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Academic libraries, apart from their main function, which is to provide information services to academic communities, may also perform a number of social roles in the broad meaning of the term. Accordingly, they now tend to serve as the third place offering inclusion and animation activities to academic as well as local communities (including potential students) and to groups in risk of social exclusion (immigrants, persons with disabilities, senior citizens, etc.) or in need of various kinds of care and support. However, for libraries to be able to fulfil those tasks, they need properly trained staff who not only have the required competencies but also the right social attitudes. The paper presents an analysis of the social attitudes of academic librarians from twenty countries across the world as compared to the personnel of other types of libraries. The level of individual social capital, activity in social networks, aspirations in life and social and civic engagement were investigated. It was noted that the respondents tend to undervalue the importance of the work done by libraries for local communities. At the same time, the research showed that academic librarians have a somewhat lower level of individual social capital and trust than public librarians and less extensive social networks. Nonetheless, they are open to relationships with others, which enables them to engage in various social projects.

This paper argues that the impact of international programmes intended to improve the effectiveness of higher education institutions in transitional states is related to the extent to which the programmes are successful, through their various projects, in creating social capital within the institutions concerned. Based on case studies of similar institutions in Poland and Romania, the paper finds that projects developed within the institution had a more lasting impact on organisational change, even when the project was of an academic nature, than did externally directed projects which were actually focused on achieving institutional change. Social capital theory offers an explanation of this difference, and suggests what the mechanisms at work may be.

Ecological studies, when the school is the unit of analysis, may help to design and evaluate school intervention programs. The paper discusses selected contextual determinants of bullying, using data collected in Poland in 2015 and aggregated to school level (4085 students; 70 junior high schools). The main hypothesis is related to the neighborhood social capital as protective factor and the type of community as a modifier. The main dependent variable was the combined index of bullying which included three perspectives (victim, perpetrator, bystander). Student delinquent behavior was taken into account as potential determinant, along with selected characteristics of the school and neighborhood. The analyses were adjusted for the percentage of the surveyed boys. The overall bullying index ranged, depending on the school, from 0.88 to 4.07 points (out of 12 possible); intraclass coefficient ICC = 2.8%. In the entire sample, the main predictors of bullying were student delinquent behaviors as a risk factor and the school social climate as a protective factor (R[superscript 2] = 56.3%). The stratification of schools due to their location influences the inference regarding those main determinants. The dominating influence of delinquent behavior is visible only in big cities where bullying index showed the highest dispersion. In smaller towns and rural areas, the neighborhood social capital becomes an important protective factor; highly correlated with the school climate. We can conclude that strong social bonds in the community are supportive for school climate and can reduce the level of bullying at schools.

Prior to the pandemic, studies demonstrated the mainly protective role of structural social capital on all-cause mortality, less evidence had been found for a protective role for cognitive social capital. However, some findings from the early stage of the pandemic suggest that civic participation and group affiliation may be associated with more COVID-19-related deaths, as was interpersonal trust. Thus, the study aimed to verify indicators of individual social capital as risk factors for 7.6-year all-cause mortality before COVID-19 pandemic and 1.6-year all-cause mortality during of the pandemic among men and women aged 50+ years in Poland. The Polish part of the COURAGE in Europe cross-sectional baseline study was conducted in 2011. The analysis included 2913 face-to-face interviews with randomly selected community-dwelling individuals. Information about deaths was obtained from the State Systems Department on Oct 7, 2021. Various aspects of structural and cognitive social capital were measured. The Cox proportional hazard models were used. Before the pandemic, a protective effect of structural (formal and informal social participation) and cognitive social capital (trust in family, trust in co-workers) on the risk of death was observed in women. However, a negative effect of cognitive social capital (trust in strangers) was found for women and men. No positive effect of social capital during the pandemic after controlling for the health-related characteristics was found. A negative effect of generalized trust on all-cause mortality during the pandemic was discerned for men, a negative effect of the level of one's social network was found in women. The observed patterns of relationships were totally different for analyzed periods of time, and different for men and women. Consequently, planning of social interventions directed towards middle and older age groups should consider various actions for men and women separately. The need for continuous evaluation of implemented social interventions was emphasized., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

