The concepts of social capital are important in improving the quality of life. However, the effects of social capital accumulated in the economic, social and political spheres can be both positive and negative. Article brings the specificity of trust as a key variety of social capital and it's status among the Poles. Indicated are also differences between the suspicion, mistrust and functional substitutes for trust. The whole is complemented by breakdown of bottom-up methods of social capital building.
This research focuses on the role played by youth religious organizations in the shaping of young people's social capital in Romania. Based on a series of interviews and focus groups with young people engaged in religious organizations and the leaders of those organizations, we find that youth religious socialization is an important process in creating or reinforcing social and political values, and thus, it may be conducive to social capital. Although nuanced comparisons across denominations are difficult to make due to the unavailability of data, a distinction seems to appear between Orthodox and Catholic religiously active youth. For example, while young people in Catholic organizations are encouraged to forge relationships with people outside their organizations (bridging social capital), those belonging to Orthodox groups tend to keep to themselves, and, at times, even employ a strict access policy for newcomers wanting to join (bonding social capital). Conclusions suggest the need to approach the effects of youth religious socialization in a nuanced way.
More and more people around the world are using computer (video) games. The development of the gaming industry means increasing of its complexity in all aspects. Not only is the content represented in games continuously differentiating, but we also see the increasing diversity among their creators, users, researchers and the public. This article aims to draw attention to the possibility of using the concept of social capital in ludologists' research as well as in improving the quality of games and of the cooperation between social environments related with games. Social capital is understood here as a potential of interactions embedded in interpersonal ties and social norms, which can bring advantages for individuals, groups and societies. The author takes a closer look on: the main features of this multi-dimensional category; significant differences between human, social and cultural capital; as well as the positive and negative influences of social capital.
This paper analyses how conflict impacts social capital. The existing literature suggests that the social capital of a society which has experienced conflict or military operations will not be shaped in the same way as the social capital in an area where there were no such actions. Yet, there is disagreement on what the specific effects of a conflict are. This paper seeks to address this puzzle by comparing levels of social capital in Serbia and Poland. The research presented in this paper was conducted among two groups; the first, a group of respondents including young Serbs (18-24 years old) who, during the 1990s, survived hostilities on the territory of their country or grew up surrounded by people who were participating in military actions. The second group includes young Poles (aged 18-24), who as children, grew up in a society, which from 1995-2002 did not experience either conflict or military action. Significant research results include the following: in a society in which no conflict has occurred in the past, there is a higher level of social and political participation; the formation of bridging communities, trust in social actors from outside the immediate family, trust in institutions, and a greater sense of security in the neighbourhood.
The reviewed book by T. Piketty has become one of the bestsellers in the world, and soon after its publication appeared reviews expressing both positive (and even enthusiastic) opinions, as well as highly critical ones. The latter, to some extent, refer to the theory of K. Marx, whose works are used by the author in the title of the book and partly in research. The subject of this publication is creation, division and possession of capital (wealth, wealth) in the modern world economy, especially highly developed countries. The key research task undertaken by Piketty concerns changes in the creation and distribution of wealth and income from the 18th century to the present, as well as lessons from this for the society and the present and future. In this context, an important place is occupied by the problem of economic and social inequalities arising in the global process of capital multiplication, which remains in the hands of a small group of its owners. The need to counteract unfavorable phenomena is growing, which leads to the development of a social state, a new type of public policy and the use of strong instruments to redistribute income.
This article examines the role of trust in decision-making processes, which involves major interest groups, representing the world of work and business. This process is often referred to as the concept of social dialogue, which is generally defined as all forms of negotiation and consultation between the trade unions and employers and the state. In this formula, dialogue can be regarded as a mechanism of public policy making. The first part of the article is a short presentation of links between social dialogue and public policies. The second part addresses the issue of trust, which is a prerequisite for high quality and effective social dialogue. The quality and effectiveness of dialogue are correlated with the price, which participants have to pay for taking part in the dialogue and its outcomes. This is an issue of transaction costs, which are determined by "trust capital". The third part examines contribution of trust to the cost effect of social dialogue. The study concludes with a presentation of the research, conducted among trade unionists and employers who have, inter alia, assessed the role of trust in dialogue.
