Suchergebnisse

The crisis on the border between Belarus and three EU countries, i.e. Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, which has been ongoing since the spring of 2021, was an unprecedented attempt in Europe to destabilize the situation inside the Community. Poland faced a challenge it had not faced before. The challenge was faced not only by state authorities and services dedicated to the protection of the Union's external border, but above all by the residents of the border areas. The influx of illegal migrants inspired by the Belarusian authorities and, as a result, the introduction of the state of emergency affected their lives to the greatest extent, disrupting its rhythm, while the migrants appearing in the farms introduced a hitherto unknown fear of strangers. In this context, the issue of perception and evaluation of the migration crisis and the actions taken by the government from the point of view of local authorities: mayors and village heads of border areas bordering Belarus seems to be extremely interesting cognitively. An empirical survey carried out on a purposive, exhaustive sample of village heads and mayors of municipalities in the border area was devoted to this problem. It should be noted here that the project had the character of a case study. It was diagnostic (exploratory) in nature at this stage and needs to be deepened in the course of further research. The results obtained allow to positively confirm the formulated research hypotheses. The problem of illegal migrants was perceived by the respondents as an issue requiring decisive and immediate action by state institutions. Cooperation with Mateusz Morawiecki's government and its field bodies was positively assessed. The mayors mostly approved of the emergency measures treating them as necessary to resolve the crisis.

The political transformation initiated in 1989 brought far-reaching changes not only in the economic and social sphere, but also in the local dimension, which seems to be a symbolic sign of the creation of local government administration. Against this background, the social perception and assessment of the perception and functioning of local governments in Poland seem to be particularly interesting cognitively. It depends on whether Poles define local authority as an element of public authority – an efficient manager and administrator who is de facto a "local extension of central authority", or whether it becomes an important point of reference for local activities using the synergy effect consisting in stimulating various actors and entities present in the social space for the good of the local community? The conducted analyses allow to unequivocally reject the veracity of the alternative defined in this way. Local government performs both functions, which synergistically increase its importance and impact. This is also a social expectation. Local communities want to see in local authorities both "good hosts" and "animators and creators" of social reality. This is also confirmed by the analyzed case studies. This may be explained, at least in part, by the high social expectation of decentralisation and the transfer of competences and resources to local authorities.

The aim of the article is to examine whether and to what extent a socio-political division into left- and right-wing is a factor that significantly influences the formation of the Polish political collective identity. The author of the article attempted to present the leftist and rightist identities in relation to defining characteristics of collective identity. Then, a theoretical model was empirically verified based on the findings of the author's own research conducted in 2019.

The current left-right dichotomy permanently organizes the perception of politics by the Polish society. This thesis is confirmed both in academic discourse as well as in the results of public opinion polls. In that context, it becomes extremely important to determine the understanding of the left and the right in relation to the electoral preferences of the Poles. The thesis and the hypotheses were verified in a process of analyzing the variables obtained in the present study, carried out in 2008–2015 on a representative sample of the adults. The results partially confirm the thesis. Compatibility between the understanding the left-right dichotomy and the characteristics of the doctrines depends on the electoral preferences of the respondents, but not for followers of all analyzed batches. The most consistency and compatibility with the model of doctrinal understanding of these concepts can be found in the preferences of the Democratic Left Alliance electorate. In the Law and Justice electorate, the understanding of the analyzed concepts is incomplete and only partially consistent with the declared right wing preferences, whereas, the biggest ideological disorientation can be noted among supporters of the Civic Platform. Undoubtedly, the voters' perception of the political scene through the lens of the divisionbetween the left and the right is still effectiveand valid.

The current left-right dichotomy permanently organizes the perception of politics by the Polish society. This thesis is confirmed both in academic discourse as well as in the results of public opinion polls. In that context, it becomes extremely important to determine the understanding of the left and the right in relation to the electoral preferences of the Poles. The thesis and the hypotheses were verified in a process of analyzing the variables obtained in the present study, carried out in 2008–2015 on a representative sample of the adults. The results partially confirm the thesis. Compatibility between the understanding the left-right dichotomy and the characteristics of the doctrines depends on the electoral preferences of the respondents, but not for followers of all analyzed batches. The most consistency and compatibility with the model of doctrinal understanding of these concepts can be found in the preferences of the Democratic Left Alliance electorate. In the Law and Justice electorate, the understanding of the analyzed concepts is incomplete and only partially consistent with the declared right wing preferences, whereas, the biggest ideological disorientation can be noted among supporters of the Civic Platform. Undoubtedly, the voters' perception of the political scene through the lens of the divisionbetween the left and the right is still effectiveand valid.