Nierówności społeczne a wzrost gospodarczy z. 62(2)/2020
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Pozycja The problem of income inequality in the view of John Kenneth Galbraith and Milton Friedman(Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, 2020) Zagóra-Jonszta, UrszulaThe paper presents the approach to income inequality of two great American economists: a representative of neo-institutionalism – John Kenneth Galbraith, and the creator of monetarism – Milton Friedman. Both of them dealt with this problem extensively. The paper aims at revealing differences in both seeking the sources of inequalities and ways to combat them. Although both economists were against excessive inequalities, the methods of overcoming them were perceived differently by each of them. Galbraith advocated that the state should be activated. Therefore, he proposed the implementation of various aid programs, claiming that there should not be poor people in rich countries, even if not everyone honestly uses such assistance. Moreover, various forms of poverty alleviation should be introduced in poor countries. On the other hand, Friedman concluded that the best way to mitigate income inequalities is a non-intervention approach of the state and free market should be left to work freely. According to him, only the market can reduce income disparities. He considered all programs implemented to overcome them to be unsuccessful because they cause social indolence as the number of people using these forms of help increases. In addition, the state is not a charitable institution and it should not include such a form of activity that is only appropriate for bodies specially appointed for this purpose (charity). The paper uses the source analysis method and the comparative method. The main works of both economists were examined in an attempt to highlight the specific nature of their approaches.Pozycja What will be the possible impact of sharing platforms on the labour market?(Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, 2020) Figiel, AdamThe creation and usage of digital platforms is not only increasing in the private sector but also in the public one. There is much contention about the impact of digitalization on employment, social structures, public policies, as well as on entrepreneurial initiative and business. Although some early reviews opposed the imposition of heavy regulation on the platform economy, these days some jurisdictions take a more interventionist approach to stem the tide of digitalization which appears to thrive in legal vacuum giving rise to unequal competition. The findings suggest that platforms exert much influence on the employment structures, giving rise to cohorts of precariat and gig workers, resulting in unequal distribution of wealth. In this work the author concentrates on the revolutionary impact of sharing platforms on society, labour market and its structure, as well as legal norms that call for comprehensive revision in order to maintain welfare in the changing environment. As this paper remains fairly conceptual, the author attempts at an indication of major trends which are likely to emerge in society, and a contest of the idea of unharnessed development of sharing platforms.Pozycja Social foundations of functioning and development of local communities(Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, 2020) Tuziak, ArkadiuszThe purpose of the article is an attempt to answer the question about the role of endogenous social resources in the functioning and development of local communities. The initial thesis of the analyses undertaken in the article is included in the statement that such resources as subjectivity, participation and civic activity constitute the social foundation and functional requirement for the duration and development of local communities. In the scientific recognition of the subject matter, a method of analysing the literature was used. The scope of the study includes characteristics and analyses of the subjectivity of local communities, participation at the local level and civic activity. The first part of the study shows the subjectivity of local communities as a function of decentralisation and development of local government. Attention was focused on a set of phenomena, processes and factors of the sociological and political character – the integrated co-existence of which is an expression of subjectivity – by providing a real impact of the residents on the functioning and development of the local community. In the second part of the study, social participation was analysed as a manifestation of decentralisation of public administration and an important element of local development programming. A multi-level system of cooperation between citizens and local authorities was presented, as well as rules determining the effectiveness of involvement and participation in the conditions of local government. It stressed the importance of the local government as an institutional environment formation of the active participatory attitude towards undertaking the activities within local communities for the implementation of their needs and self-development. The following part of the article focused on social civic activity as common and conscious articulation, implementation and defence of the interests, needs and aspirations of the local community. Types, scope and manifestations of civic activity were presented, emphasising the pro-development and functional benefits of civic involvement. The analyses and descriptions provided in the article lead to the conclusion that the functioning and development of local communities are a bottom-up, integrated process of economic, political, social and cultural character. Their orientation and proper conduct are positively influenced by endogenous and social potential in the form of subjectivity, participation and civic activity. A synthetic approach to the issue under scrutiny is the author’s model of social triple helix depicting interdependencies and