Non-governmental organisations are defined as the institutional dimension of civil society. They perform many numerous and important functions while influencing the development of social capital. From this perspective, it is important to understand how their mutual relations are shaped and how cooperation and competition are presented from the theoretical perspective. The article reviews theories about the relationship between NGOs. In relation to the theoretical assumptions, an analysis of data from reports on the situation of NGOs in Poland was carried out.
Enactment of the Polish Act on Urban Regeneration has granted municipalities new opportunities of using spatial policy development tools, including ones related to the legal, spatial, and participatory domain. The inefficiency of public authorities in the spatial management system manifests itself in insufficient skills as well as the lack of will and determination to shape and protect spatial order. Speaking of urban regeneration, this inefficiency becomes evident, but not only, in the erroneous or incomplete diagnosis of issues that should trigger regeneration processes; the lack of prompt and thoughtful response to the diagnosed problems; the lack of active cooperation with stakeholders (attributable both to the low level of social capital and the attitude of bureaucrats). Ultimately, this inefficiency leads to the implementation of the municipal regeneration program only by public authorities and not by regeneration stakeholders. Based on these findings, the article seeks to determine whether and to what extent urban regeneration tools can reduce the inefficiency of public authorities in the spatial management system (in relation to areas subject to regeneration). The conducted analysis of case studies demonstrates that regeneration tools are not employed to their full potential (to unlock all the related benefits). Participation tools are not fully utilized, either (especially those linked to the operation of the Urban Regeneration Committee).
The purpose of this paper is to present a theory of transformation concerning social classess and their culture. Modern social classes are deprived of their own culture. Instead the standarized, classless "uniculture" comes in place. It is produced by cultural means of production which are key to maintain the global hegemony of the capital. These cultural means of production produce also mass ignorance. Their role is to eliminate old system of education and to replace local learning by global, cultural, hegemonies. They are also the source of the modern anticlass aesthetics.
Assuming that social health status affects the level of human capital, the priority of every modern state should be to ensure that its citizens are provided with adequate health condi-tions, and thus a sense of health safety. Consequently, state activities aimed at managing safety in the field of health policy should translate into both productivity and working efficiency of society, which in turn should stimulate the economic development of the country. This paper attempts to present selected health safety measures to improve the health of the population with the example of the activities of the EU and public institutions in selected voivodeships imple-menting the principles of sustainable development and long-term investment in society. In this paper, an analysis of documents relating to direct actions with regard to this issue has been used as a research method. The conducted research shows that the cooperation of EU Member States creates a platform for cooperation on combating health inequalities and basic social determinants of health, the aim of which is to improve the health and quality of life of EU citizens, which in turn should translate into accelerating economic development.
Strategies are usually long-term plans. However, many problems appear if they are considered essential issues of social life and economic security, especially considering the need to make choices concerning conditions of limited resources. Another issue is the dilemma of achieving individual goals in the conditions of global interdependencies. One of the key requirements of nation-states is to ensure energy security; therefore, governments are strongly focused on establishing a stable, enduring, and useful energy strategy. Therefore, the point of importance is factors that will be able to ensure energy efficiency, economic stability, security, and in parallel, sustainable developmentboth on the national and global levels. Drawing from the above, this study investigates the reasons for the indispensability to carry out an energy market systemic reform in Poland with consideration of economic argumentation. The theories of economic growth, especially of endogenous kind, is taken into consideration. It is also argued that to achieve sustainable economic growth and social development in the long run, it would be reasonable to simultaneously concentrate on human capital and technologies. More advantages will be gained through intergovernmental cooperation, within regional groups such as the Visegrad Group and at the supranational EU level. This conviction is motivated by the principles of public choice theory.
