Suchergebnisse

The aim of the paper is to present ramifi cations in the field of family law, inheritance law and tax law which arise from the lack of recognition of registered partnerships and same-sex marriages in certain European Union Member States, such as Poland. The lack of recognition is commonly perceived as discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation, but the emphasis is usually placed on its consequences concerning human rights. In this article, the author focused on discriminatory aspects in the area of family life and personal taxation. A lack of appropriate provisions in domestic law produces negative effects affecting taxation obligations for cross-border families that concluded their marriages or partnerships abroad but cannot benefi t from these institutions in certain EU Member States such as Poland. For the purpose of determining discriminatory aspects, the author analysed the domestic rules differentiating couples living in a marriage and couples not possessing the right to marry. Due to lack of case-law on tax and inheritance discrimination resulting from sexual orientation, relevant case-law of the Court of Justice of the European Union have been recalled, revealing possible violations of fundamental
freedoms, including free movement of persons.

Nasheeds outpace the era of Internet and Youtube. Jihadist poetry in the Islamist hymns can be seen as an extension of the 19th-century anticolonial style of poetry called qaseeda. Presented article shows that nasheeds were not always a significant element in the jihadi culture. The increase of their role was observed quite recently, after the outbreak of the "Arab Spring". This article is a case study. It attempts to fill a gap in research on the IS's propaganda materials. The major objective of this article is to investigate the phenomenon of jihadist naseeds, including their role in the 'jihadi culture'. The author seeks to answer to the question whether the presented facts may indicate the increase in their role occurred with the transfer of IS' activities to cyberspace and whether it will be intensified in the future. The article takes into account historical conditions, briefly describing the genesis of the naseeds and their proliferation after the events of the "Arab Spring". Then, using systemic analysis, the author presents their role in the activities of the Islamic State. In addition, theoretical and empirical research methods, such as: scientific literature analysis, case analysis, content analysis, classification, generalization were taken to solve the research problem.

The author analyses the selected aspects of capitalism in the countries of Central Europe. The author presents the various theoretical concepts that refer to the issue in question involving the concept coined by L. King and I. Szelenyi, which holds that the systemic changes in the countries of this region are specifically characterised by the perspective of 'from without' capitalism. They believe that the specificity of the capitalist system lies in the fact that in the key times of the post-communist changes of the political system, the issue of the absence of an important class of private owners was not addressed. In the West private proprietors were the ones that constituted the main driving force of an open-market economy. The article presents the advantages and drawbacks of an economic model formed by the dominant share of foreign capital, with an emphasis placed on the consequences of the issue in question on the limitations of the subjectivity of economic policy of a state as well as the development chances of local businesses. It manifests the fears that the model created in Poland (and in other countries of the region) after the year 1989 sets the role model for local enterprises of corporate subcontractors of mainly traditional or niche products and services.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a traumatic experience that, unlike previous crises, affects all countries. A team of researchers from the Warsaw School of Economics undertook a preliminary study of its consequences. The author of the review introduces the assumptions of the monograph, its main goals and structure, and attempts to supplement the proposed research areas with further aspects that may be important from the point of view of political science.

The ideology of the free market, at the beginning of the transformation was used in a propagandistic manner that was similar to the one used in the communist period of the Polish history. The Author presents a convincing polemic debate with the neoliberal dogmas and myths. The Book also includes the lessons learnt from the Icelandic banking crisis that are relevant for any constitutional reformer. Finally, it offers a suggestive prospect to increase the efficacy of the Polish State.

The aim of the article is to analyse musical ways of creating a text. Based on the prose of Bruno Schulz, the author examines the organization of the sound layer in terms of sound techniques used in them (rhythm, lead motif, instrumentation, anagram, situational rhythm, polyphony). Describing the musical entanglements of the text not only shows Schulz's ingenious writing technique, but also allows to read his work anew – including the modestly discussed perspective of his work.

The subject of this research was the modern urban agglomerations and its aim was to find out the main tendencies of their development by way of the analyses of problems faced by urban agglomerations and their management mechanisms. The main method of the conducted research was the comparative legal method, as the study is based on comparing the experience of different countries in the sphere of urban governance. The author used sociological, systemic and structural-functional approaches as well. The author believes that the problems faced by urban agglomerations are caused by the activities of different administrative bodies at their territory, the lack of proper coordination in the face of pretty acute rivalry between them. The mentioned problems are also exacerbated by modern migration processes. The number of "native" inhabitants is being decreased in many cities, the middle class is largely moving to suburbs while poor people are moving to urban centers, the urban population is getting older. The article also contains the analyses of different attitudes towards organization of administrative structures at the territory of the modern agglomeration. Proponents of only one strong jurisdiction, functioning within the agglomeration and taking decisions obligatory for the whole area, were called "consolidationists. "Polycentrists" believe that the more various jurisdictions function within the agglomeration the better, because centralized and hierarchical administrative model is outdated and ineffective.