interpenetrations of the three spheres of influence – subjectivity, participation and civic activity within the functioning and the development of local community.Pozycja The importance of management control in the implementation of public tasks by local government(Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, 2020) Sołtyk, PiotrThe concept of management control in the Polish legal system has been implemented together with the amendment to the provisions of the Public Finance Act of 27 August 2009. The essence of management control concerns a different view of local government decision-makers on managerial activity in public administration. Management control solutions contribute to increasing the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of public services. In the activities of local government units, the concept of management control may also contribute to the self-improvement of local government administration. The main purpose of the article is an attempt to assess and demonstrate the functioning of management control in local government units in Poland. The practical goal was to illustrate the solutions that local government decision-makers can implement to design management control systems in offices. The research hypothesis is as follows: The effective implementation of public tasks by the local government depends on the quality of the management control system. The hypothesis was verified by means of an electronic questionnaire. The research conducted demonstrated that the proper functioning of management control depends on the involvement of the head of a local government. A helpful instrument in assessing management systems is the use of internal audit. The research results illustrated that an obligatory audit commission is of little importance in ensuring the efficiency of management systems in local government administration. As for risk management, respondents pointed out that the main barrier to achieving this goal of management control is, unfortunately, a lack of a uniform risk management methodology in the public sector.Pozycja Modeling the anti-crisis management of territories under the conditions of decentralisation. A case study of Ukraine(Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, 2020) Iwaszczuk, Natalia; Antoniuk, NataliiaThe article examines the process of modelling the anti-crisis management of an economy under the conditions of decentralisation using the example of Ukraine. Under the conditions of economic reform and aggravating crisis phenomena, a task of crucial importance is developing the prediction capability related to the effectiveness of the scheduled actions. The most problematic area in crisis management is the development of an effective model that takes into account the participation of citizens in the process of business decision-making. One of the possible solutions to this problem is to model situations to overcome the crisis, and to study the territories (regions of the country) in terms of their socio-ecological and economic status. The study applied the following methods: study of phenomena (objects, subjects); division of the territory of Ukraine into parts according to aggregate indicators; research into the various aspects of territorial objects; and the identification and analysis of interrelations between the factors and results. On the basis of the developed approach and results of the study, a model is suggested for identifying the crisis status of territories in a decentralised environment; the latter takes the following into account: availability of resource and labour potential; social, ecological and economic components of the development of territories; risk factor for the advent of crisis; and the overall coefficient of decentralisation. The introduction of an algorithm was suggested for grouping objects, which takes into account the level of improvement in anti-crisis management under the conditions of a decentralised environment. The use of the cluster ranking methodology, which, unlike the existing ones, includes calculations based on taxonomic metrics, was rationalized. The research allowed the introduction of a differentiation approach to creating development plans for the various types of territorial systems included in the clusters. The division was made in accordance with the crisis situation in the territories to allow development on the basis of sustainability in the context of introducing decentralisation.Pozycja Three-Seas Initiative countries and their competitiveness in Europe(Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, 2020) Wei, Li; Wierzbiński, Bogdan; Surmacz, TomaszThe paper shows the regional characteristics of the Three-Seas area in terms of defining the competitive advantage of the whole region and its countries through the development of relationships and changes in their approaches to the competitive paradigm in this area. The scientific discussion undertaken in this paper is related to internal resources in terms of ICT and human resources development (and its involvement in science and technology – measured by Human Resources for science and technology) as well as innovativeness. The authors have chosen indicators of development that could be beneficial in terms of decreasing historical economic developmental inequalities, with some differences between the Three-Seas countries being analysed for the period of 2006–2018. The secondary data was taken from Eurostat and other available sources. The regional strategy should focus on the knowledge-based economy, and the possibilities for rapid development in this area. This gives opportunities to make rapid progress in a region centrally located in Europe to generate great potential to strengthen accumulated resources and, in the nearest future, to create the possibility of becoming a hub connecting eastern and western Europe.Pozycja Employee retention management in the context of situational leadership(Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, 2020) Adamska-Chudzińska, MałgorzataThe