Suchergebnisse

The author reviews and characterizes the most important scales for measuring the democracy of political systems, applied in Western, mainly Anglo-Saxon, comparative political science. He refers to his article published in a back issue of Przegl¹d Polityczny, where the fundamental theoretical and methodological issues of democracy measuring were presented, and tries to indicate how these issues are dealt with by various researchers whose scales and data bases are most common and most frequently referred to in research into political comparative studies. The paper describes S. Huntington's analyses, the Freedom House scale, the IDEA assessment of the quality of democracy, the EIU democracy index, Bollen's scale, the Political Regimes Project, the Polity Project, T. Vanhanen's democracy index and the scale of polyarchy by Coppedge and Reinicke. As the author analyzes one scale and database after another, he tries to identify their strengths and weaknesses, determine the most characteristic properties of each proposal, and assess their applicability in comparative analyses, pointing to their potential benefits and the threats of using them. In conclusion, he recommends caution in the selection of a scale to become a foundation for potential analyses, while he acknowledges that this theoretical and methodological tool is highly useful.

Ten years after Poland's accession to the European Union it seems right to ask the question: is our country a subject or an object in the political game in Brussels? Is our position strong enough to effectively influence the decision-making mechanisms in the European Union? Or maybe what some say about Poland's position in the EU is true and our country is indeed "playing out of its league? In an attempt to contribute to answering these questions, in this text the author tries to identify the factors which may have had an impact on the election of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk for the President of the European Council. The aim of the conducted cognitive process is also to perform an initial analysis of the visible results of this move, both for the institutional system of the European Union and for the way in which public decisions are shaped within the organization.The author also tries to identify the most significant challenges the Union has to face, as seen from the perspective of the President of the European Council. One might hope that this will be a good starting point for learning about the mechanism of forming political decisions in the EU, which will also find their place in the hereby publication as part of an extended analysis.

The author undertakes to establish the legal title to performing the creative function by the two chambers of Polish Parliament as a representative of the nation. The article describes the competence of the Sejm and the Senate as the constitutional authorities of the State that perform the creative function. The creative function of the Parliament may be considered as a result of the activities of this institution for other institutions as well as the functioning of the whole system. Voters' crisis of confidence in the both chambers of Polish Parliament may also be understood as a crisis of its functions. ; The author undertakes to establish the legal title to performing the creative function by the two chambers of Polish Parliament as a representative of the nation. The article describes the competence of the Sejm and the Senate as the constitutional authorities of the State that perform the creative function. The creative function of the Parliament may be considered as a result of the activities of this institution for other institutions as well as the functioning of the whole system. Voters' crisis of confidence in the both chambers of Polish Parliament may also be understood as a crisis of its functions.

Na przestrzeni ostatnich dwóch dekad możemy obserwować wyraźny wzrost znaczenia regionalnych i etnicznych tożsamości, prowadzący do powstawania coraz większej liczby ugrupowań etnoregionalnych i regionalnych. Mimo to – podobnie jak w przypadku wielu innych, istotnych i aktualnych współcześnie zjawisk społecznych – zdania badaczy w kwestii przyczyn reetnicyzacji systemów partyjnych, funkcjonowania partii etnoregionalnych, ich typów czy relacji z demokracją pozostają podzielone. Celem artykułu jest przybliżenie toczącej się w tym zakresie dyskusji oraz zaprezentowanie na jej tle wstępnych wyników badań dotyczących funkcjonowania wybranych ugrupowań etnoregionalnych w Serbii i Chorwacji. S ; The author carries out an analysis of the functioning of ethnoregionalist parties in Serbia and Croatia in relation to the theoretical principles presented in the paper and pertaining to the activities of ethnoregionalist parties (ERP). The paper aims to shed some light on the discussion on this topic and present the results of preliminary research into the functioning of selected ethnoregionlist groups in these two countries. The author believes that parties of this kind are changing both their postulates and strategies. Changes to the strategies of ethnoregionalist parties are significantly influenced by the policy of the state towards the minorities that reside in its territory and the policy of their respective native states.