This paper investigates whether religion as an important feature of culture affects the formation of personal and social resilience, thus becoming a developmental factor. A questionnaire surveying a sample of 100 rural residents in the Łowicz Diocese in Poland showed that religion was still 'going strong', being an enduring element of national and local culture. The results from this Polish Catholic region undermine prevailing secularisation theories. The research shows that faith provides a significantly positive strength needed to cope with daily life, as well as during crisis situations. It enables people not only to 'survive' but also to 'live well and creatively'. It supplies needed continuity and enhances community solidarities. By consolidating resilience, religion gives people's lives meaning, and augments subjective senses of wellbeing. As a source of social capital, religion mobilises people into joint activities for the parish and local community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we examine the perceptions of ERASMUS agents' of Polish students' participation in the EP. We provide a Bourdieusian analyse of the cultural and social capital acquisition of students based on the qualitative data, collected through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with Erasmus agents, of a European research project. We argue that: Polish students' participation in the EP has a positive impact on their academic achievement, cultural, social and linguistic capital, but, at the same time, it has a negative impact on degree completion of students as they get highly paid jobs, which prevent them from fully developing their cultural capital; ERASMUS Tourism has its value and place in the EP, because it provides students with the opportunity to develop their cultural, social and linguistic capital; and a Bourdieusian analysis of the experiences of ERASMUS students provides a better understanding of the impact student participation in the EP on their development.

This paper examines the extent that material, social, and cultural resources and schools account for the relationship between socioeconomic background and student achievement among 15-year-olds in 30 countries. Generally, cultural factors play a more important role in most countries although in a small minority of countries, material resources have a substantial impact. Most often, social resources have little impact. In many countries, educational differentiation--that is, school tracks and school types, and curriculum tracking within schools--mediates the relationship between socioeconomic background and student achievement. Countries with highly tracked systems tend to show stronger relationships. On average, over 60% of the effect of socioeconomic background on achievement is accounted for by these factors. These findings are independent of whether achievement in reading, mathematics, or science is examined. The implications of this study for reducing socioeconomic inequalities in education are discussed.

Purpose: The purpose of the work is diagnosis and assessment the state of the internal social capital of enterprises in Poland and the differences between companies with different characteristics. The aim of the study is also to indicate the relationship between an organisation's social capital level and its activities' effects. Design/methodology/approach: The paper presents the results of own study conducted on a sample of 650 micro, small, medium and large companies in Poland. The model presented by Westlund and Nilsson (2005) was used in the analysis, various dimensions of this capital (structural, relational and cognitive) were also explored. Descriptive statistics, non-parametric testing methods (Chi2 independence test) and classification methods using the CHAID method were used. Findings: Results suggest that about ¾ of companies showed the presence of positive phenomena in the social capital field. However, there are statistically significant differences between companies of different sizes, age, status (headquarters, branch, independent organisation), and the origin of capital (domestic, foreign, mixed). The research also shows that companies perceive the relationship of internal social capital with the company's development and relations with their partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Analytical Psychology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell 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.)

Copyright of Research Papers of the Wroclaw University of Economics / Prace Naukowe Uniwersytetu Ekonomicznego we Wroclawiu is the property of Uniwersytet Ekonomiczny we Wroclawiu 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.)

The aim of the article is to assess changes in the perception of the state by students in the context of research concerning social capital. The paper studies whether the knowledge and the social competences gained during the three years of study are reflected in the perception of the state by young people. The paper uses the results of a survey analysis conducted at the universities in Poland and Lithuania. The theoretical part of the article presents chosen issues concerning social capital in relation to the state. The article presents conclusions regarding the assessment of changes in the perception of the state by young people in Poland and Lithuania in the context of democracy, social participation, trust and social norms. This research enables us to make a comparison of the results between the two countries and from two research periods and is an original contribution to the discussion about the role of the young generation in society. The results of the research indicate that the knowledge and the social competencies acquired during three years of study in most cases were not reflected in the change of perception of the state by Polish and Lithuanian young people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management & Innovation is the property of Wyzsza Szkola Biznesu-National Louis University 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.)

