual, 'mainstream' Catholicism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores the long-term trajectory and the recent acceleration of the conflict over the rule of law in the EU. It focusses on the motivation of the two governments in Hungary and Poland to challenge European core values increasingly aggressively even directly at EU level despite the threat of significant material costs to both countries. Putting forward a Gramscian understanding, we argue that this radicalization is the result of a counter-hegemonic strategy that aims at replacing the liberal order with a new, nationalist, ultraconservative, Christian order on domestic and European levels. The paper traces core elements of this strategy which are either disputed or underestimated in existing literature, most importantly the pursuit of a core ideology and the massive and long-term investment into winning moral and cultural leadership through the penetration of civil society which precedes and complements electoral strategies and autocratic institution building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper utilises a systematic review of 110 Polish corporate histories to explore the question of how the genre of corporate history has evolved over time in a country that has undergone multiple transitions. The corporate histories subjected to review were published in three different historical periods: prior to World War II, during the socialist period and following the transition to capitalism. The analysis is focussed on both formal and thematic features of Polish corporate history as a genre. This paper contributes to the business history literature in three ways. First, it showcases some unique features of relatively unknown corporate histories in the Polish context. Second, it provides an empirical illustration of the process of genre evolution by analysing continuity and change in corporate histories published over three different historical periods. Third, it offers methodological insight into the analysis of the corporate history genre in countries where it is not recognised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catastrophic events like COVID-19 cause substantial material losses and significant harm to the public. However, such events may also accelerate socioeconomic developments such as increased digitalization of economic and societal activities, including e-government services. These services become especially critical in crisis situations , providing a vehicle for administrative responses and ensuring social and economic functioning. This paper reports on a pilot study on the impact of COVID-19 on the demand for and the provision of e-government services in a municipality in Poland. Interviews with city administrators and technical staff involved in providing e-government services during COVID-19 are the primary data sources. Issues identified relate to changes in work regulations, adjustments to operations, shifts in volume and types of services, and changes in employee attitudes and behaviors. Employing focusing event theory in interpreting the results, this paper contributes to the literature on information and communication technologies, especially e-government in local administrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As donors channel more of their development assistance through private companies, a discussion is growing on what this shift means for international development. This paper focuses on four Central European donors, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, who have recently implemented new incentives to promote the greater engagement of the private sector in their international development programmes. The paper uses new survey data of project managers at organisations implementing aid projects funded by these four donors to explore how private actors differ in their approaches to aid implementation. The analysis reveals that the type of implementing organisation does not affect their focus on internal project goals (budget, schedule, and scope), but project managers at private firms consider long-term impact and economic sustainability of the project less important. These findings support claims that for-profit organisations exercise a short-term approach to satisfy funders, but lack a deeper focus on long-term development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

In this paper we provide integrative description (morphological and genetic) of the new eutardigrade species Mesobiotus mandalorisp. nov. from central Poland, found during research on the vertical distribution of Tardigrada in the Czerniejewskie Forests. Mesobiotus mandalorisp. nov. belongs to the harmsworthi group, but it differs from the members of this group in some morphometric characters of the bucco-pharyngeal apparatus, claws and/or eggs. Morphologically, Meb. mandalorisp. nov. is most similar to Meb. pseudocoronatus, but it differs from it by a larger bare egg diameter and smaller number of egg processes on egg circumference. Morphometrical data were supported by results of comparative genetic analysis of four molecular markers: 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, ITS2 and COI. According to COI the new species is most similar to Meb. skorackii with the genetic distance of 21.1%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poland is a case of a state in which the role of legislative bodies in the political system has been gradually reduced at the various levels – national, regional, and local. Recently, this process has been related to executive aggrandisement observed in Poland, but the roots of this phenomenon can be traced back to the political transformation of this country observed after 1989. At the national level, the deteriorating legislative role of parliament manifests itself in four general processes: (1) The executive power treats the Sejm (lower chamber) as a subordinate institution. This involves formally introducing laws forced by the government in the form of proposals written by members of parliament (MPs) (as a way to shorten the legislative process and limit public consultations required by law); (2) Speeding up of parliamentary works – the Sejm is treated as a voting machine and not as a forum where debates and discussion take place; (3) Public consultations are superficial and the regulatory assessment impact is minimal; (4) The influence of the opposition on legislative processes is reduced to almost zero. Similar processes can be observed at the regional and local levels. The subnational legislative bodies are often under the control of executives. Instances of voting with no or limited discussions (favouring the governing majority) can be sometimes observed during the sessions of local and regional councils. This paper analyses the weakening of the legislative function in Poland at different levels, using a qualitative approach and data from desk research, media analysis, in-depth individual interviews and focus group interviews. