This study evaluates the impact of Poland’s 2017 education system reform on secondary schools in Warsaw. The reform eliminated middle schools, restored K-8 primary schools, and shortened the duration of common compulsory education from nine to eight years. Using a quasi-experimental design comparing two cohorts transitioning under different systems, we investigate changes in school segregation and student sorting. We found that the reform reduced school segregation, with the share of test score variance attributable to between-school at end of middle/K8 education decreasing from 38% to 25%. However, K-8 graduates entered an equally stratified secondary education system, reflecting persistent inequalities in access to high-quality schools. These results highlight the reform’s mixed success: although it successfully balanced academic achievement levels among 15-year-old students during primary education, selective admission practices continued to sort students by ability at the upper secondary level.
The article examines the relationship between the exam results of primary school students and the socio-spatial diversity in Warsaw. Over the past two decades of dynamic transformation and significant social changes in the city, the overall scale of socio-spatial segregation has remained relatively stable. However, studies have revealed a persistent polarisation in exam results, with students from certain districts consistently performing below average. Local educational and economic capital as well as access to non-public schools have significantly influenced both the level and changes in these results. The research provides evidence of some – albeit often weak – correlations between the quality of public education, the availability of non-public education, and the socio-spatial structure of the city. These findings form the basis for public-policy recommendations aimed at addressing the existing inequalities and ensuring access to high-quality public education in all districts of Warsaw.
The article focuses on the beliefs of the regional political elites in Poland about the models of democracy, operationalised as opinions about political representation, direct democracy and elite integration. The empirical basis is a questionnaire survey of 400 members of regional political elites carried out in 2017. The sample consists of 400 councillors of the 2014-2018 term of regional (voivodship) assemblies and town councils of big cities. The data show that an incoherence of views characterises the regional political elite: they do not form a more general vision of the democratic process, and detailed opinions on representation, direct democracy and elite integration poorly correlate with independent variables, including those describing political affiliations, i.e. party affinity or location on the left-right scale. The primary explanation for this incoherent image is the thesis about the lack of professionalisation of the regional elite.
This paper examines the role of educational support in social entrepreneurship development in Poland and Ukraine based on comparative case studies and a computer-assisted web interviewing method. The research investigates cross-country and cross-institutional differences in education concerning social entrepreneurship. The paper considers the different levels of social entrepreneurship education in primary and secondary school, university, and non-formal education. It is established that students at all levels of education should have an entrepreneurial mindset, which is a prerequisite for sustainable development. The key directions for developing education regarding social entrepreneurship in Ukraine are identified.
The article was published in Polish in "Studia Regionalne i Lokalne", 3/2004
Theory and empirical literature relate educational quality to two main explanatory factors: family education (intergenerational transfer of human capital) and the quality of schools. The model proposed in this paper is intended to verify the significance of these factors in explaining territorial disparities in educational quality in Poland. The dependent variable is the test score of sixth grade pupils in 2002, averaged at municipality level. The test results prove to be strongly correlated with human capital stock in the municipality`s adult population, which points to the key role of intergenerational transfer for educational quality. On the other hand, the role of school resources (understood as expenditure on education) is rather small. Average test results differ significantly between Poland`s historical divisions. Surprisingly, the more urbanised and relatively affluent regions, like Greater Poland (Wielkopolska), Pomerania (Pomorze) and the so-called Regained Territories (ziemie odzyskane) reveal a substantially lower educational quality than the territories in the east and south-east of the country, generally less developed and with a significant share of agriculture in the economy. These differences can only be partly explained by an additional environmental factor, related to the prevalence of state-owned economy before 1990 (e.g. state farms PGRs) and today`s high structural unemployment. Interestingly, the dissimilarities between the historical regions are not only illustrated by average test score levels, but also by parameters of the determining functions for these results. It can be concluded therefore that location in a historical region has a substantial impact on the flexibility of educational outcomes with regard to different explanatory factors.
Sustainable development requires a transition in the way we manage resources in cities. For this reason, circular policies are implemented by many local and regional governments around the world. The article broadens our knowledge about the circular economy in relation to three spatial scales indicated in the literature: the macro scale (urban policies), the meso scale (urban space) and the micro scale (civic practices). The article presents the case of Warsaw, and its aim is to notice circular practices undertaken by young people living in the city. This exploratory qualitative study is contextualised by the analysis of urban policies in the field of the circular economy. Research results indicate that circular practices are undertaken by young residents of Warsaw, despite poor knowledge of the concept of circular economy. These practices include in particular efficient use of resources, trading in second-hand items, preventing waste and pollution, waste segregation and engagement in socio-educational events.