The article relates to the results of pardoning the founder of Jukos oil company Mikhail Khodorkovsky by the Russian President Vladimir Putin. The author has lied down a broad analysis of possible causes of Russian President's decission as well as shown the legal basis in force in this country, regulating the procedure of a pardon. According to contemporary practice, a plea for pardon was considered as same to a confession to commiting a crime, what was what neither Khodorkovski nor his partner wanted to do. According to the author the compromise was reached; Russian regulations demands for personally formulated a plee for pardon, however confession to a crime is no longer an obligatory element of the procedure. Among possible causes for releasing Khodorkovsky there were mentioned such factors as: an attempt to improve the image of Russia before the inauguration of Winter Games in Sochi; establishing the lack of validation of accusations of breaking the human rights in discussed case; shifting a focus of public opinion from deterorating geopolitical situation of the Russian Federation; an attempt to mute the voices of the opposition which was trying to bring down the myth of President Putin's diplomatic successes; or an attempt to demonstrate special political bounds between Russia and Germany, which participated in the release of Khodorkovsky. The author also underlined the fact that the release of Khodorkovsky was not connected to the amnesty of prisoners announced by the State's Duma on the occasion of the 20'th anniversary of the Russian Constitution. According to the author the latest political changes in Russia prove the theories about a need to improve the image. In the article there was also included a broad analysis of a taxation system concerning the largest Russian oil companies in 2000–2001 and pointed out the possible motives of Khodorkovsky's arrestment. According to the author the surprising issue is not a constatnt support of the Russian society to the government, but the behaviour of the influential Russian businessmen and liberal polititians. ; Niniejszy artykuł dotyczy skutków ułaskawienia przez prezydenta Federacji Rosyjskiej Władimira Putina założyciela firmy naftowej Jukos Michaiła Chodorkowskiego. Autor przedstawił szeroką analizę możliwych przyczyn decyzji Prezydenta Rosji, jak również przybliżył obowiązujące w tym kraju podstawy prawne regulujące procedurę ułaskawienia. W myśl dotychczasowej praktyki złożenie prośby o ułaskawienie jednoznaczne było z przyznaniem się osadzonego do winy, czego ani Chodorkowski, ani też jego wspólnik nie chcieli uczynić. Zdaniem autora udało się wypracować kompromis; rosyjskie przepisy wymagają osobistego sformułowania prośby o ułaskawienie, jednak przyznanie się do winy nie jest obowiązkowym elementem tej procedury. Wśród możliwych przyczyn uwolnienia Chodorkowskiego wymieniono takie czynniki, jak: próba poprawy wizerunku Rosji przed inauguracją zimowych igrzysk olimpijskich w Soczi; wykazanie niesłuszności zarzutów o łamaniu praw człowieka w przedmiotowej sprawie; odwrócenie uwagi opinii publicznej od pogarszającej się sytuacji geopolitycznej w Federacji Rosyjskiej; próba zagłuszenia głosów opozycji obalającej mit o sukcesach dyplomatycznych Prezydenta Putina; czy też próba demonstracji szczególnej więzi politycznej między Rosją i Niemcami, które pośredniczyły w procesie uwalniania Chodorkowskiego. Autor zwrócił uwagę także na fakt, że uwolnienie Chodorkowskiego nie było związane z amnestią więźniów ogłoszoną przez Dumę Państwową na cześć dwudziestolecia rosyjskiej konstytucji i jego zdaniem ostatnie zmiany polityczne w Rosji potwierdzają teorie o próbie poprawy wizerunku. W artykule zawarto także obszerną analizę systemu opodatkowania największych rosyjskich koncernów naftowych w latach 2000–2001 i przybliżył możliwe motywy aresztowania Chodorkowskiego. Zdaniem autora zdziwienie wywołuje nie tyle utrzymywanie się w społeczeństwie rosyjskim dużego zaufania do władzy państwowej, lecz postawa wpływowego rosyjskiego biznesu i liberalnych polityków.