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper investigates the short-run job mobility of educationally mismatched workers, examining the validity of the Sicherman-Galor hypothesis, which predicts that overeducation is a temporary condition from a worker's perspective associated with higher upward occupational and wage mobility. The study uses data from the Polish Labour Force Survey, investigating yearly changes in employment status, occupation, and wages. The results show that overeducated workers are more likely to remain employed compared to their properly matched colleagues. Both overeducated and undereducated workers tend to move towards jobs for which they are better matched. However, the rate of this adjustment is very low, contradicting the Sicherman-Galor hypothesis. On the other hand, overeducated workers, but mostly prime-aged ones, are found to experience faster wage growth compared to properly matched individuals, aligning with the Sicherman-Galor hypothesis. The higher wage growth of overeducated workers can be partially attributed to workers improving their match status over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the issues of premodern ethnogenesis, early medieval state formation, and political identification are central fields of inquiry in recent historiography, scholars rarely refer to liturgical sources even when discussing the significance of political rituals. Therefore, the goal of this paper is to examine identity formation in the Piast realms based on liturgical evidence. First, the paper analyzes the meaning and spread of the name Polonia proper, as applied c. 1000 for the territory under the Piast ruler. Second, the paper analyzes how Christian liturgy enabled leaders to shape and internalise Polish political identity through the liturgical invocation of the name of a ruler. Finally, based on the Carolingian, post-Carolingian, and Slavic analogies, the paper argues that the political message conveyed by liturgical phenomena should not be seen as exclusively limited to the members of the clergy, but rather that it could have reached a broader audience as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy security is among the top security concerns of the 21st century requiring technological answers. However, the technological innovations adopted often not only serve to ensure adequate energy access and stable flow of energy, but also foster specific visions of socio-economic and techno-political orders and security. This paper tweaks the analytical lens of sociotechnical imaginaries, in which desired futures are connected to social and technical elements in concrete cases by adding a focus on identity formation and ontological security to the analytical model. Zooming in on the Baltic Sea Region, the paper traces sociotechnical imaginaries tied to the desired future of energy sovereignty through coal and nuclear energy in Poland and the bright future of energy independence through a liquified natural gas terminal in Lithuania. Nationally embedded understandings of how (in)security can be managed through technological innovation and how the desired national energy visions can be attained in the process highlight the importance of ontological security concerns. In tracing those themes, the paper combines a historical view with developments since the mid-2010s in Polish and Lithuanian energy discourse and analyzes the mainstream energy security imaginaries as envisioned by political elites. The study draws on speeches of key political figures, official documents concerning energy planning as well as semi-structured interviews. The analysis highlights how the study of energy innovation in the Baltic Sea Region can contribute to the conversation between critical security studies and science and technology studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates whether religion as an important feature of culture affects the formation of personal and social resilience, thus becoming a developmental factor. A questionnaire surveying a sample of 100 rural residents in the Łowicz Diocese in Poland showed that religion was still 'going strong', being an enduring element of national and local culture. The results from this Polish Catholic region undermine prevailing secularisation theories. The research shows that faith provides a significantly positive strength needed to cope with daily life, as well as during crisis situations. It enables people not only to 'survive' but also to 'live well and creatively'. It supplies needed continuity and enhances community solidarities. By consolidating resilience, religion gives people's lives meaning, and augments subjective senses of wellbeing. As a source of social capital, religion mobilises people into joint activities for the parish and local community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preparations for the EU's post-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework have brought increased interest to the functional approach as a major paradigm of the EU policies towards cross-border areas. This approach aims to focus cross-border programmes on territories where there is a high degree of cross-border interaction. Cross-border functional areas (CBFAs) can be a potential instrument for this, fostering further reduction of cross-border barriers and enhancing flows of people, goods, materials and knowledge. However, certain aspects of this notion are rather vague. This includes both the way how to turn the rather discursive concept of the CBFA into more material-institutional practices, and how CBFAs can be identified in practice to successfully implement the EU's cohesion policy. This paper debates the concept of the CBFA and proposes understanding CBFAs as spatially specific territorial complexes, located on two (or more) sides of a state border(s) that are not defined by administrative borders, but by cross-border functional linkages, a