Academic research indicates that total or current expenditures have been most commonly used in sub-central or local government’s efficiency analysis as dependent variables, and a proxy for the cost of service provision. Our research applied in the case of Polish districts for 2019 and 2020 indicates two important results: firstly, regardless of whether total or current expenditures have been used, the determinants indicate the same direction of impact, and, secondly, the COVID-19 pandemic did not change the direction of the impact. The regression results confirm the positive direction that the administrative, educational, protection, and safety variables have on dependent variables.
Decision-making in a conflict situation in public policy practice is most often associated with conflicts of interest. One of the frequent forms of this conflict is the so-called NIMBY phenomenon, which has become a subject of interest mainly because of the distinctive spatial characteristics of the conflicts. A very rich base of empirical research has been provided by the Polish geographical sciences, which allowed us to attempt in this study to propose an analysis of NIMBY-type conflicts in terms of different types of collectivised interests. Hypothetically, on this basis, it would be possible to find a new approach to the resolution of these conflicts no longer only in the processes of participation of stakeholders but based on merit-based criteria. When making these decisions, it is necessary, first, to check whether there are legitimate supra-individual (group) interests at stake, since sometimes this legitimacy is questionable, and it may be only an individual interest. Different types of individual interests are justified and collectivised according to different criteria. When it comes to legitimate interests, there may be a conflict between the vertically differentiated bearers of these interests. However, even in this case, the higher hierarchical position of one of the bearers cannot imply a preference for his/her legitimate interest. As in the case of a horizontally-situated conflict, the decisive factor is the content, where interests with a higher degree of substance should be privileged over others: interests that are already concerned at the individual level with values such as human life, health, etc., must be privileged over others. They must be privileged over the interests of an economic nature, etc., and these over ordinary short-term interests. It turns out to be obvious that it is the degree of legitimate collectivised supraindividual interests that is the primary criterion for assessing preferences in decision-making in conflicts of public interests, rather than the simple preference of legitimate supra-individual interests only according to the position of their bearers in the vertical hierarchy.
This article aims to explore residents’ preferences and perceptions of the actual styles of local political leadership in Poland over the past decades. In particular, it analyses the size of the gap between preferred and perceived leadership styles. The paper uses a classification developed by Peter John and Alistair Cole distinguishing city boss, visionary, care-taker, and consensus facilitator styles. The primary empirical material comes from a nationwide survey of residents conducted in December 2022 and surveys in a few case study cities conducted in the spring and summer of 2023. In addition, previously published results from surveys conducted using similar methods are used. The results indicate a growing preference for consensus facilitator style, assuming an inclusive style for both policy preparation and policy implementation. The size of the ‘expectations gap’ is explained by the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents (age, education) and the size of the city. Younger and better educated respondents have a particularly high expectation that mayors should involve different stakeholders in the preparation and implementation of local policies, while at the same time being more critical in assessing the actual behaviour of local authorities.
This paper attempts to diagnose the attitudes of municipal office employees toward civic participation and assess selected outcomes of participatory budgeting (PB) in the six largest Polish cities between 2014 and 2023. The analysis is based on empirical research, including surveys, in-depth interviews, and secondary data analysis. The findings reveal an institutional perspective and indicate the presence of two dominant approaches among public officials, namely an affirmative and a critical one. The article also discusses both the direct and indirect effects of PB – educational, social, political, and redistributive. In cities where the affirmative approach prevails (Poznań, Wrocław, Gdańsk, and Łódź), higher educational and political outcomes were more frequently observed. In contrast, in Warsaw and Kraków, where the critical approach dominates, lower educational and political outcomes were more commonly noted, along with relatively stronger redistributive effects. The results further suggest that participatory budgeting can serve as an effective tool for municipal administrations in identifying residents’ needs, although its capacity to meet those needs remains limited.
The article examines the integration of the video game sector into regional innovation policy in Poland, using Greater Poland [Pol. Wielkopolska] as a case study. The analysis focuses on the relationship between the expansion of the game development (‘gamedev’) industry and the priorities of the Smart Specialisation Strategy (RIS 2030). The mixed-method approach was employed, combining quantitative analysis (data on microenterprises, students, and graduates by ISCED fields) with qualitative research (a review of educational offerings and infrastructure supporting the sector). The study is complemented by a content analysis of the RIS strategy and the mapping of potential links between the video game sector and the existing regional specialisations. The findings reveal the presence of a well-developed yet spatially concentrated gamedev ecosystem in the region, alongside its absence from formal innovation policy frameworks. The article concludes with proposed integration scenarios and recommendations for future directions of support for the video game sector within the RIS.
