Mobility to the Edges of Europe: The Case of Iceland and Poland

Author(s): Dorota Rancew-Sikora,Unnur Dís Skaptadóttir / Language(s): English

Although there are many ways in which tourism and migration are interconnected, current research focuses mainly on either one or the other. Tourism is commonly linked to leisure and business, while migration is generally associated with work, politics, and culture. In fact the boundaries between tourism and migration are not often clear cut and the consequences of different kinds of mobility are not obvious. This book emphasizes the importance of blurring the boundaries between different kinds of mobility in social research and broadens our understanding of migrants and tourists as interconnected social categories, placing Poland and Iceland at the centre of the inquiry. Based on a collaborative project carried out by researchers from these two countries, it examines leisure and tourist activities of migrants, their perceptions of nature in Iceland and the UK, the changing image of migrants and tourists in Iceland, and the evolving attitude towards Iceland as a tourist destination.

State Capture Unplugged: Countering Administrative and Political Corruption in Bulgaria

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

The eleventh Corruption Assessment Report of the Center for the Study of Democracy is focused on the most potent form of corruption affecting Bulgaria: state capture. The report builds on years of CSD experience in the regular monitoring and assessing of the spread of administrative and political corruption. This is now complemented by an assessment of the mechanisms by which powerful lobbies capture government decision making to the benefit of shady business interests and the detriment of public good. The report finds that these two manifestations – administrative corruption and state capture – are closely linked because they represent different facets of the same phenomenon.

Polityka społeczna. Rozważania o teorii i praktyce

Author(s): Marian Mitręga,Joanna Lustig,Natalia Stępień-Lampa,Bożena Zasępa,Paweł Grzywna / Language(s): Polish

The work engages the problems of social policy and its subdisciplines. The social policy in Poland was subject to numerous transformations. Due to the institutional changes which are being constantly introduced, the transformations in the social structure and the technological progress, this process cannot be considered finished. The increasing range of services, new methods of managements, the development of a knowledge‑based society and the more and more closer international collaboration render this activity impossible to be perceived merely in terms of redistributive justice. Due to this, according to the authors, it is legitimate and worthwhile to conduct research in this scholarly field. The considerations that are presented in this work represent two currents of thinking about social policy – social policy as theory and as practice.The monograph constitutes a synthetic guide to the principal research areas of modern social policy. The work consists of sixteen chapters which describe the following problems of social policy: the problem of a definition, the genesis of the social policy and support activities, a model‑based approach, social security, the activities of the third sector, the population‑relatedpolicy, the policy associated with handicapped people, social protection, poverty, educationalpolicy, health‑related policy, the policy of the job market, the housing policy and the familypolicy. The publication is intended for people who are interested in the problems of social policy, political decision‑makers, including especially the representatives of self‑governmentauthorities and also the institutions of the second and third sectors.

Beklenmeyen Misafirler: Suriyeli Sığınmacılar Penceresinden Türkiye Toplumunun Geleceği

Author(s): / Language(s): Turkish

This is an edited book compiling chapters from researchers of different backgrounds and disciplines to offer a comprehensive understanding of the current state of affairs regarding Syrian refugees in Turkey.

Wyzwania i zagrożenia dla bezpieczeństwa międzynarodowego i narodowego pod koniec drugiej dekady XXI wieku

Author(s): / Language(s): Polish

This publication aims to diagnose the most important threats to international and national security at the end of the second decade of the 21st century. The emphasis has been placed on presenting the main challenges and threats that occur in the European and global system of international security. What constitutes an important objective of the collection is to show how the international security system has evolved on the regional – both European and global – scale in the second decade of the 21st century, and to point out the challenges and threats to national and international security connected with it. It is important not only to identify the current threats, but also the potential ones, against which measures can be taken already today thanks to an accurate “interpretation” of the developments in the international security system, both in individual regions of the world and on a global scale. One of the objectives of the collection is to show some threats to internal and external security of Poland, especially in the context of increased threats of terrorism and illegal migration.

Taking Community Seriously? Communitarian Critiques of Liberalism

Author(s): Aneta Gawkowska / Language(s): English

The author analyzes five communitarian critiques of liberalism, namely theories of A. Etzioni, M. Walzer, M. Sandel, Ch. Taylor, A. MacIntyre. The analysis proves that they accept certain liberal assumptions and do not take community seriously enough.