system of cooperative relationships and the existence of governance mechanisms. The paper proposes a novel approach for CBFA's identification based on a four-level model, taking into account the selected criteria. The proposed framework enabled to identify CBFAs and potential CBFAs at the borders of Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conceptual framework of this paper is based on the concept of bounded rationality. During the decision-making process, the consumer uses images as mental shortcuts. The occurrence of the spillover effect has been confirmed in the literature. To this date, the effect of tourism advertising on the respondents' attitudes towards products originating from a particular country and the issue of whether it affects both dimensions of a country's image (cognitive and affective) have not been studied. The present study responds to these two gaps by developing an extended model of the spillover effect. A sample of 138 Japanese students participated in a pre-post experiment to provide feedback before and after exposure to advertising. Research results indicate that the commercial have created a more positive attitude among respondents in all areas measured. The current study adds to the growing body of cross-disciplinary literature on country image. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Western Balkans EU candidate countries face rule of law challenges far more serious than Hungary or Poland did at the time of their accessions in 2004. Despite extensive EU conditionality and support, with 16% of EU pre-structural funds dedicated between 2014 and 2020 to rule of law projects, governance indicators show no substantial change. The European Court of Auditors (ECA) also found little impact in advancing the rule of law in the candidate countries in the Western Balkans. The European Commission, however, does report signs of progress. By drawing on public procurement data from the two sectors concentrating most public expenditure, namely health and construction, between the years 2017 and 2019, this paper solves the dilemma of how allegedly successful reforms can happen without much impact. By directly measuring government favouritism in procurement, before and after EU-driven reforms, the paper finds that evolution has so far been limited despite proving the effect of certain interventions. The paradox is explained by providing evidence of versatile behaviour by the main rent owners and the increasing discretionary power of Albania's governing party. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The credibility of democracy promotion provided by countries experiencing democratic backsliding has raised many doubts lately. The goal of this exploratory paper is to examine Poland's efforts to promote democracy through foreign aid in Ukraine. I find that after winning the elections in 2015, the populist government in Poland started to transform democracy aid both at the level of development cooperation policy and in practice in Ukraine, one of the biggest beneficiaries of Polish aid. Rather than explicitly questioning or limiting aid as an instrument of democracy promotion, support for civil society and human rights has been reduced, and the involvement of Polish NGOs, especially those strongly committed to transferring democratic values abroad, declined. Such changes are perceived as another layer of Poland's democratic backsliding rooted in the anti-pluralism of the Law and Justice party. Thus, this paper enriches the debate on populism by showing the latter's effects on democracy promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study offers a comprehensive and detailed analysis of the activity of HeChalutz HaLochem's members, Szimszon Dränger and his wife, Gusta Dawidsohn-Dränger, in the area of Nowy Wiśnicz in the second half of 1943. Using critical readings of primary sources, new documents, and geographical research, this paper offers a more accurate picture and visualizes the activities of these Jewish resisters. The study found sites that served Szimszon Dränger's group, emphasizing its limited resources and poor infrastructure and operational readiness. This paper addresses the conflict between Szimszon Dränger and local Jews who rejected his effort to renew the armed resistance against the Germans. [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]

The aim of this paper is to decide whether or not term premiums appear and thus are predictable in Central European countries in the data sample of forward rate agreement interest rates and corresponding spot interest rates. Term premiums theoretically are explained thanks to the applications of the efficient market hypothesis theory, the expectations theory, and the liquidity preferences theory. Empirically, we used cointegration techniques for nonstationary time series, mainly using the cointegration method (simple and even for panel data) and the vector error correction model. We used data samples of Central European countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland) and also of the United Kingdom. We found that the best future estimate of term premiums is its current value. It does not refer in the same way to the market efficiency hypothesis (EMH) or theexpectations hypothesis (EH). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we use administrative tabulations from occupation-based income tax (class tax) to estimate income inequality in the Duchy of Warsaw. We start off by estimating income inequality in the Department of Kalisz, and then use the decomposability of the Theil index to estimate national income inequality based on a sample of Theil indices corresponding to different settlement types. According to our results, income inequality in the Duchy was at a moderate level, although in the biggest cities it was relatively high. Income inequality at county level was positively correlated with the mean income of the county. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experience in the UK with auto enrolling workers in pensions indicates that once enrolled, most workers stay enrolled, suggesting that auto enrollment may be a desirable policy for other countries. However, the experience with auto enrollment is much different in Poland. This paper examines the argument that inertia is not a strong force when workers distrust in the security of future pension benefits. We present a simple conceptual framework where trust affects the subjective probability distribution of workers relating to future pension benefits. We investigate how this framework might explain the high opt-out rate in Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of European Journal of Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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]