This article examines the institutional changes in 22 post-communist countries during the 1990-2020 period. The objective of the study was to find out why some countries achieved democracy while others failed to establish or strengthen democratic institutions, and what factors influenced the political stability of post-communist countries. During the study, available statistical information on the functioning of the main institutions was collected and processed. The analysis shows that the most significant institutional changes were observed among the non-democratic countries and those that fell into the category of hybrid political regimes. The correction of the initially chosen form of government is evidence in support of the theory of endogenous change, indicating "path-dependency". The influence of endogenous factors determines the quality of democratic change and the level of political stability in post-communist countries. Democratic changes in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe were associated with a commitment to rapid reform in the early stages, and Euro-Atlantic integration only supported the democratic quality of the institutions. The institutional framework of the countries, that embarked on the path of European integration, was relatively stable during the period under the study, and did not deal with changes in the system of power distribution. While the countries of the former Soviet Union most often resorted to changes in the primary law of the country, and these changes were related to the redistribution of powers between the branches of power and the extension of the time in the office of the President. In addition to the overall level of democratization of the country, the level of emancipatory values and the weight of presidential power have the greatest impact on political stability. ; Ten artykuł analizuje zmiany instytucjonalne w 22 państwach postkomunistycznych w latach 1990-2020. Celem badania było znalezienie odpowiedzi na pytanie, dlaczego niektóre kraje osiągnęły demokrację, podczas gdy inne nie zdołały stworzyć lub wzmocnić instytucji demokratycznych oraz jakie czynniki wpłynęły na stabilność polityczną państw postkomunistycznych. W trakcie badania zebrano i opracowano dostępne informacje statystyczne na temat funkcjonowania głównych instytucji. Analiza pokazuje, że najbardziej znaczące zmiany instytucjonalne zaobserwowano w państwach niedemokratycznych oraz tych, które zaliczały się do kategorii hybrydowych reżimów politycznych. Korekta początkowo wybranej formy ustroju jest dowodem na rzecz teorii zmian endogenicznych, wskazującym na "zależność od ścieżki" (path-dependency). Wpływ czynników endogenicznych determinuje jakość przemian demokratycznych i poziom stabilności politycznej w państwach postkomunistycznych. Przemiany demokratyczne w państwach Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej wiązały się z zaangażowaniem w szybkie reformy na wczesnym etapie, a integracja euroatlantycka jedynie wspierała demokratyczną jakość instytucji. Struktura instytucjonalna państw, które wkroczyły na drogę integracji europejskiej, była w analizowanym okresie względnie stabilna i nie dotyczyła zmian w systemie podziału władzy. Z kolei państwa byłego Związku Radzieckiego najczęściej uciekały się do zmian w ustawie zasadniczej państwa, a zmiany te dotyczyły redystrybucji kompetencji między gałęziami władzy oraz wydłużenia kadencji prezydenta. Obok ogólnego poziomu demokratyzacji państw, największy wpływ na stabilność polityczną ma poziom wartości emancypacyjnych oraz waga władzy prezydenckiej. ; В статье рассматриваются институциональные изменения в 22 посткоммунистических странах в течение 1990-2020 годов. Целью исследования было выяснить, почему одни страны достигли демократии, а другие не смогли создать или укрепить демократические институты и какие факторы влияли на политическую стабильность посткоммунистических стран. Во время исследования была собрана и обработана доступная статистическая информация о функционировании основных институтов. Анализ показывает, что наиболее существенные институциональные изменения наблюдались среди недемократических стран и тех, которые попали в категорию гибридных политических режимов. Коррекция исходно выбранной формы правления свидетельствует в пользу теории эндогенных изменений, указывающих на «зависимость от выбранного пути» (path-dependency). Влияние эндогенных факторов определяет качество демократических изменений и уровень политической стабильности в посткоммунистических странах. Демократические изменения в странах Центрально-Восточной Европы были связаны с приверженностью к быстрому проведению реформ на ранних этапах, а евроатлантическая интеграция лишь поддерживала демократическое качество институтов. Институциональная основа стран, которые стали на путь европейской интеграции, была относительно стабильной в течение исследуемого периода и не касалась изменений системы распределения власти. В то же время страны бывшего Советского Союза чаще всего прибегали к изменениям основного закона страны и эти изменения касались перераспределения полномочий между ветвями власти и продления срока пребывания президента у власти. Кроме общего уровня демократизации страны, наибольшее влияние на политическую стабильность имеет уровень эмансипативных ценностей и вес президентской власти.