The Bais Yaakov school network represents an unusual phenomenon: a school system with strong transnational tendencies. Founded in 1917 in Poland, it developed rapidly there in the interwar period; in the 1930s, it also struck roots first in Mandate Palestine and then in North America. The Bais Yaakov network of schools, which flourishes today, tells a story of sustainability over time and space. This paper presents historical analysis and social network analysis (SNA) of the early years of the Bais Yaakov network, analyzing Hebrew press newspaper articles published between 1930 and 1948 to demonstrate how a number of key leaders in the schools' administration played a crucial role in developing the network. This network involved not only the schools themselves, but also religious advocacy and government relations. Key actors leveraged their brokering power with these larger organizations in order to expand the network in Poland and the Land of Israel. The organizational affiliations of key actors thus shed light on the place of Bais Yaakov within a larger network of community organizations: in both locations, these leaders usually held a double role as educators as well as important community figures within the broader Orthodox Jewish context. These findings suggest that the sustainability of transnational networks depends on strong leaders who are involved within the network to promote its specific global identity but who are also active and powerful in the local peripheries, amplifying network visibility within local and broader communities and maintaining beneficial connections with local governmental authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the level of knowledge-based economy (KBE) in terms of sustainable development across the provinces (voivodships) of Poland in 2020. The underlying assumption of this study is that knowledge and skills are one of the fundamental preconditions for successfully implementing the concept of sustainable development. In order to calculate the rankings of Polish voivodships a synthetic indicator developed on the basis of the zeroed unitarization method was used. There are vast disproportions in the levels of KBE across the voivodeships of Poland. The most advanced KBE was identified in the Mazowieckie Voivodship, and the least developed KBE was found in the Lubuskie voivodship. The capacity to develop a knowledge-based economy is inextricably interrelated with the quality of the social capital, which is directly attributable to the levels of education. In order to offset the interregional disproportions spending on research and development needs to be increased and the investments in human capital (e.g. through career planning, training, improving the professional qualifications of employees, discretionary bonuses) and new technologies should be expanded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management & Innovation is the property of Wyzsza Szkola Biznesu-National Louis University 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.)

Copyright of Polityka Spoleczna is the property of Institute of Labour & Social / Instytut Pracy i Spraw Socjalnych 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.)

City managers search for new concepts of city development in order to satisfy growing demands and manage risk. The research assumes that city management requires the combination of ideas of sustainable development, a smart city and resilience. These three concepts are the components of the so-called "Fundamental Power of the City". The aim of this paper is to present and test the operationalization of the new hybrid approach to city development through the index named the Fundamental Power of the City Index which includes 80 variables. The research applies six linear ordering methods to investigate the functionality of the Index. These are used to investigate each city's performance and compare it with other cities by ranking them according to a chosen measure. The research considers 18 voivodship capital cities of Poland. The research draws attention to different approaches of development assessment although analysis shows that most linear ordering methods produce similar rankings. Investigation shows that human and social capital factors contribute to high positions in the ranking which is consistent with the development strategies formulated by the leading cities. The results of the analysis also identify the most urgent problems of the municipalities. The research confirms that the Fundamental Power of the City concept, by including the requirements for sustainable, smart and resilient cities, fills the gaps between them and provides a holistic approach to city management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social networks are an important variable which explain career issues such as career satisfaction, success, development and employment. However, research is often conducted separately from different theoretical perspective, i.e. social capital, social network analysis or networking, such that the comparison of findings across studies is difficult. The major question posed by our research concerns how employees' networking behaviours (behavioural perspective) and the individual social capital related to work (resource-based) influence the quality of careers. The discussion draws upon a survey carried out among employees (N=373) with a usage of American and Dutch research tools adapted to Polish conditions. Explanatory factor analysis followed to appoint adequate networking behaviours. Descriptive statistical and correlation analyses were then performed between variables in order to test the formulated hypotheses. The results of the study show that networking behaviour is a good predictor of career satisfaction and prospects, while individual social capital related to work is only related to career prospects. The influence of individual social capital related to work on career prospects is weaker than the influence of networking behaviours on career prospects. Thus, the behavioural perspective provides more explanations of career issues than the resources perspective. This paper contributes to the prior literature on individual social capital, networking behaviours and career issues by explaining how two different perspectives of social network influence career satisfaction and prospects. The value of the research is the usage of independent variables representing two different theoretical perspectives to test their impact on dependent variables i.e. career satisfaction and career prospects. The paper concludes with implications for further research and provides some hints for employees and organisations focused on successful work and career. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many European countries, for both demographic and financial reasons, small schools are being closed. A rural school is one of the few public places which enables formal and informal meetings of community residents. When it is closed, social activity changes. This paper presents a multiple-case study of four Polish villages which in the year 2000 organized protests against school closures; two schools were saved and two were closed. Semi-structured interviews with local leaders and office workers were conducted in 2004 and 2016. The study shows that the decline of structural social capital was significantly smaller in those villages where the school was saved. In the village in which the building of the school did not serve the local population due to the decision of the authorities, a significant and long-term decline in both structural and cognitive social capital was observed. That means that local authorities may contribute to the degradation of the local social capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses the explanatory use of the concept of transnationalism in relation to contemporary patterns of intra-European mobility, drawing on evidence from two qualitative studies of new labour migration from Poland to Scotland. It suggests that the transnational way of life of migrants is leading to the creation of a European space conceived in terms of a new kind of socio-cultural configuration. The paper draws on the concept of capitals (economic, social and cultural) derived from the work of Pierre Bourdieu. In particular, it uses these concepts to reflect on the gains and losses in capital of Polish migrants in Scotland and in their home country. It questions the classical brain drain approach to labour migration by giving more nuance picture of the migrants' lives characterised by circulation of capitals and simultaneous commitment to more than one country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Contemporary Management Quarterly / Wspólczesne Zarzadzanie is the property of Jagiellonian University, Faculty of Management & Social Communication 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.)

