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Penal populism is a phenomenon that receives a lot of attention in the literature. Most often, however, it is being studied from a legal perspective, whereas political motivations and consequences of its application are frequently disregarded. In the article, I analyse in what way, to what extent, and for what purpose penal populism was utilised in Poland in 2007-2015. I argue that it has proven to be an effective tool for conflict management, agenda-setting, and burying bad news. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article elaborates on the political parties in Polish Third Republic, from the inception of multi-party system to contemporary days. Its aim is to analyse the evolution of Polish political parties and to point out advantages and disadvantages of the process. The Polish parties have undoubtedly undergone a major evolution over the past 25 years and it would seem that in some areas they are becoming similar to parties of Western Europe. However, the author indicates that on many levels their transition remains incomplete - a best-case scenario - or superficial. This in turn leads to a problematic paradox - strengthening of Polish political parties has contributed to weakening the state rather than enhancing its capabilities. In this sense, the strength of Polish political party seems to be merely a facade behind which serious structural problems are hidden. The alarmingly low levels of trust in politics and social activity alongside the process of cartelization are leading to yet unidentified consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]