The author points out the exceptionally low level of R&D funding in Poland in comparison with new EU member states. He analyses reallocation of those modest funds on the country scale and on the example of a higher education institution. He identifies two distinctive phenomena, described as asymmetries. The first one concerns the allocation of funds among higher education institutions, industrial R&D units, development and research institutions operating as part of the Polish Academy of Sciences. The second one refers to the structure of R&D costs and is presented on the example of a HE institution. The author describes the evolution of in the institution's structure of revenues earmarked for R&D showing a visibly growing share of international funding. He also discusses the use of R&D funds in different organisational units and presents an allocation algorithm applied by the institution in question to funding for in-house research. In conclusion the author states that 'dual asymmetry' does not facilitate effective utilisation of R&D funds in Poland so HE institutions should increasingly endeavour to obtain international funds for this part of their activity. ; Autor zwraca uwagę na wyjątkowo niskie finansowanie działalności B+R w Polsce na tle innych krajów nowo przyjętych do Unii Europejskiej. Przeprowadza analizę redystrybucji tych skromnych środków w skali Polski oraz na przykładzie konkretnej uczelni. Dostrzega dwa charakterystyczne zjawiska, określone jako asymerie. Pierwsze - dotyczące podziału tych środków między szkoły wyższe, jednostki badawczo-rozwojowe, jednostki rozwojowe i placówki naukowe PAN. Drugie - dotyczące struktury kosztów działalności badawczo-rozwojowej, zaprezentowane na przykładzie wybranej uczelni. Wskazuje ewolucję struktury przychodów przeznaczonych na działalność B+R w wybranej uczelni w kierunku wyraźnie rosnącego udziału środków międzynarodowych. Omawia również wykorzystanie środków na działalność B+R przez poszczególne jednostki organizacyjne oraz przedstawia algorytm podziału środków przeznaczonych na badania własne w wybranej uczelni. W konkluzji formułuje tezę, że "podwójna asymetria" nie sprzyja efektywnemu wykorzystaniu środków przeznaczonych na działalność badawczo-rozwojową w Polsce, a szkoły wyższe powinny coraz intensywniej zabiegać o środki międzynarodowe przeznaczone na tę działalność.

The aim of the article is to describe the processes of local communities mobilization in the face of (small) schools liquidation in the rural areas. The author focuses on those cases of local activism which resulted in the formalization of undertaken activities and the establishment of local associations willing to lead local schools. The article presents determinants of social mobilization processes, pointing to the important role of local authorities (executive bodies) and teachers perceived as leaders of local activism. Based on the results of qualitative research conducted in selected rural municipalities in Poland, the author identifies three models of local activism leading to the creation of local (grassroots) associations that act as school governing bodies. Two of the identified models of activism are of a cooperative nature, based on the co-action of local authorities and the local community. While third one is non-cooperative. In this case, the mobilization of the local community and the formation of the association resulted from the lack of community acceptance for the decision of the municipality related to schools liquidation. Theoretical frameworks of the article are based on the concept of local governance, assuming the active participation of nonpublic actors in the process of public tasks implementation. The author also refers to the concept of public participation and presents selected definitions of social activity. The article is based on empirical research conducted in the form of semi-structured interviews and available statistical data (GUS). The author used the following methods: the literature review method and elements of the comparative and systemic methods. ; Celem artykułu jest opis procesów aktywizacji społeczności lokalnej w obliczu likwidacji szkół na obszarach wiejskich, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem tych, których efektem była formalizacja działań i powołanie stowarzyszeń prowadzących szkoły. Autorka koncentruje się na uwarunkowaniach procesów aktywizacji społecznej, wskazując na istotną rolę władz lokalnych (organów wykonawczych) oraz nauczycieli, jako liderów lokalnej mobilizacji. Bazując na wynikach badań jakościowych prowadzonych w wybranych gminach wiejskich, wskazuje na trzy modele aktywizacji prowadzącej do powstania oddolnych stowarzyszeń prowadzących szkoły. Dwa ze zidentyfikowanych rozwiązań mają charakter kooperatywny, oparty na współpracy władz lokalnych i społeczności lokalnej. Jeden zaś niekooperatywny, w przypadku którego władze gminy nie wspierały społeczności lokalnych w tworzeniu oddolnych stowarzyszeń, które podjęłyby się prowadzenia szkół. W tym przypadku aktywizacja społeczności lokalnej i powstanie stowarzyszenia były rezultatem braku akceptacji społeczności dla decyzji władz gminy. Ramy teoretyczne artykułu wyznacza koncepcja współrządzenia na poziomie lokalnym (local governance), zakładająca aktywny udział podmiotów niepublicznych w procesach realizacji zadań publicznych. Ponadto autorka dokonuje przeglądu definicji aktywności społecznej i partycypacji publicznej. W artykule wykorzystane zostały wyniki z badań empirycznych prowadzonych w formie wywiadów półustrukturyzowanych wśród 60 interesariuszy lokalnej polityki oświatowej oraz danych zastanych (GUS). W badaniu wykorzystano takie metody jak analiza literatury przedmiotu oraz metoda porównawcza.