The aim of the research was to determine the forms of support provided to energy clusters in Poland. The author sought to answer the following questions: What activities do energy clusters receive support for? Does the support come from foreign (EU) or domestic funds? How do energy clusters fit in the current cluster policy in Poland? The study area was the Lower Silesia Voivodeship – one of 16 administrative regions of Poland. The author selected this region, because it has the largest number of energy clusters in Poland. The following methods were used to achieve the goal of the research: (1) a review of literature and industry reports; (2) a CAWI survey of clusters; and (3) interviews with cluster coordinators. Public support received by the surveyed clusters concerned either the commencement or the continuation of cluster activity. In the initial phase of the clusters activity, the support received concerned documentation work, drafting plans for the expansion of the power grid, and purchasing an energy monitoring and management system. At later stages of cluster development, the implemented projects mainly concerned the construction of ground-based PV farms and photovoltaic installations on the roofs of public utility buildings. Less frequently implemented projects included the thermal modernisation of public buildings, hybrid investments (PV and wind turbine), and energy storage facilities. Apart from the above, educational projects were implemented. The support funds came mainly from the EU funds (Operational Programmes and the Interreg programme). In turn, support from national funds came from the Voivodeship Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, from local government funds, or from the Polish Deal, i.e. the government’s programme of strategic investments.
The primary study objective is to verify the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis for greenhouse gas emissions in Poland at the disaggregated Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS)-3 level, accounting for spatial dependencies. The analysis employs a balanced panel of 73 subregions (2005 to 2022) based on the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research and Statistics Poland data. Spatial dependencies were determined using Moran’s and Lagrange multiplier tests, justifying the application of a spatial autoregressive panel model with individual fixed effects. The results offer robust evidence of an inverted U-shaped relationship between economic growth and emissions. The estimated turning point is about 73,035 PLN (16,592 USD) at the NUTS-3 level in 2022 prices. Urbanisation exerts a positive, statistically significant influence on per capita emissions, whereas household energy consumption indicates a positive, weakly significant influence (p < 0.10). Robustness checks performed at NUTS-2 confirmed the findings, yielding a turning point of 59,704 PLN (13,564 USD), although energy consumption proved statistically insignificant at this aggregated scale. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating spatial spillovers, as neighbouring dynamics shape regional emissions. The results underscore the need for differentiated regional climate policies reflecting spatial and structural disparities across Polish regions.
One of the most important features of Eastern Poland is its peripheral character. This region is often associated with various negative socio-economic phenomena. Population processes, including the problem of depopulation, affect a large part of rural areas of the macroregion. The main aim of this paper is to analyze the impact of the demographic changes occurring in rural areas of Eastern Poland in 2002–2015 on selected areas of socio-economic life, as well as to attempt to determine the scale of the changes and their spatial consequences in the field of education, entrepreneurship, construction, housing, and public finances.
The article aims to present and assess educational migration as a driver of human capital redistribution across regions. The unique research on academic careers of 8.5 thousand secondary school-leavers in Lublin (Poland) allowed to gather microdata on the mobility of young people along with the school-leaving examination results being a proxy of human capital. The results indicate that the ratio of youth out-migration from their home region amounts to roughly 20%, which seems a low figure against comparative studies. However, the distribution of migration rate along with the logit regression proved high propensity of the most talented youth to move out. Hence, strong positive migration selectivity is regarded as an important driver of human capital redistribution across regions, which might negatively affect human capital accumulation in the sending area.
Transport policy requires greater territorial differentiation; at the local level, it should be closely integrated with education, health and social policies. This approach to transport policy contributed to the research and determined its area – the research was carried out among school students, and its aim (and that of this article) was to determine the accessibility of secondary schools in the Wągrowiec district via public transport. Many inhabitants of villages and small towns are forced to have a car or else face a whole host of difficulties. The most common difficulties include access to education, health care or better paid work.