Młoda myśl wschodnia

Author(s): / Language(s): Polish

"Młoda myśl wschodnia" to próba uchwycenia najnowszych tendencji w polskim myśleniu o Wschodzie. Począwszy od 1918 roku, każda epoka niepodległej Polski cechowała się własnym podejściem do tematyki wschodniej; zawarte w tym tomie teksty zostały napisane przez najmłodsze, "piąte" pokolenie, jak nazywa ich Paweł Kowal, "wschodniaków". Jak ocenia Paweł Kowal, "(...) dzisiejsza myśl wschodnia daleka jest od pompatycznych idei, jest pragmatyczna, czasami nawet techniczna. Na ile może, trzyma się, inaczej niż poprzednie pokolenia polskiej myśli wschodniej, daleko od codziennej krajowej polityki (...). Na pewno lubi tematy , jak energetyka, gospodarka, lubi unijny kontekst (...)." O odrębności tego pokolenia stanowi także czas, w jakim żyją - funkcjonowanie Polski w strukturach unijnych, doświadczenie pomarańczowej rewolucji na Ukrainie a także wszechobecność nowych mediów.Jak zaznacza Paweł Kowal, "najważniejszym zadaniem najmłodszej polskiej myśli wschodniej jest rozpropagowanie jej po świecie, dosłownie i w przenośni przetłumaczyć na język współczesnej zglobalizowanej rzeczywistości: wyjaśnić stare polskie doktryny, pokazać nowe podejście i jeszcze zrobić to w formacie przystającym do rzeczywistości (...)."

Etyka protestancka i duch kapitalizmu

Author(s): Max Weber / Language(s): Polish

The publication contains the basics of the sociology of Max Weber and belongs to the classics of social research. From it derives the Weberian theory of capitalism, rationality, ethics, and domination. The thesis put forward here – that the birth and continuation of capitalism can be understood by referring to its ethical foundations, or Protestantism – is still vividly debated today.

Wpływ nowych mediów na przemiany polityczne wybranych państw Bliskiego Wschodu na przykładzie Arabskiej Wiosny

Author(s): Zofia Sawicka / Language(s): Polish

The author explains origins, evolution and consequences of the Arab Spring in selected Arab countries (with particular reference to Tunisia and Egypt), and proves that new media has become an important element in the ongoing transformations and its impact on the civil society and public sphere in the Middle East has not been ended with the disappearance of street protests.