Introduction. Military operations are associated with high health risks, and loss of life. The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of military missions on quality of life, health, family and social situation of Polish veterans. An additional aim was to examine how often they suffered from injuries, as well as their subjective evaluation of physiotherapy after returning to the country. Material and methods. The study involved 60 people: in the study group there were 30 soldiers - veterans (28 men and 2 women) and in control group there were 30 soldiers, who had not participated in missions (28 men and 2 women). The age of the group of veterans was 22 to 58 years, mean age 33.45 ± 11.04 years. The age of the control group was 43 to 21 years, mean 25.10 ± 4.41 years. The test was performed with the use of authors' own surveys and with two questionnaires: Rolland-Morris and WHOQOL Bref. Results. The reasons that motivated the soldiers to go on a mission was mainly their desire to improve their financial situation and to take the opportunity to gain experience. Injuries were experienced by 10 soldiers (33%) soldiers. Soldiers' physical activity, fitness, quality of life and health deteriorated after mission. Return to the home country was related to changes in the psychosocial environment. Conclusions. 1. Participation in military missions contributed to negative changes in behavior of soldiers and in relationships with relatives and strangers. 2. Despite these, the veterans evaluated their the quality of life and health as well. ; Wstęp: Wyjazdy na misje wojskowe wiążą się z dużym ryzykiem utraty zdrowia, a nawet życia. Celem pracy było przedstawienie wpływu misji wojskowych na jakość życia polskich weteranów oraz ocena przyczyn wyjazdów, poziomu aktywności fizycznej, częstotliwości urazów i bólów kręgosłupa po powrocie do kraju. Materiał i metody: W badaniach wzięło udział 60 osób: w grupie badanej 30 żołnierzy - weteranów (28 mężczyzn i 2 kobiety) i 30 żołnierzy nieuczestniczących w misjach, stanowiących grupę kontrolną (28 mężczyzn i 2 kobiety). Średnia wieku w grupie weteranów to od 22 do 58 lat, średnio w wieku 33,45±11,04 lat. Średnia wieku w grupie kontrolnej to od 21 lat do 43, średnio 25,10±4,41 lata. Badanie wykonano z wykorzystaniem autorskiej ankiety i kwestionariuszy Rolland-Morris oraz WHOQOL Bref. Wyniki: Przyczynami wyjazdu na misję była głównie chęć poprawy sytuacji finansowej i możliwość zdobycia doświadczenia. Urazom uległo 10 (33%) żołnierzy. Stwierdzono niekorzystne zmiany dotyczące aktywności fizycznej, jakości życia i zdrowia po powrocie z misji. Sprawność i aktywność fizyczna żołnierzy po powrocie z misji zmniejszyła się. Powrót do kraju wiązał się ze zmianami w środowisku psychospołecznym. Wnioski: 1. Wyjazd na misję wpływa na aktywność fizyczną, relacje z bliskimi i w wielu przypadkach stan zdrowia fizycznego żołnierzy. 2. Wyjazd na misję wojskową nie wpływa na obniżenie jakości życia żołnierzy.