The aim of this paper is to assess the importance of class differences in contemporary Poland by studying the effect of social position and mobility on the commensal practices. For this purpose, the author applies Pierre Bourdieu's multidimensional class model and argues that class effect may be disaggregated into three components: cultural, economic and social capital. Using data from a survey conducted in 2017, he finds support for three hypotheses. First, commensality is more typical for people with higher endowments of economic and cultural capital, but is not related to educational mobility/immobility. Second, commensality is correlated with social capital and social networks and thus potentially conducive to social advantages. Third, commensality goes together with culinary openness and cosmopolitan taste that foster it. Contrary to the thesis of class dissolution, class differences are still operative in contemporary societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social capital, measured as the level of trust among people, may be regarded as a new production factor alongside the traditional ones of human and physical capital. With appropriate levels of social capital, monitoring and transaction costs can be saved and thus economic growth stimulated. Via linking social capital to rural development and comparing the cases of agricultural cooperative movements in Denmark and Poland, this paper identifies possible roots of building social capital and suggests that social capital was built through a lengthy process in both countries during the 19th century. However, the comparison of the present level of social capital indicates that the level of social capital is significantly higher in Denmark than in Poland. The paper concludes that the reason for this difference is the fact that the original accumulation of social capital in Poland was destroyed by the communist regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the problem of the social output of the leisure running boom as a relatively durable phenomenon of nowadays global scope. The concept of the "social footprint" to describe the social consequences and impact of the phenomenon of interest, is proposed, developed and implemented. Analysis conducted is focused on Poland as an exemplary country under social, political and economic modernization. The first two decades of the 21st century constitute the time frame of the study performed. The collected and analyzed empirical data allow us to claim that the running boom contributed to the progress of Polish modernization in the form of reconstruction of social structure (macro-social level), generation of social capital, strengthening of the position of local government, modernization of rural and urban landscape in social and spatial dimension (mezzo-social level) and changes in gender roles (micro-social level). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Soter: Journal of Religious Science / Religijos Mokslo Žurnalas is the property of Vytautas Magnus University, Faculty of Theology-Philosophy 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.)