„ODRA” (1945–1950) Monografia czasopisma

Author(s): Paweł Sarna / Language(s): Polish

This volume presents the history and role of “Odra”, a social-cultural journal founded by journalists and writers gathered around Wilhelm Szewczyk. The journal was published in Katowice in the years 1945–1950, first as a biweekly and since 1946, as a weekly. The legacy of the journal is of particular value. Within a few years, it became one of the most important social-cultural periodicals in post-war Poland. This volume traces its development; it consists of six parts. The first part presents the social and political background of the journal. In the years that followed World War Two, the social and cultural press was a major forum for discussion, in particular, for debates on culture. The most important debates of the time included the battle for the Polish intelligentsia, in which the “Odra” journal participated. Such disputes were, to a considerable extent, a substitute for political topics, that is, for problems which could not be explicitly addressed.Journals that were published at that time had one thing in common: they were all subject to censorship. However, it must be remembered that censorship was merely a tool in the hands of the party. Because “Odra” was regarded as an oppositional journal, censors read it very closely. As a result of their intervention, the published versions of articles were sometimes quite remote from their original forms.The second part of the volume presents the methodological assumptions of the project. The research comprises a quantitative analysis, that is, an analysis of the content, and a qualitative analysis of the material. In methodological terms, the study of the role and significance of the “Odra” journal in the years 1945–1950 is situated at the junction of literary studies and media studies.The third part outlines the main characters of the narration. Protagonists of the “Odra” journal included indigenous inhabitants and settlers. Journalists stood up for those who were part of a community of suffering: harmed by bandits and the system, often rejected and pushed to the edge of the political and cultural life. In 1946, Zbyszko Bednorz, one of the regular collaborators of the journal, wrote that in the awareness of Poles, the Western and Northern Territories still remained occupied and strange. In fact, for a long time, they continued to be explored and colonised. Moreover, they had a special place on the map of fear and terror because of the robberies by Soviet soldiers, the Citizens’ Militia, and common bandits.It was an intention of “Odra” editors to shape the journal in such a way so that it was perceived as both recording and commenting on all important events that took place in post-war Germany. The issue of Polish-German relations was analysed in particular detail, taking into consideration events of the most remote past. The most active commentator on the German problem was Wilhelm Szewczyk, the editor-in-chief, who wrote about post-war Germany and Polish-German relations in the column entitled Co robią Niemcy? [What are the Germans doing?]. The narration about Poland’s western neighbour in the texts published in the Co robią Niemcy? series forms a recognisable pattern: it begins with a simple juxtaposition between “us” and “them” in the first post-war years; later, however, this opposition dissolves so that the division blurs, a change influenced to a considerable extent by the events in both German states and by the political course taken by the Polish authorities.The book argues that an important asset of the journal was its programme, which is described and analysed in the fourth part of the volume. “Odra” drew from the national thought of the interwar period. However, it must be emphasised that it cannot be suspected of having supported nationalist causes.Journalists of the “Odra” journal proposed a cultural programme for – to use the terminology of the time – the Recovered Territories. They were actively involved in polemics with Kuźnica, a journal promoting Marxist thought and an important title on the national scale.A considerable part of the content of the journal was concerned with analyses of literary texts, which are discussed in the last two parts of the volume. “Odra” carried texts by widely respected writers, including those whose influence on the shape of Polish literature and culture was growing with time: Tadeusz Różewicz, Tymoteusz Karpowicz, and Stanisław Lem. Browsing through the issues of “Odra”, one will easily notice that the literary themes and texts often directly corresponded with the content of articles which discussed other issues. Poetry and prose frequently functioned as illustrations of various problems addressed by journalists. “Odra” editors used this strategy, for instance, to raise the readers’ interest in the problem of Polish-German and Polish-Czechoslovakian relations.Historians of literature and media scholars often appeal for more research being done into the periodical press in general, and into the period immediately following World War Two in particular, when the new post-Yalta order was forming. Despite the abundance of source material, studies of the subject are scarce. So far, no special monograph devoted solely to the “Odra” journal has been published. It is hoped that the present volume will fill this gap.

Od oświecenia do rewolucji

Author(s): Eric Voegelin / Language(s): Polish

A cross section of the most important philosophical and intellectual trends from the 17th to the 20th century. Among others, the author puts together the thought of J.-B. Bossuet and the views of Voltaire, confronts the reflections of B. Pascal and Helvétius, presents the key elements of the positivist vision of A. Comte, the concepts of M. Bakunin and K. Marx. He is concerned with key 19th-century categories of political thought, such as progress or political durability.

Peščani sprud

Author(s): Teofil Pančić / Language(s): Serbian

Pamięć zbiorowa, pojednanie i stosunki międzynarodowe

Author(s): / Language(s): Polish

The book is devoted to the role of memory in international relations. The point of departure for this reflection is the Holocaust, and to some extent also other crimes resembling ethnic cleansing and 20th-century homicide. The book concerns also other topics, such as reconciliation and ways of achieving it, the role of historical memories, the issues of migrants living between the old and the new homeland.

Aktywność gospodarcza i polityczna Chińskiej Republiki Ludowej w regionie Europy Środkowej i Wschodniej

Author(s): Dominik Mierzejewski,Bartosz Kowalski,Przemysław Ciborek / Language(s): Polish

Conclusion 1. The goal of the 16+1 format is to create leaders of co-operation with China in the region and to define models of economic co-operation at the bilateral level; 2. The basic problem pivots around the perception of actors from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) in terms of the global South, which in the case of the Visegrad Group member countries does not correspond to the current reality; 3. The perception indicated above creates the mechanisms of Chinese economic actions, including investments in developing countries. This particularly applies to the non-EU 16+1 members, i.e. the Western Balkans, where most of the investments are financed by the Chinese Exim Bank; 4. The actions of Hungary and Serbia correspond to their political and economic aspirations, and also create the foundations for leadership in the region in a broader, not merely Chinese context; 5. The division of labour in the 16+1 format has been based on the choice of the CEE countries so as to use the competitive advantages of each country in the best possible way in economic relations with China. In this regard, the outline of the division of labour is similar in outline to the past co-operation format of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (Comecon); 6. The Chinese action in the 16+1 format is considered a process of testing various models of economic co-operation. In some format countries, including Bulgaria and the Czech Republic, they turned out to be incompatible with European reality; 7. The 16+1 format overlaps with other initiatives on the North–South axis, such as co-operation within the framework of the Three Seas Initiative or Via Carpathia route; 8. The state of relations of selected CEE countries with China and China's future actions in the region is influenced by three main factors: (a) the state of relations with Russia and the EU, (b) the population of the Chinese diaspora, (c) public opinion on China; 9. A sense of disappointment predominates among selected 16+1 countries in their evaluation of the effects of co-operation with China so far: a low investment volume and a growing foreign trade deficit.