The aim of the study is to examine the impact of the amendment to the Municipal Self-Government Act (hereinafter: MSGA; Journal of Laws 2018, item 994) on the implementation of participatory budgeting (PB) in 2019 and 2020 in Polish voivodship cities. Using the desk research method, 36 PB regulations and over 3.4 thousand projects were selected for implementation in 10 categories: 1) sports (investment and other), 2) leisure and recreation (investment and other), 3) construction or modernisation of sidewalks, 4) construction or modernisation of streets, 5) pedestrian walkways, 6) parking lots, 7) lighting, 8) city bicycles (bicycle infrastructure), 9) modernisation of buildings, and 10) other (e.g. educational, cultural, training). Detailed studies were carried on the influence of legislative changes on: 1) financial mechanisms; 2) principles and organisation of the budgeting process; 3) generic structure of projects; 4) participatory budgeting model. In order to verify the results obtained, changes in the PB regulations not resulting from the MSGA provisions were additionally analysed. It was shown that the amendment to the Act had a significant impact on the implementation of PB in all the analysed cities. The changes mainly concerned the financial and formal-organisational aspects of participatory budgeting process. The most crucial ones include: increase in the size of the overall subsidies (in 15 cities), modification of the distribution of the financial means (9), introduction of letters of support at the stage of project submission (7) and appeal procedure (9). Among the “non-statutory” activities, the abolition of age limits in the remaining 7 cities should be mentioned. These activities brought positive effects on the increase in turnout (15), the number of projects selected for implementation (12) and their average value (13). On the other hand, the changes in MSGA did not affect the generic structure of the projects (in both years, in 10 cities the category “leisure and recreation” prevailed, and 1149 projects from this category were selected for implementation). The final unification of the PB implementation model in Polish voivodship cities has been completed. Finally, three modes of PB implementation according to the new rules were indicated: financial, procedural and combined.
The rising costs of educational tasks due to the decreasing number of students force municipal authorities to take cost-saving measures, including the most radical form, that is closing down schools. Such decisions are not popular with the local residents and in all the examined municipalities have caused conflicts between the stakeholders of local educational policy. The aim of the article is to present actions taken by municipal authorities to reduce the negative effects of conflicts arising in connection with the liquidation of schools. The authors focus on the activities of municipal authorities to curb the negative consequences of the conflict, but turn out to be financially ineffective. The article was based on the analysis of the subject literature, as well as the results of empirical research conducted by the authors. The theoretical framework draws on selected concepts of conflict management and the polarity management model.
The authors have determined that the healthcare system is on the verge of collapse, as it is unable to meet the population’s growing needs for medical care. An analysis of demographic situation and health indices of the adult population in the north-eastern region of Ukraine (based on the example of the Sumy region) was carried out. The study confirms the number of deaths caused by COVID-19, the growth of new cases of coronavirus, and the excessive burden on primary care physicians and infectious disease specialists. It has been determined that the negative state of the domestic healthcare system is due to the shortcomings of public administration and organisation of this system in terms of COVID-19. One of the most important priorities of public policy should be to preserve and strengthen the health of the population, the development of intersectoral cooperation on the principle of ‘healthcare – in all state policies’, and the priority of the nation itself, i.e. the formation of healthy behaviour.
This article presents the opinions of residents of the immediate surroundings of three Brownfield Site Urban Regeneration Projects completed in Łódź (Poland) in the years 2006–2016, i.e. Manufaktura (textile industry facilities transformed into a mall), “Lofts at Scheibler” (a former spinning plant transformed into residential buildings with accompanying services) and EC1 (adaptation of a former EC1 power plant for cultural and educational purposes), and their impact on their immediate environment. The article presents the results of questionnaire surveys conducted by the author in 2017 on 587 respondents residing within a walking distance, i.e. up to 500 m from the above-mentioned investment projects.
Local communities worldwide rely on cultural values, and Indigenous institutions to recover from social conflict; however, the process by which social awareness is constructed as a peacebuilding mechanism remains insufficiently theorised, particularly in post-colonial island societies. This study examines how social awareness is constructed and mobilised in resolving recurring social conflicts in the Kei Islands, Maluku, Indonesia. Employing a qualitative phenomenological approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews and observations involving community leaders, customary elders, religious figures, and local residents. The findings reveal six interrelated forms of social awareness – sense of brotherhood, participation in joint activities, social interaction, problem-solving through deliberation, the ability to listen and communicate, and tolerance – which collectively shape everyday peace practices in the community. Drawing on Berger and Luckmann’s theory of social construction, this study demonstrates that while processes of internalisation and externalisation are increasingly challenged by modernisation and social pressures, objectification through strong customary institutions functions as the primary stabilising anchor in conflict resolution. The study extends social construction theory by proposing a communal–institutional variation, in which collective institutions play a corrective role in sustaining social cohesion. These findings underscore the importance of strengthening Indigenous institutions and culturally embedded practices in locally grounded peacebuilding initiatives.