Purpose: Using social capital theory (SCT), the purpose of this research is to determine the success of social networking in societies that may be lower in social capital, for example in Poland, versus those which are higher in social capital, such as the USA. Design/methodology/approach: This paper uses a partial least squares approach with a cross-cultural sample. The complete sample consists of 556 participants for this study across the USA (n = 258) and Poland (n = 298). Findings: Results indicate that social media success is lower in Poland and that this result is related to lower social networking capital in Polish society. However, the proposed model shows that social media functionality can overcome some of the barriers. Research limitations/implications: Limitations include a very specific set of countries rather than a larger set of countries and sample, survey methodology which could be augmented with a mixed methods approach and convenience sampling which ensured homogeneity and matching. Practical implications: Based on this research, media designers should attempt to keep information quality high but even more importantly, they should increase interactivity. For Poland in particular, well-designed interactivity can mitigate societal barriers to success of social media, as it can enhance trust in such platforms. Social implications: Because of Poland's history of more than 40 years of communism, the newer generations may eventually become more adaptive to social networking tools and such acceptance could lead to greater social capital, which is important for Polish society from a business perspective as well. Originality/value: The most important contribution of this research is that it theoretically and empirically establishes the importance of SCT in relation to social networking across two different countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the article is to analyse the phenomenon of nepotism, its effects in small and medium enterprises in Poland and Ukraine and their negative impact on social capital. Systematization literary sources and approaches for solving the problem of nepotism indicate that it is quite a common phenomenon in central and east European countries. Nepotism caused a lot of negative impact on organizations. It means, that in the organization, where nepotism is common employees have less motivation, job satisfaction. Their commitment to the organization is lower. They are also less efficient due to the selection of less capable candidates for the job or position. According to literature, on the other hand, nepotism could sometimes have a positive impact on family-owned companies. The article contains a review of the literature on social capital, nepotism and its effects, followed by an analysis of the results of quantitative research aimed at expanding knowledge about the problem of nepotism, determining its scope in Polish and Ukrainian enterprises, as well as its evaluation. The methodological tool of the research was a survey. Questionnaires were distributed to 691 working part-time students of private universities in Poland. The research was conducted from February to May 2019. The paper presents the results of an empirical analysis which showed that both nepotism and closely related cronyism are common phenomena in Poland and Ukraine. It should be pointed out that they are more common in Ukraine. Both phenomena have a negative impact on satisfaction, motivation and work, commitment and trust among employees. One of the important effects of favouring people in the workplace is also reduced the social capital of the company. The results of the research can be useful for managers. Social capital is one of the important elements significant for the development of a company, and nepotism affects it negatively. The conducted research can be used as an aid in creating and reorganizing transparent processes related to the employment of staff and effective personnel management in the organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to investigate the association between structural and cognitive aspects of social capital and self-rated health among adults aged 50 or more, living in three countries: Finland, Poland and Spain. The study, which was based on data from the European Social Survey (2008/09), was a part of the EU research project COURAGE in Europe. More specifically the paper assesses the association between social capital indicators – informal social network and general trust – and good self-rated health through single-level and joint effects analyses. The results showed that Finland was a country of high social capital, in terms of both social networks and general trust, while Spain showed low levels of general trust and Poland low levels of informal social networks. As to the association between social capital and self-rated health, high levels of general trust and high networks were found to be associated with good health among all countries' respondents. Older persons living in partnerships, with higher education, higher levels of engagement in informal networks and general trust, were found to be more likely to show good self-rated health. Our comparative analyses revealed different associations between social capital and health according to country. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Limited export potential can impede growth prospects. While core regions serve as hubs of globalization, the question remains as to how rural regions can increase their exports. By identifying the factors that enhance the export competitiveness of rural regions, particularly in comparison to urban regions, we can steer them towards sustainable development and overcome constraints related to remoteness. However, there is no simple or shortcut way of increasing exports in rural regions. It still requires long-term investments, improvements in human capital, inflows of foreign-owned entities, and advantageous operations of special economic zones. Social capital has a positive impact on exports at the regional level, but its effect could not be acknowledged in the subsets of regions. What should rural regions prioritise? Investing in human capital and promoting non-agricultural economic activities that have a greater impact on rural exports than urban ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mirwaldt K. The small projects