One of the key legal definitions introduced into tax law, i.e. the definition of "an organised part of an enterprise", was analysed in the study. It is an example of a definition under which a tax legislator expresses the tax consequences of business trading. According to the author, this legislative measure may be qualified as a legal definition limiting the imprecision in the provisions of tax law. The fulfilment of certain determinants becomes important for the construction of this definition, on the basis of which it should be constructed. The study specifies these determinants and shows that the tax legislator does not always use them when formulating the analysed definition. Therefore, in the article the author indicates solutions aimed at implementing these determinants. ; W opracowaniu analizie poddano jedną z kluczowych definicji legalnych wprowadzonych do prawa podatkowego, tj. definicję zorganizowanej części przedsiębiorstwa. Jest to przykład definicji, w ramach której ustawodawca podatkowy wyraża podatkowe skutki obrotu gospodarczego. Zdaniem autora ten środek legislacyjny można zakwalifikować jako definicję legalną ograniczającą nieostrość w przepisach prawa podatkowego. Istotne dla konstrukcji tej definicji staje się spełnienie pewnych determinantów, w oparciu o które powinna być ona zbudowana. W opracowaniu określono te determinanty oraz wykazano, że ustawodawca podatkowy nie zawsze korzysta z nich, formułując analizowaną definicję. Ponadto autor wskazał rozwiązania mające na celu realizację tych determinantów.

The article discusses the nature and role of constituent power in contemporary constitutional democracies. It presents the genesis of the concept of constituent power (phrased by Joseph Emmanuel Sieyès within the distinction between «pouvoir constituant» and «pouvoir constitué»), different approaches to this concept framed in the XXth century legal science by such thinkers as H. Kelsen and C. Schmitt, and finally the contemporary interpretations of this concept. The author indicates and analyses two major issues relevant to the nature and role of constituent power in the contemporary constitutional democracy. Firstly, he examines the thesis that the democratic constituent power's activity remains normatively undetermined. The search for internal normativity that might characterise constituent power in democracy determines such practical constitutional issues as discretion of the legislator within the process of making or amending the constitution. Secondly, the author points out that analysis of the role of pouvoir constituant» in contemporary constitutionalism should not be limited to analysis of the "constitutional moment" only; the significance of constituent power should not be seen just in the framework of the one-off act of making the constitution. Constituent power should remain an active participant of constitutional discourse which induces a search for new principles ensuring balance between constituent and constituted power in constitutional democracies.

The article discusses the nature and role of constituent power in contemporary constitutional democracies. It presents the genesis of the concept of constituent power (phrased by Joseph Emmanuel Sieyès within the distinction between «pouvoir constituant» and «pouvoir constitué»), different approaches to this concept framed in the XXth century legal science by such thinkers as H. Kelsen and C. Schmitt, and finally the contemporary interpretations of this concept. The author indicates and analyses two major issues relevant to the nature and role of constituent power in the contemporary constitutional democracy. Firstly, he examines the thesis that the democratic constituent power's activity remains normatively undetermined. The search for internal normativity that might characterise constituent power in democracy determines such practical constitutional issues as discretion of the legislator within the process of making or amending the constitution. Secondly, the author points out that analysis of the role of pouvoir constituant» in contemporary constitutionalism should not be limited to analysis of the "constitutional moment" only; the significance of constituent power should not be seen just in the framework of the one-off act of making the constitution. Constituent power should remain an active participant of constitutional discourse which induces a search for new principles ensuring balance between constituent and constituted power in constitutional democracies.