This paper reconsiders the relationship between individual wages and regional market access. We focus on Poland – a country that has experienced profound changes in market accessibility over the last two decades, first as a consequence of European Union accession in 2004, and second as a result of the unprecedented development of the major road transport network. Using data over the period 2000–15 we find that the positive relationship between wages and regional market access disappears after 2004. At the same time, individual wages begin to be positively correlated with the market potential of Poland's main trading partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health policy and academic discourses on rare diseases and people with rare conditions frequently employ terms such as 'low prevalence' and 'unique' to characterize the smallness of the population under consideration and to justify targeted action toward these patient groups. This paper draws from recent anthropological scholarship on smallness and data, ethnographic research in Finland and Poland, as well as document and media analysis to examine how data is utilized in the context of isolated populations that are considered sites of rare diseases in these two countries. Specifically, this paper juxtaposes the notion of Finnish Disease Heritage (FDH) with that of a 'Kashubian gene' in Poland. The concept of FDH was developed by Finnish researchers in the 1970s; it encompasses almost forty rare hereditary diseases that are significantly more prevalent in Finland than elsewhere globally. On the other hand, the notion of the 'Kashubian gene' was first utilized by the media and some members of the Polish medical community around 2008. Based on 'unstable' data gathered during genetic research, the term referred to the high prevalence of a rare metabolic disorder (Long-Chain 3-Hydroxyacyl-CoA Dehydrogenase (LCHAD) deficiency) among Kashubians, an ethnic minority that resides in Northern Poland's Pomerania region. Whereas FDH facilitated the production and branding of 'a unique Finnish genetic identity' (Tupasela 2016b, 61), the notion of the 'Kashubian gene' has engendered health policy interventions targeting members of this ethnic minority and has contributed to stigmatizing practices carried out against Kashubians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this paper is to investigate the extent to which inward foreign direct investment (FDI) in advanced business services (ABS) – a result of so-called offshoring of white collar jobs – contributes to the structural change of employment in regions of host economies. We use a fixed-effect regression model based on cross-regional panel data for Hungary and Poland for the period between 2005 and 2014. Our findings show that ABS FDI carries structural impacts: employment in foreign-owned firms increases the share of the tertiary sector in a region both directly and indirectly through inducing other tertiary activities as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Reviewing existing literature and policy documents concerning leadership of parent and student in school councils after World War II, up to the present day, the goal of this paper is to examine how to have parent and student council policies developed in Poland, what solutions exist in the area of educational policy concerning student and parent councils, and how do these solutions support the leadership of parents and youth in schools. To address this aim, a review of the relevant legislation and research work published between 1952 and 2018 has been carried out. Although research into school councils is constantly growing, the policy of education concerning parent and student leadership in Polish context remain unexplored. The paper argues that central to the development of the policy about parent and student leadership in Poland is the evolution from an autocracy after World War II to a democracy within the state monopoly at the present time. The vertical decentralization of decision-making, for example, on financial matters, examinations, school work supervision, is accompanied at the same time by a policy of keeping parent and student leadership in school councils under the control of the Ministry of Education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new Polish military branch, the Territorial Defense Force (TDF), has been described both as a defensive tool against Russian hybrid warfare and as a private paramilitary force of the incumbent Law and Justice Party. This paper examines the strategic, political, and military purposes of the Territorial Defense Force using two theoretical models. One is designed for analyzing units intended to protect against external threats, the second for units targeting internal threats. Comparing these models with the officially declared objectives of the TDF, our results indicate a stronger correlation of the new branch with the second model and reveal distinct political motivations for its creation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, Israel Studies have been gaining momentum in Europe, especially in the Central and Eastern parts of the continent. The aim of this paper is to scrutinize the genesis and evolutionary developments of Israel Studies as a separate study field in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Germany. The authors tackle the following aspects: the dominant intellectual traditions, historiographic approaches, and disciplinary frameworks; the teaching and research environment for Israel Studies in each examined country; potential entanglement of the discipline with political ties to the State of Israel and its consequences. The paper employs the qualitative research approach and relies on the case study methodology. However, an essential part of the study utilizes a comparative perspective and offers certain prospects for Israel Studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that some EU member states have been smart, or even dishonest. Splitting off capital cities from existing NUTS2 regions has given them an advantage in the Cohesion Policy funds allocation scheme but worsened the position of others. To explain the reasons and implications, we review the issue of delimiting the NUTS2 regions and the related allocation of financial resources. We evaluate how modifications of NUTS2 regions, carried out by Hungary, Poland, and Lithuania, impacted the allocation of financial resources for the 2021–2027 programming period. The analysis shows the shift of billions of euros towards these countries. We also argue that this experience is and could also be an inspiration for other countries. [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]

