Search

The objective of this study is to introduce the topic of old-age infirmity risk and to analyse the sources of its financing in the current legal framework, based on social insurance retirement benefits paid by the Social Insurance Institution. The problems of estimating the scale of old-age infirmity risk in Poland will be considered, and on the example of the average cost of living in a nursing home in selected cities conclusions and recommendations on possible sources of financing institutional long-term care in the future will be presented. Undertaking a discussion of the economic dimension of old age is justified primarily by the assumption that financing the specific needs of the elderly can generate extraordinary costs, both for individual households and for the public sector as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the article is to indicate the need to popularize knowledge in Poland about the coordination of retirement pensions in the EU and to present good practices for disseminating knowledge about coordination in selected countries covered by the coordination regulation. The following research hypothesis has been presented: the level of Poles’ knowledge about the coordination of retirement pensions in the European Union is low. The author’s own research was carried out based on the quantitative CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing) method. The research included a survey sample with a total of 1,000 respondents. The nationwide survey was carried out among the Polish working population. The author's own research focuses precisely on the international aspect of pensions coordination. The research confirmed the low level of Poles' knowledge about coordination. Poles do not know whether Polish workers migrating within the European labour market can benefit from EU regulations that make it easier to receive a pension and retirement benefits, or whether the social insurance contribution periods for work performed abroad count when determining the right to receive Polish retirement benefits. The article presents good practices for disseminating knowledge about coordination in selected EU countries – Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Spain, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, as a basis for creating recommendations for Poland.

More and more Poles are using EU regulations coordinating pension systems. These are both people who currently live in another EU country as well as people who return to Poland after working abroad. The method of analysing the literature on the subject was used and the studies on the knowledge, opinions and attitudes of Poles regarding social insurance in Poland and the coordination of pension benefits were reviewed. An analysis of current national surveys indicates that the level of this knowledge is very low. Knowledge about EU legislation functions at the expert and scientific level. The use of European experience regarding the dissemination of knowledge on the coordination of pensions seems to be necessary; therefore, selected initiatives of popularization of the knowledge in selected EU Member States were presented, thus creating recommendations for Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article addresses key challenges in socio-economic policies caused by the growing share of self-employed without employees in the total workforce in developed market economy countries. It starts with the presentation of statistical data documenting recent trends in solo self-employment in Europe. Next, it discusses the policy implications of the growing population of solo self-employed, particularly the need for re-examination of the basic foundations of entrepreneurship and labour market policies. Key characteristics and pitfalls of the current public pension scheme for the self-employed in Poland are described in the second part of the article. It concludes with the recommendations regarding the reform of retirement benefits for this segment of the workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Konsumpcja i Rozwój is the property of Institute for Market, Consumption & Business Cycles Research and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)