In his book author explains social and political phenomena that are connected with political change in local conditions in Poland in 1989. As yet there has been no empirical study that would consider first partly free election to the last parliament of People's Republic of Poland in local conditions. In 1989 there were 108 electoral constituencies in Poland to the Sejm elections, and free election to the Senate were conducted in 49 provinces of Poland. Chojnice was a capital city of election constituency no. 14 to the Sejm and a part of election to the Senate conducted in Bydgoszcz Province. As over the time social issues are perceived through stereotypes and tend to be mythologized, it seems important to author to show such events and phenomena on firm basis. It is worth emphasizing that results from 1989 elections in local conditions are generally unknown. Poles do not know results in their local constituencies because nearly thirty years after the elections official results from local constituencies still have not been not published anywhere. Thus, this study is based on primary sources, newspapers from that time, literature of this particular issue. The analysis and synthesis is based on a number of theoretical perspectives: behaviorism to describe interaction between political actors – electoral system – party systems; political process and political change; Joseph Schumpeter's assumption that political competition is of fundamental importance for the democracy; Samuel Huntington's theory of third wave of democratization. All the data is analyzed in quantitative perspective. There is no hypothesis as the study is a descriptive and explanatory one. Its main goal is to highlight earlier unknown phenomena. This study is about local politics in a one-party state during the time of political change, so author refers to the politics on state level from that time. The most important questions refer to: continuity of activity of new social movement members from the time of the carnival of Chojnice "Solidarity" in the years 1980-1981 and their involvement in 1989; political negotiations and emergence of political leaders during that time; political will of citizens to take part in political change and their will to change the political system; attitudes of political actors from PUWP and "Solidarity"; individual nature of facts from that time taken under consideration from the perspective of local reality; attitudes of local regime members towards political change; results of elections in Chojnice constituency on 4th and 18th June 1989; differentiation of political behavior in Chojnice constituency; picture of society of that time; influence of cultural and ethnical identity as well as people's ties (mainly with Catholic Church) and roots on their political choices. Political behavior is one of the main category of this study. Author highlights not only electoral system but also describes process of political leaders' emergence on local scale. In this perspective election campaign is portrayed as a political fight between candidates of Citizen Committee of "Solidarity" and candidates of Polish United Worker's Party (PUWP) and its political satellites. As a matter of fact, author stresses the importance of category of the legitimization and shows that members of PUWP (in Poland known as PZPR) were not totally delegitimized by citizens in 1989 election in Chojnice constituency. In fact, PUWP was mostly legitimized by Poles in the northern part of Bydgoszcz Province during that election. The study consists of the following parts: introduction, 8 chapters, summary, bibliography, index and appendix. The first chapter describes electoral system and law that was enforced in 1989. The second one analyzes political climate and political situation around elections to the Sejm and the Senate. The third chapter is also mostly analytical one. Author describes local communists apparatchiks' attitude towards political change. The fourth chapter shows the process of political leaders emergence from both sides of the political conflict. The fifth chapter describes personal features of candidates to the Sejm and the Senate. The sixth chapter shows election campaign. The seventh one shows election results. The eighth chapter describes political attitudes and behavior of citizens in Chojnice constituency. In the appendix readers may find results from constituency districts of Chojnice town, and Chojnice country. As a result of this study some unexpected conclusions emerged after empirical study, for example: one of the most prominent one is that citizens of People's Republic of Poland do not reject totally PUWP and its monopoly for power and authority; paradoxically candidates from "Solidarity" movement were not selected as democratically as candidates from PUWP ; deep differences in political attitudes in Chojnice constituency depended on the scale of people's religiousness and the tradition of political opposition in town, as well as on ethnic groups; the highest support for political change was among Kashubians, whereas the lowest in the groups called Krajniacy and Borowiacy.

