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The aim of this article is the evaluation whether social and economic policy implemented after the Polish accession to the European Union led to a reduction in income disparities of households in Poland. Variations of those disparities were analyzed by assessing changes in the degree of economic polarization. In addition, changes in income inequality were evaluated. Analyses of changes in the degree of income polarization and income inequality of households in Poland were carried out for the years 2000—2014. In the analysis of the polarization process polarization indices were applied and changes in income inequality were analyzed using inequality coefficients.

The study presents the concept of the hierarchical model of quality of life investigation in the context of social policy objectives and tools for the life quality measurement. Quality of life in the context of social policy is defined on the ground of the theory of needs, which is identified with the level of satisfaction of social needs. Moreover, the links of the concept of quality of life with social integration and sustainable development were presented.

The article presents the results of a comparative analysis of subjective well-being in the countries participating in the European Social Survey (ESS) in 2012 as well as changes its level in comparison with 2006. In the construction of indicators, Geneva method was used, which allowed comparison of the level of subjective welfare and its various aspects in different countries. Also the level distance of the perceived welfare for its each components was examined. This was measured from their maximum positive level on the scales used in the test measurement. In addition to the comparative analysis of the level of welfare and the changes in the countries participating in the ESS, also its distribution inequity was assessed. Furthermore, using the method of correspondence analysis, the author conducted comparative analysis of subjective well-being profiles of countries participating in the ESS.

One of the problems facing social policy in Poland is the progressive aging of the population. Its various consequences are discussed both in the scientific literature and in the media and politicians. The purpose of the presented study is to analyze the degree of household poverty risk of older people.

A multidimensional poverty analysis in Poland 2007 by voivodships has been presented in the article. It was based on the fuzzy sets theory. Four indices, measuring the extend and depth of monetary and non-monetary poverty threat were used. Moreover, two composite measures were used which estimated the range of the monetary and non-monetary poverty threat coincidence.

A methodology for multi-dimensional assessment of poverty is presented in this paper. In this approach the assessment of the households needs is effected not only from the viewpoint current incomes (expenditures) but non-monetary factors are also taken into consideration. The multi-dimensional approach has been based on the theory of fuzzy sets in which the conventional poor/non-poor dichotomy is replaced by assessment of the degree of households poverty threat. The same methodology facilitates comprehensive monetary and non-monetary poverty analysis. Four indicators of the incidence and depth of monetary and non-monetary poverty were constructed.

Abstract
The study investigates whether economic growth in the Balkan countries was pro-poor in the most recent period. We also try to establish to what extent various measures of pro-poorness of economic growth produce consistent and comparable results. Firstly, concepts of pro-poor growth are defined and corresponding approaches toward measuring pro-poor growth are presented. We distinguish between measures based on a general class of pro-poor indices and a dominance-based techniques. In the empirical part of the study, we verified whether economic growth in six Balkan countries (Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia) was pro-poor in the 2012–2017 period. The analyses is based on the latest available panel data of the European Union Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC). Growth was pro-poor in Croatia, Romania and Slovenia during the whole analysed period. The growth pattern was non pro-poor in Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia in certain years, mainly during periods of economic downfall. Various measures of pro-poor growth patterns do not produce consistent results in all instances. The results of the conducted comparative analysis suggest that the level of social benefits does not directly influence the pro-poor nature of the economic growth.

Background: The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities [1] highlights the need to
create proper socioeconomic and political conditions for persons with disabilities, with a special focus on their
immediate living conditions. According to the Convention, these conditions should be built to ensure that persons
with disabilities have the potential to enjoy a high quality of life (QoL), and this principle is reflected in the notion
of livable areas. The crucial aspect of this framework is the relationship between the individual QoL and the
environment, broadly understood as the socioeconomic as well as the technical conditions in which persons with
disabilities function. Methods: The basic research problem was to assess the relationship between individual QoL for the population with disabilities as a dependent variable and livability indicators as independent variables, controlling for individual characteristics. The study used a dataset from the EU-SILC (European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions) survey carried out in 2015 in Poland. The research concept involved several steps. First, we created a variable measuring the QoL for the entire population with disabilities. To measure the multidimensional QoL, we used Sen's capability approach as a general concept, which was operationalized by the MIMIC (multiple indicators multiple causes) model. In the second step, we identified the livability indicators available in the official statistics,
and merged them with survey data. Finally, in the last step, we ran the regression analysis. We also checked the data for the nested structure. Results: We confirmed that the general environmental conditions, focused on creating livable areas, played a significant role in shaping the QoL of persons with disabilities; i.e., we found that the higher the level of the local
Human Development Index, the higher the quality of life of the individuals living in this area. This relationship held even after controlling for the demographic characteristics of the respondents. Moreover, we found that in addition
to the general environmental conditions, the conditions created especially for persons with disabilities (i.e., services
for this group and support for their living conditions) affected the QoL of these individuals. Conclusions: The results illustrate the need to strengthen policies aimed at promoting the QoL of persons with disabilities by creating access to community assets and services that can contribute to improving the life chances
of this population.

Purpose: In this article we apply the age perspective to assess the quality of life (QoL) of persons with disabilities. Using a single measurement tool, we compare age profiles in the quality of life of persons with disabilities to the population without disabilities. By doing so, we examine whether the general patterns (such as U-shaped profile) are observed also among the population with disabilities, hence assessing how heterogenous this group is. Methods: We have constructed a multidimensional measurement model identifying overall and nine dimensions of the quality of life using structural equation modelling. The model conceptually is based on the Eurostat guidelines. All analyses are based on EU-SILC survey data, carried out in Poland in 2015. Results: The quality of life for both groups has inverse, right-skewed U-shape. The maximum value is achieved for the age group of 30–34 and after this threshold a constant decline is observed. The QoL scores for the population with disabilities are obviously significantly lower. Additionally, they are more heterogenous, and with greater variation between men and women. In a majority of the domains we also observe lower scores for persons with disabilities. However, people with disabilities are similarly diversified by age as persons without disabilities. Conclusion: Our study suggests that people with disabilities are similarly diversified by age as persons without disabilities. Therefore, disability means something different for younger and older persons and this difference is reflected in their quality of life. It means that public policy for persons with disabilities should also be diversified, avoiding 'one-for-all' policy.