fund and social capital formation in the Polish–German border region: an initial appraisal, Regional Studies. This paper examines the small projects fund, a European Union-funded initiative to promote good citizen relations across borders. This paper presents this fund as an attempt to foster ‘social capital’ in the Polish–German border region. The fund is examined in light of seven conditions of social capital formation. In the Polish–German border region, the fund scores well on the first four conditions, related to the promotion of individual trust. It performs less well on the three conditions for scaling up individual trust to form social capital. However, it remains to be seen whether small project support can deliver improved citizen relations. Mirwaldt K. Le fonds de microprojets et la formation de capital social dans la zone frontalière polono-allemande: une première évaluation, Regional Studies. Cet article cherche à examiner le fonds de microprojets, une initiative financée par l'Union européenne visant la promotion du civisme transfrontalier. On présente ce fonds comme une tentative d'encourager le ‘capital social’ dans la zone frontalière polono-allemande. On examine le fonds à la lumière de sept conditions de la formation de capital social. Dans la zone frontalière polono-allemande, le fonds obtient un bon score pour ce qui est des quatres premières conditions, qui se rapportent à la promotion de la confiance individuelle. Il obtient de pires résultats quant aux trois conditions nécessaires à l'augmentation de la confiance individuelle afin de former le capital social. Cependant, il reste à savoir si, oui ou non, l'aide financière pour le développement des petits projets peut assurer un civisme amélioré. Fonds de microprojets?Capital social?Eurorégions?Frontière polono-allemande Mirwaldt K. Der Kleinprojektefonds und der Aufbau von Sozialkapital in der deutsch-polnischen Grenzregion: eine erste Bewertung, Regional Studies. Dieser Artikel behandelt den Kleinprojektefonds, eine EU-finanzierte Initiative, die gutnachbarschaftliche Bürgerbeziehungen über Grenzen hinweg fördert. Der Fonds kann in der deutsch-polnischen Grenzregion als ein Versuch, ,Sozialkapital' aufzubauen, gewertet werden. Er wird hier im Hinblick auf sieben Voraussetzungen für die Entstehung von Sozialkapital analysiert. In der deutsch-polnischen Grenzregion schneidet der Fonds bei den ersten vier Voraussetzungen, die das zwischenmenschliche Vertrauen betreffen, gut ab. Weniger gut erfüllt der Fonds drei Voraussetzungen, um individuelles Vertrauen in Sozialkapital zu umzuwandeln. Es bleibt daher abzuwarten, ob der Kleinprojektefonds dauerhaft die Bürgerbeziehungen verbessern kann. Kleinprojektefonds?Sozialkapital?Euroregionen?Deutsch-polnische Grenze Mirwaldt K. El fondo para proyectos pequeños y la formación de capital social en la región fronteriza entre Polonia y Alemania: una valoración inicial, Regional Studies. En este artículo se analiza el fondo para proyectos pequeños, una iniciativa financiada por la Unión Europea para fomentar las buenas relaciones transfronterizas entre los ciudadanos. Este fondo se caracteriza como un intento de fomentar el ‘capital social’ en la región fronteriza entre Polonia y Alemania. Se examina el fondo teniendo en cuenta siete condiciones de la formación de capital social. En la región fronteriza entre Polonia y Alemania, el fondo puntúa bien en las primeras cuatro condiciones relacionadas con el fomento de la confianza individual. El desempeño es peor en cuanto a las tres condiciones para aumentar el nivel de la confianza individual a fin de formar capital social. Sin embargo, queda por ver si el apoyo a los pequeños proyectos puede mejorar las relaciones entre los ciudadanos. Fondo para proyectos pequeños?Capital social?Eurorregiones?Frontera entre Polonia y Alemania [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose: The article's purpose was to explore the usage of and activities to enhance human potential and the socioeconomic impact of the VFD units of the Western Pomerania Voivodship, based on research done among the VFD units of the Western Pomerania Voivodship. Design/methodology/approach: The study employs literature analysis, tabular comparisons, and conducted questionnaires of bathers. The approach for the research was based on a desktop evaluation of accessible information, statistics, and other data national sources. The qualitative data acquired from self-research was used in the statistical analysis. The research group had 338 firemen from 17 VFD units and the research was scheduled from February and the end of March 2022. Findings: The study found that membership in the NRFS system had a considerable impact on local governments and firemen. The operation of TSOs in the NRFS system is a factor that promotes the improvement of firefighters' funding on the part of local governments, and on the part of TSO units themselves, it is a factor that raises their competence and confidence in the skills of their own team. Both have a considerable impact on the effectiveness of rescue and firefighting operations, as well as firefighters' attitudes. Research limitations/implications: The research haslimitations, such as its specific timeframe and omitted variables. Practical implications: The study's findings revealed a progressive professionalization of TSO units in NRFS, as well as an increase in social functions, particularly rescue functions - participation in rescue and firefighting activities, which is reflected in increased receipt of financial support from the municipal to provincial levels. Therefore, reduced activity and selfmotivation of TSO firefighters from outside the NRFS system may cause less professionalism during rescue and firefighting operations. Social implications: Volunteer fire stations perform essential social duties in their region of operation in addition to rescue and firefighting actions. The "extinction" of TSO units' activities outside the KSRG system may result in lower social activity in the locations where the aforementioned units operate, among other reasons. Originality/value: Study documents a certain stage of development of TSO units, with the long-term goal of professionalizing these structures of units joining the NRFS system. In addition to the components (conclusions) described in the article, this is demonstrated by the decreased