The purpose of this study is to attempt to show the positive and negative, or favorable and unfavorable, preconditions of the Polish presidency and its assessment. The main proposition is that the presidency was an unprecedented event in Polish history and has had a significant social, political, cultural, economic and international impact, while its consequences will continue to be felt for a long time. The Polish presidency, like all EU presidencies, stirred considerable emotions and its outcomes have already produced divergent opinions among experts, researchers and politicians. It is still too early to present an exhaustive and objective assessment of the presidency, but this does not mean that it cannot be analyzed, examined or have conclusions drawn from it. The author tries to present that despite some negative preconditions that did not encourage the Polish presidency, and the absence of any spectacular successes, the assessment of the Polish presidency has been positive, and Poland deserves both credit and distinction for passing such a stern test despite lacking in experience and facing numerous difficulties. The author also tries to show that the Polish presidency was calm and focused on seeking understanding and compromise; and that it was better than the Czech or Hungarian presidencies. It is unfortunate that the global media were relatively uninterested in the Polish leadership of the Council, which was consequently overshadowed by such events as the crisis in the euro zone, the financial and economic tragedy in Greece, the Arab Spring, and the parliamentary elections in Poland and in Russia. ; The purpose of this study is to attempt to show the positive and negative, or favorable and unfavorable, preconditions of the Polish presidency and its assessment. The main proposition is that the presidency was an unprecedented event in Polish history and has had a significant social, political, cultural, economic and international impact, while its consequences will continue to be felt for a long time. The Polish presidency, like all EU presidencies, stirred considerable emotions and its outcomes have already produced divergent opinions among experts, researchers and politicians. It is still too early to present an exhaustive and objective assessment of the presidency, but this does not mean that it cannot be analyzed, examined or have conclusions drawn from it. The author tries to present that despite some negative preconditions that did not encourage the Polish presidency, and the absence of any spectacular successes, the assessment of the Polish presidency has been positive, and Poland deserves both credit and distinction for passing such a stern test despite lacking in experience and facing numerous difficulties. The author also tries to show that the Polish presidency was calm and focused on seeking understanding and compromise; and that it was better than the Czech or Hungarian presidencies. It is unfortunate that the global media were relatively uninterested in the Polish leadership of the Council, which was consequently overshadowed by such events as the crisis in the euro zone, the financial and economic tragedy in Greece, the Arab Spring, and the parliamentary elections in Poland and in Russia.

Taking as the starting the normative ideal of democracy, grounded in an inclusive understanding of the subject point of democracy, the author argues that various concepts of democracy assign particularly important role to cognitive competences and see it as an exclusive entitlement to participate in the exercise of political power in democratic systems. The case in point is contemporary debate on the proper understanding of democracy which focuses on the dilemma between, on the one hand, the idea of broad participation of the people in the democratic governance, and, on the other, the deliberative ideal which presupposes that power in these systems should be entrusted only to people with appropriate cognitive competences. The author analyzes the main elements of "cognitocratic" or "epistocratic" conceptions and points out to potential perils resulting from the attribution of a prominent role in the theory of democracy to cognitive competences. In opposition to cognitocratic approaches, both in their universalist and elite versions, the author argues that a more adequate understanding of governance in democratic systems should instead be based on the wider category of political ability. He also claims that a novel definition of this category should be informed by the normative ideal of democracy which is based on the recognition of potentially universal capabilities to develop the political ability and that this potential may in fact be activated through the actual participation in democratic politics. ; Wychodząc od normatywnego ideału demokracji, ugruntowanego w inkluzywnym rozumieniu podmiotu demokracji, autor twierdzi, że w większości koncepcji demokracji kompetencje poznawcze są postrzegane jako podstawowy wymóg upoważniający do udziału w sprawowaniu władzy politycznej. Współczesna debata nad właściwym rozumieniem demokracji koncentruje się na próbach rozstrzygnięcia dylematu między ideą szerokiego uczestnictwa ludu w sprawowaniu władzy a ideałem deliberacyjnym, który zakłada, że władza w tych systemach winna być powierzona wyłącznie osobom o odpowiednich kompetencjach poznawczych. Autor analizuje główne elementy stanowisk kognitokratycznych i wskazuje na potencjalne zagrożenia wynikające z przypisywania kompetencjom poznawczym wyróżnionej roli. Stanowiska tego typu, zarówno w wersji uniwersalistycznej, jak i elitarnej, są według autora obciążone błędem kognitokratycznym. W opozycji do nich autor argumentuje na rzecz tezy o podstawowej roli umiejętności politycznej w systemach demokratycznych. Wskazuje również, że punktem wyjścia do rozważań nad znaczeniem tego pojęcia winien być normatywny ideał demokracji inkluzywnej, zakładający powszechność zdolności do kształtowania umiejętności politycznej oraz przekonanie, że owa zdolność może ulegać aktualizacji w samym procesie aktywności politycznej.