This paper studies determinants of international mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in Poland using the predictions of the knowledge capital model of multinational enterprise. The empirical implementation of the theory is based on the negative binomial model and the bilateral dataset covering 143 countries over the period 1995–2015. Our estimation results indicate that M&As in Poland are explained by both differences in relative factor endowments and in market size which confirms the importance of both market seeking and efficiency seeking motives. Moreover, the efficiency seeking motive is losing its importance over time while the market seeking motive becomes more important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conceptualizations of path creation proposed in recent years neglect the role of time and temporal mechanisms. This paper argues that a more comprehensive understanding of inter-path relations that incorporates both agency and relationships among temporal sequences can be achieved using the concept of critical conjuncture, which is overlooked in the contemporary path-creation literature. This paper draws on a case study of the industrial region of Upper Silesia, Poland, where a new regional trajectory is emerging as the result of the unpredicted critical conjuncture of the endogenously driven path of the information technology services sector and the exogenous foreign direct investment-based path of the automotive industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is ample evidence that foreigners suffer from discrimination when trying to integrate. Extreme situations, however, can alter the population's attitude towards foreigners. One example of such an extreme situation is the position of Ukrainians in Poland since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It drastically changed the composition and share of the foreign-born population in Poland. In this paper, we examined the attitude towards people with Ukrainian-sounding and other foreign-sounding names in Poland, and whether it has changed. We used an experimental approach, within which we contacted amateur football coaches asking to join a trial training session using typical native- and Belarussian-, German-, and Ukrainian-sounding names. Half of the clubs received an additional signal showing support for Ukraine. Furthermore, a limited subset of participants completed post-experiment surveys. The survey gave us an opportunity to understand why the respondents discriminate. The results show that people with foreign-sounding names receive fewer responses. Surprisingly, people with Ukrainian names are the exception. They received more responses than natives. Signaling support for Ukraine had a positive but not statistically significant effect on the response rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper employs demographically representative discrete choice experiments (DCEs) with owner occupiers in Poland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom (UK) to estimate the effects of subsidies, heating cost savings, installation time (reflecting 'hassle costs') and warranty length on owner occupiersʻ propensity to invest in a new heating system. In particular, the paper explores whether owner occupiers value subsidies received from public funding sources differently than subsidies received from private funding sources. The results from estimating mixed logit models suggest that respondents not only value subsidies for new heating systems because they decrease the net price, but they also value receiving a subsidy per se. For participants from Sweden (but not from Poland and the UK), this non-monetary value was found to be higher for subsidies offered by a public than by a private funding source. The results for heating cost savings in the three countries imply implicit discount rates between about 11 and 13%. We further find that respondents in Poland dislike longer installation times, and that respondents in all three countries value longer warranty times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates whether the scope of preferential tax treatment depends on the political strength of the incumbent mayor. A dataset on real estate taxes in Polish municipalities in 2005–17 is used. More tax revenues are foregone in municipalities governed by politically weak mayors, albeit the uncovered relationship has limited economic significance. It is tentatively found that the preferential tax policy has a slightly negative, if any, effect on municipal revenues. As such, it is rather a political than an economic tool. Less popular mayors offer higher reductions towards natural persons and in the form of tax rate reductions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims at tracking patterns of both change and consistency with regard to women's roles in Poland, with particular focus on family roles. This paper considers whether women's disproportionate domestic labour and childcare constitutes the so-called double burden or a successful example of work–family balance. In addressing this question, the paper considers survey evidence concerning the gap between preferred and implemented models for the division of domestic labour and childcare. Is there a strong expectation of a gendered domestic division of labour in contemporary Poland? What do women in Poland think about this? Following Ulrich Beck's individualisation theory (2002), as well as Hakim's preference theory (2006), this paper provides a secondary analysis of gender roles in terms of both paid work and unpaid work. In contemporary society, 'doing family' leads to changes in the internal structure of family. In the Polish context, however, it is unclear whether this signals a transition to full gender equality or, rather, perpetuates inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]