participation of firefighters outside the NRFS in various activities aimed at raising funds for TSOs' broadly specified statutory activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Agricultural activities constitute the most significant source of nitrate pollution, posing a threat to water quality and ecosystem services. The Nitrates Directive is an integral feature of the Water Framework Directive, which seeks to reduce nitrate pollution from agricultural sources. Directive compliance has proven to be problematic for every Member State in fulfilling their respective implementation duties. Objectives: The research focuses on the nitrate management discourse within agricultural landscapes of Poland and provides a governance capacity framework to understand how social factors shape local implementation performance. The case study examines how the social factors of social capital and street-level bureaucrats constrain or enable stakeholder agency within agricultural landscapes. Methods: The empirical investigation utilizes a multi-method assessment, including a survey categorizing social capital levels among 31 Polish farmers, interviews with nine stakeholders, and a literature review. Results: The findings demonstrate how differentiated social capital levels are a result of complex social dynamics within the nitrate management discourse. Achieving policy objectives rests on stakeholder interactions in their capacity to navigate myriad changes and translate policy messages into practical actions. Due to low social capital levels exhibited by farmers and limited agency of street-level bureaucrats, overall capacity for effective nitrogen management in Polish agricultural landscapes is constrained. Conclusions: Overall, the study contributes new insights in identifying how social factors affect the ability of Member States to fulfill implementation obligations. Further, the study discusses the influence of social factor interplay upon actor agency and subsequent policy relevance amidst changing agri-environmental landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the adaptation strategies of Vietnamese and Ukrainian immigrants having permit for settlement in Poland and settled in Warsaw and its vicinity (namely in the Mazowieckie province), with an emphasis on the relationship between the cultural, social and economic dimensions of adaptation. The research showed that due to the large cultural distance between the Vietnamese and Polish societies as well as the specific socio-cultural characteristics of Vietnamese immigrants (e.g. strong ethnic identity and a high level of in-group ties) the concept of adaptation should be reconsidered and a more holistic approach should be taken. From an individualistic perspective, a strategy of separation was most visible among the Vietnamese, whereas from a group and culturally sensitive perspective a strategy of collective and intermediate integration was predominant in this group along with collective social mobility. Vietnamese immigrants who were integrated with Polish society, such as pioneer immigrants, Vietnamese leaders, the spouses of Poles and representatives of the 1.5 and 2nd generations played the role of cultural brokers. They mediated between their compatriots and Polish society. Thus the integration of the majority of immigrants took place through the agency of the representatives, who also had a key role in the formation of the Vietnamese enclave. In the case of Ukrainian migrants the close cultural distance between the Polish and Ukrainian societies as well as the volume and density of relations between Ukrainian immigrants and Poles (including very frequent mixed marriages) primarily led to assimilation and individual social mobility. Cases of migrants operating in transnational social spaces which encompass Ukrainians, Poles and migrants from other post-Soviet countries remained rare. Ukrainian immigrants mainly based their adaptation on bridging capital accumulated in strong ties (which was related to their Polish spouses and cultural assimilation), whereas the Vietnamese migrants predominantly used bridging capital generated in weak ties as a resource for adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper we examine the perceptions of ERASMUS agents' of Polish students' participation in the EP. We provide a Bourdieusian analyse of the cultural and social capital acquisition of students based on the qualitative data, collected through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with Erasmus agents, of a European research project. We argue that: Polish students' participation in the EP has a positive impact on their academic achievement, cultural, social and linguistic capital, but, at the same time, it has a negative impact on degree completion of students as they get highly paid jobs, which prevent them from fully developing their cultural capital; ERASMUS Tourism has its value and place in the EP, because it provides students with the opportunity to develop their cultural, social and linguistic capital; and a Bourdieusian analysis of the experiences of ERASMUS students provides a better understanding of the impact student participation in the EP on their development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of post-accession migration from Poland it is important to analyze not only its economic but social and cultural implications for receiving and home country as well as for migrants themselves. Recent migration takes place in a new context of inter-European mobility and as such can be treated as a part of 'life project', career strategy and a new form of migration. The paper focus is on the theoretical and empirical frame of social and cultural capital accumulated by migrants abroad and transferred into home country. The theoretical framework is supposed to provide a base for empirical research on the social and cultural capital transfer possibilities in the case of return migration. The question such a research would try to answer is: can the return migrants be an active actors of innovation and social change? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studia i Materialy Polskiego Stowarzyszenia Zarzadzania Wiedza / Studies & Proceedings Polish Association for Knowledge Management is the property of Polish Society of Knowledge Management 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.)