The presented paper deals with the basic issues, dilemmas and social and cultural contradictions in the Polish transformation process against the background of Central and Eastern Europe, the processes of the establishment and development of new states and nations as well as the new markets. The author views these problems through the light of the emergence of a broad class of subcontractors in a turbulent environment and the new modes of production, which are a result of changes in the structure of human labour introduced by post-Fordism (in its final stage, lean management) and postmodernity. The author also analyzes the social change as a consequence of social relations resulting from exchanging the life chances of the actors for the class-conditioned market opportunities in the existing social and political situation (conjoncture) and at the present stage of transformation at the moment when the emergent markets get shaped and mature. The study makes use of the hermeneutic method, which is finding out the essence of the present phase of transformation through the light of new concepts against the background of the historical-comparative analysis. The present article is not aimed at ordering reality but it is an inspiration for studies and for approaching transformation in accordance with a new conceptual apparatus of social sciences, sociology, management and political economy.

The purpose of the article is to analyze the current condition and development prospects for the Russian LNG sector. Taking into account the specifics of the functioning of the Russian state, the author chose the realistic paradigm (neoclassical realism), which is useful in the context of showing the relationship between internal structures and external activity of the state. The author argues that Russian expansion in the LNG sector is the result of the lobbying capacity of Novatek – the largest private gas producer in Russia. Although the state budget incurs significant costs related to the implementation of Novatek projects, in particular due to fiscal preferences, it also achieves the possibility of achieving the objectives in external and internal energy policy. Novatek's expansion increases Russia's share in external energy markets; at the same time LNG expansion, it is used for internal purposes. Novatek's dominant position in the LNG sector is confirmed by both already implemented projects and plans for further expansion. The factors favoring Russian expansion are constant state support for Novatek projects, high level of internationalization of implemented projects and favorable forecasts on energy markets. The strong competition between currently dominant LNG producers and the risk of internal competition between Russian exporters are among the key long-term challenges.

The author has made an attempt to theoretically - by referring to empirical evidence - formulate the necessary conditions that allow participatory processes to happen. In this perspective, participation is not only an ethical requirement but primarily a mechanism that supports taking up the challenges posed by the increasing complexity of the social world. The examples presented in the article show that participation has a very strong 'competitor': clientelism. In the spaces where the latter forms the base of the relations between the government and society, it is difficult to find a well-rooted and sustainable presence of participatory processes. The author thus presents a hypothesis that the logic of clientelism, together with the lack of the ability to recognise the importance of resource interdependence, has the ability to weaken participation, or in other words, wash it out in a specific way. Clientelism strives to maximise the control over resources. This can, in some cases, support the realisation of development goals or be effective in particular governmental arrangements (e.g. the transformation in Poland in the 90s of the 20th century), however, it also deepens the passivity and in the long run can lead to a decrease in the value of some resources or even their loss. In this context, participation is thus understood mainly as an expression of caring for the owned and acquired resources and as the recognition of their interdependence.

The author claims that the development of the discipline of policy analysis and the professionalization of state activities in policymaking (from public education, public administration or political activities) takes the high quality policy studies. The policy analysis craft has plays many public role. Generally, its main task is to achieve the maximum of rational judgments relating to the key components in policymaking. It helps to diagnose the policy problems which affect the society and must be resolved, including capturing their dynamics before the damages are done. It supports as well the agenda setting which is to reflect the hierarchy of public problems. It helps to crystallize the evidence base which are to prove the effectiveness of policy intervention which has been planned. The author describes the historical circumstances in Poland shaping the cultural bias in policy analysis. He points to some public life practices which limit the inclination for analyzing policies or affect their quality. At the same time he emphasizes the significance of the professional policy analysis to make sure the decision making process is effective. It enables to detect many sorts of risks hidden on the stage of policy formulation and policy implementation. The public administration, political class, and many analytical institutions like think tanks have troubles in policy analysis.

This text is a review article of Michał Masłowski's monograph "Myths and political symbols of Central and Eastern Europe". Masłowski's publication presents the most widespread myths, political and national symbols of Central and Eastern Europe, along with an explanation of their origin and influence over the often turbulent centuries from the early Middle Ages to the present day. The author approaches this topic in an interdisciplinary way, trying to present what shaped nations and their culture in this part of Europe.

The starting point for this article was research conducted from February to April 2017 and in January and February 2020. The purpose of the work is to show the image and position of the Russian Federation in the eyes of respondents who participated (incl. residents of Moscow, Arkhangelsk, Saint Petersburg and Vladivostok) in in-depth interviews conducted by the author. The principal analysis concerns the results obtained in 2017, and the specific changes observed three years after the initial surveys were completed.

A tale of disability. An autoethnographic essay
Abstract
This article is an authoethnographic account of living with a disability. The author examines her own experience of a person with a disability as well as the narratives collected from women with Turner's syndrome during an ethnographic fieldwork. She shows how different narratives and voices shape the experience of disability, which is as much a given biological fact, a social construct, and a story one lives and tells.
Keywords: disability, autoetnography, Turner's syndrome

The article discusses the relationship between the occurrence of international conflicts and the desire of states to implement their own geopolitical interests. The key factor in the emergence of conflicts is the concept of an inter-civilization clash by Samuel Huntington, where the role of states in the formation of the international system is the trigger for decision-making. The author states that in modern conditions Russia defends its interests, which should not be perceived by other actors of international relations as a threat, but as competition.