way employees are managed is fundamental to modern organizations. Employees are the most valuable and productive resource of any organization. When they leave the organization, they take knowledge, experience, culture, and the system of values with them, which significantly limits the effectiveness and competitiveness of the organization. The phenomenon of employees leaving now affects most organizations. Employee retention, especially referring to those employees with high potential, is one of the biggest challenges for modern managers. The problem raised in the article concerns the impact of the situational approach to employee management on their attachment to the organization. The author’s goal was to determine the importance and role of situational leadership in building retention strategies. It was assumed that the flexible selection of management style, taking into account competences and professional experience, may contribute to a stronger identification with the organization and staying in it for longer. The article was prepared based on a critical analysis of the latest literature on the analyzed issue. The issue of employee retention and the factors taken by organizations into account to retain employees (in particular those most talented), were presented. The idea of the situational leadership model was discussed. Attention was paid to its poor dissemination and, at the same time, its usefulness in the era of growing dynamics, non-linearity, and uncertainty of the organization’s functioning conditions. It was shown that the situational leadership model creates the possibility of building more comprehensive retention strategies based on subjective mechanisms of flexible impact on employees. The situational leadership methodology allows one to deal with the variability of operating conditions by preparing different management styles and different scenarios. The answer to the challenge of key employee retention can be the strategy of managers taking into account the relevant retention factors using the situational leadership methodology and integrating them into a primary business strategy.Pozycja Fostering digital business transformation and digital skill development for economic growth and social inclusion in Poland: a preliminary study(Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, 2020) Olszewska, KarolinaThe digital transformation of an enterprise is an extremely complex issue, which involves modification of the traditional model and business processes through the use of ICT solutions. The transfer of operational activities from the analog to the digital sphere enables new production and distribution methods, better interactions with the customer and the production of digital goods and services. Therefore, digital transformation, as a key issue for enterprises, should play a central role in their development strategy. In the world of artificial intelligence, based on self-learning algorithms and global data flows, appropriate workforce skills are necessary for the effective implementation of a digital strategy. The skill gap, resulting from a lack of proper vision, knowledge, skills and experience, is the main reason for the lack of success in the process of the digital transformation of SMEs. It is also significant with respect to ensuring faster economic growth and the process of social inclusion. The purpose of the study is to outline the importance of the issue of reducing the digital gap, which is one of the important competence gaps for conducting effective digital business transformation at the threshold of the third decade of the 21st century, and to present solutions of systemic support for the development of digital skills in Polish enterprises. The findings of the analysis are as follows: in order to reduce the gap in digital skills, it is necessary to strengthen extensive cooperation within the triple helix, to include public-private partnerships based on coordinated actions undertaken jointly by enterprises, science, and public administration. Science and technology parks (STPs) should play a special role in this respect. However, for this assistance to be effective, it is necessary to prepare the managerial staff for the construction and, above all, implementation of an appropriate support strategy related to STPs for the digital transformation of their tenants.Pozycja Labour efficiency in Belarus within the framework of achieving sustainable development goals(Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, 2020) Kolesnikova, Irina I.The labour market in the Republic of Belarus has been recently developing the conditions which have witnessed a constant decrease in the number of people employed in the economy due to the transformation of the population structure. Among the factors that impede the effective development of the regions, uneven territorial distribution of labour potential was revealed. It leads to labour redundancy in some regions and a shortage of personnel in others. The main goal of the study is to investigate the influence of selected factors on labour market indicators in the Republic of Belarus in 2013–2018. The indicators under research characterise standard of living, unemployment, rationality of personnel policy, employment efficiency, labour productivity and others. Thus, it is possible to assess the efficiency of labour potential management in the framework of achieving sustainable development goals. As a research tool, statistical methods were used, including the method of comparisons, the multivariate index models, correlation and regression analysis. The solution to the problem of territorial inequality in the labour market can be found through a number of measures that are aimed at: stimulating labour mobility of citizens; creation of new attractive jobs in labour-intensive areas; assistance in employment and housing; organization of training for the unemployed in professions that are in demand on the regional labour market; simplification of starting business