For poor areas dealing with economic decline, finding development engines is a crucial issue, and natural resources are often the only asset communities have. In the paper it is argued that concept of the network governance can be applied to understand the situation, where local sustainable development is desirable. In a qualitative case study of the Polish Drawienski National Park area, four barriers for the establishment of network governance were found: weakness of legal institutional framework including ambiguities about property rights; lack of bridging social capital; persistence of informal norms undermining public and formal operations; difficulties with undertaking multilateral collective action. As an alternative to network governance, the emerging structure takes a market or hierarchical form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studia Socjologiczne is the property of Studia Socjologiczne 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.)

Abstract: There is currently a lively discussion on the role of historic memories and the re-visiting of historic legacies in post-communist countries. Using the example of Poland and its legacy of the tripartite division of the 19th century, this paper aims to illustrate how symbolic conflicts over identity politics and the interpretation of history may critically influence discourses on the debates on, and portrayals of, variations in regional development. The paper thus discusses the post-war history of Poland in the context of the so-called left–right political cleavage, and the varying related debates on the ‘quality’ of regional development as part of Poland’s post-communist restructuring. These discussions include varying projections of the nature and role of social capital and its relative ‘usefulness’ for a successful development Poland’s after communism. And there are clear political overtones to these contrasting portrayals of Poland’s history and its regionally varying legacy. Drawing on different definitions of the notion of social capital, the paper then discusses how different legacies, such as an introspective and extrovert outlook of population and institutions, and the degree of cohesion among them, circumscribes a region’s economic development prospects. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The paper is an effort to find what determined the success of Polish health reform implemented in 1999 in the Silesian Voivodeship. The problem has been referred to "social capital" proposed by R. Putnam; the first part of the article contains a short description of this approach. Then data concerning health insurance performance in Poland are presented, which confirm that the Silesian Regional Sickness Fund functioned most effectively. As a possible factor influencing present decentralised institutions performance, the situation of the Silesian Region during the mid-war period was described. Autonomy of the region, as well as tradition of social voluntary activity may be a source of "social capital" in Putnam's meaning. Besides, continuity of the Prussian bismarckian health insurance system is presented as a potential source of "institutional memory" also increasing the present reform's chances for success. In the last part of the paper, limitations of applying the "social capital" approach to the Silesian case are presented, such as shortness of the mid-war autonomy period and changes in the cultural structure of Upper Silesia caused by migrations after World War II. Other factors, which could increase the efficacy of the health insurance system, such as relatively high incomes of the region's inhabitants, are also described. Nevertheless, the final conclusion is that social and cultural conditions deriving from historical traditions could have had a significant influence on the process of implementing health reform in 1999. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper criticizes traditional approaches to stratification, which suggest that education contributes to inequality solely by endowing people with different amounts of human capital (knowledge and skills) or credentials. What these approaches overlook is the social component of education—friends, acquaintances and other connections one accumulates while in school. These connections reduce the uncertainty inherently present in the hiring process by compensating for lack of information with trust. We argue that social capital gained while in school has an independent effect on individual income, and show how this effect varies by education and experience levels. Conceptualizing schooling as an important source of social capital and finding ways to disentangle the effects of human and social capital on individual income are a contribution that economic sociologists can make to the study of education and inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of the article is to present the social capital of the enterprise as a resource in response to the demographic crisis existing in Poland and to present possible instruments for its strengthening on the ground of enterprise management. Design/methodology/approach: Analyzing data from secondary sources (Central Statistical Office, Eurostat), the main symptoms of the demographic crisis in Poland were identified. Particular attention was focused on those that determine the operation of Polish enterprises causing changes in the age structure on the labor supply side. Then social capital was presented in the role of a strategic resource of an enterprise, which allows it to adapt to the dynamically changing conditions of doing business. In addition, the main instruments and ways of strengthening social capital in enterprises are indicated based on the analysis of available research studies. The article is a continuation of the author's work on the management of social capital of enterprises and, at the same time, an introduction to the planned subsequent empirical research in this area. Findings: Statistical data clearly indicate that Poland is facing a deepening demographic crisis. The effect of the transformations discussed is the growth of the population from the so-called "pre-old age", and thus the aging of labor resources. As a result, the need to better utilize the potential of older people in companies is recommended. However, this requires a commitment primarily on the part of trust, which is the main resource of social capital. This can take the form of improving training policies for the creation of new knowledge and its transfer among project team members, organizing workplaces that coincide with the concept of age diversity management, intergenerational cooperation and also respect for the knowledge and competence of organizational members. Research limitations/implications: The main difficulty concerning the study of social capital in the enterprise is its non-material dimension. The available literature indicates that there is a gap regarding its operationalization. Thus, the assessments made of its impact on various aspects of enterprise performance are so far uncertain. Practical implications: This article can provide valuable information on how to invest in corporate social capital. Due to its existence in the structure of relationships, it can cause enterprises to be more flexible, which is important in a period of turbulent economic conditions. Originality/value: It is worth pointing out here that this article is a valuable source of knowledge on social capital management in the enterprise and can be used in the activities of entities of various industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study seeks to investigate the relationship between dropout intent, the weekly work duration of student employees, and university social capital by analysing empirical evidence from three European countries, including Estonia, Lithuania, and Poland. This exploratory study utilised Eurostudent-VII survey data and employed cross-tabulation and exhaustive Chi-square Automatic Interaction Detection (CHAID) to achieve its objectives. Findings indicate that student employees who believe they get along well with their teachers and have more connections with fellow students to discuss subject-related issues are less likely to intend to drop out of university. In addition, the results show that students' likelihood of abandoning their higher education increases in the presence of difficulties caused by an inapt academic programme. Regarding employment duration, for the Estonian and Lithuanian markets, there is no difference between working more than 20 hours per week or less than that with the intention of dropping out of university. In Poland, however, the disparity in working hours interacts with other factors related to social capital to explain dropout intent. These findings provide novel insights into the dropout literature by refreshing thoughts on the role of teacher-student and peer relations in the dropout intentions of student employees. In addition to reviving the relevance of university social capital, which has received too little attention lately, they have also sparked a recent debate on whether or not combining work and university actually affects the intention to drop out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]