Wokół teoretycznych i praktycznych aspektów stosunków międzynarodowych. Księga jubileuszowa dedykowana profesorowi Mieczysławowi Stolarczykowi

Author(s): / Language(s): Polish

The Role of Regions in EU-China Relations

Author(s): Adriana Skorupska,Justyna Szczudlik,Joanna Ciesielska-Klikowska,Michał Gzik / Language(s): English

More and more regions are cooperating with their Chinese counterparts in many different areas: economy, environment, culture, academic exchange. Although the subnational dimension has started to be a visibly important element of EU-China relations, this trend is not reflected in the academic literature on EU-China relations. Until now, we have not known what the network of contacts with China at the regional level looks like and what the determinants and institutional forms of inter-regional partnerships there are.The present book maps Sino-European relations at the regional level and presents a detailed analysis of subnational contacts in the six analysed EU member states, illustrated by case studies of interesting regions from each country. It shows the rising role of non-state actors in international relations, the growing importance of paradiplomacy, as well as the necessity to look at the EU-China relations as a multi-layer phenomenon, engaging different types of actors on different levels.

New Dynamics in Asia

Author(s): David Jervis,Su-chun Li,David A. Jones,Mateusz Smolaga,Amandeep Singh Hanspal,Mateusz Chatys,Przemysław Ciborek,Jinghao Zhou,Sylwia Łagnowska,Karol Żakowski / Language(s): English

The monograph illustrates different aspects of profound shifts in the economic, societal, political, and cultural landscapes of Asia. In three thematic blocks, it analyzes the US and the EU’s changing position in East Asia, China’s growing political and economic influence in the world, as well as the evolution of the Japanese democracy. By examining various dimensions of the politics, foreign policies, societies, and economics of selected Asian countries, it contributes to better understanding of a complex mosaic of intertwining interests of global and local powers in the region. A range of studies by Asia scholars stress the sudden rise of the People’s Republic of China, accompanied by a waning position of Western powers in the Asia-Pacific, as well as economic and political stagnation of Japan. While indicating different methods for containing China’s rise instituted by competing powers, as well as the social, humanitarian, political, and economic obstacles against the spread of the Chinese sphere of influence, the authors describe the dynamic changes that occurred on the Asian continent in the last decades.

Niedoskonała globalizacja. Czy światowy system gospodarczy wymaga gruntownych reform? Księga jubileuszowa Profesora Włodzimierza Siwińskiego

Author(s): / Language(s): Polish

Jubilee book of Professor Włodzimierz Siwiński The aim of the publication is to reinterpret the phenomena and processes taking place in the current globalized economy. The crisis in the world economy of 2008-2009 brought additional threats to the international economic balance; therefore, questions are posed about the causes of the handicaps of globalization, its consequences, directions for further actions and their validity.

ZNACZENIE ORZECZNICTWA TRYBUNAŁU SPRAWIEDLIWOŚCII UNII EUROPEJSKIEJ W PROCESIE ROZWOJU PRAWA EUROPEJSKIEGO

Author(s): Władysław Czapliński / Language(s): Polish

Stosunki międzynarodowe. Antologia tekstów źródłowych. Tom 1: Korzenie dyscypliny – do 1989 roku

Author(s): / Language(s): Polish

An anthology of source texts from key publications for international relations that shaped this discipline until 1989, most of which are translated into Polish for the first time. The collection includes the texts of Hans J. Morgenthau, Karl W. Deutsch, Raymond Aron, Graham T. Allison, Stanley Hoffmann, Alexander E. Wendt, Kenneth N. Waltz, Immanuel Wallerstein, Hedley Bull, Morton A. Kaplan, Robert Jervis, Joseph S. Nye, Peter Gourevitch, Robert Gilpin, Susan Strange, Robert Cox, Stephen D. Krasner, Johan Galtung, Ernst B. Haas, James Rosenau, Martin Wight, Michael W. Doyle and Robert O. Keohane.