procedures, etc. To ensure sustainable development in the face of a decrease in the number of employees, as well as a decrease in the share of workers, this tendency must be correlated with the processes of improving labour methods and techniques, modernizing production, introducing new equipment and resource-saving technologies, automating production processes to ensure increased labour productivity and reduced excess employment.Pozycja The process of successful aging in rural areas – an analysis of the phenomenon in south-eastern Poland(Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, 2020) Janigová, Emília; Kowalska, MagdalenaIn Poland, the aging process of the population is noticeably slower than in other European countries. The aging of Polish society concerns both municipal and rural areas. However, this process varies between these environments, both in terms of the pace and the scale of the problem. However, it is particularly significant that the forecasts indicate that rural areas will remain “younger” than urban areas in the future. The aim of the present paper was to attempt to answer the question whether the situation of elderly people from the rural areas of south-eastern Poland fit the concepts of successful aging. The paper is based on the results of a study conducted in 2017 among a group of 150 people aged 60+, living in the districts of Myślenice and Nowy Targ. On this basis, it is possible to state that the respondents are rather happy with their contacts with the environment, and express a moderately high degree of satisfaction with their health condition, are not very professionally active, and notice high shortages on the Polish market in terms of services and products aimed especially at elderly people. Thus we may assume that the subjective quality of the life of the respondents in the villages of the Małopolskie province is at an average level and that it creates the possibility of drawing conclusions on the moderate course of the process of successful aging in this environment.Pozycja Oniomania in the purchasing behaviour of young Polish consumers – an economic approach(Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, 2020) Zalega, TomaszOniomania (shopaholism) is not commonly perceived as an impulse control disorder, addiction to a specific activity, but rather as a trivial issue often taken lightly, more as a fad than a serious problem. The literature analyses oniomania in anthropological, socio-pedagogical, psychological, psychiatric and economic terms. This article focuses solely on the economic explanation of compulsive buying in the consumer behaviour of young people. Its aim is to identify oniomania in the consumer behaviour of young persons and to prove that such behaviour is determined by demographic and social characteristics such as: gender, age, marital status, wealth, and place of residence. The study focused on the analysis of selected factors (attitudes to shopping, time spent shopping, shopping frequency, motives and feelings accompanying consumers when shopping, and most often bought products) that affect compulsive shopping among young consumers. The tool used to conduct the research was my original questionnaire comprising 50 closed-ended questions regarding alternative consumer trends, including oniomania. The survey was carried out from 1st February to 1st May 2018. The participants were recruited via the ankietka.pl website and social media such as Facebook, Whatsapp, Messenger, and e-mail. In order to partake in the survey, those interested had to visit a specific website containing the questionnaire. It was also distributed across special forums, university and private school fanpages. The survey covered people aged 18–34 belonging to the Y and Z generations. The survey suggests that young females suffer from oniomania more frequently than men. Not only do they shop several times a week and feel relaxed as a result, but also they spend more than 3 hours shopping. Moreover, the survey has confirmed a positive correlation between the sex of respondents (mainly women) and oniomania, and a negative one between compulsive buying on the one hand and the level of education and disposable income of young respondents on the other.Pozycja The relationship between socio-economic development and labour market flexibility in EU countries(Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, 2020) Galik, Anna; Bąk, MonikaLabour market flexibility refers to legal conditions that facilitate adjustment on labour markets and allow using diverse forms of labour organization, employment and work time. Good labour market flexibility can contribute to the creation of new jobs and to the improvement of social and economic condition of the country. This paper, drawing on many existing international studies, rankings and statistics, seeks to compare the level of socio-economic development of the EU-28 countries with the level of labour market flexibility based on selected indicators such as: Global Competitiveness Index – Flexibility (GCI) by the World Economic Forum, Employment Protection Legislation Index (EPL) by OECD, Labour Freedom Index (LFI) by the Heritage Foundation and Composite Indicator of Employment Protection Legislation (EPLex) by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The results of rankings for indicators in the area of labour market flexibility are compared with the Human Development Index (HDI) by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in order to estimate the convergence between the high flexibility of labour market and the high quality of life in the EU-28. Our results show that there is no simple convergence common for all countries. High level of HDI goes hand in hand with high flexibility only in the case of Ireland, UK and Denmark. Germany and Sweden, as representatives of welfare state models, have different characteristics. With a high level of HDI, the elasticity ratios are at a low level. For other Western European countries (the so-called old EU member states), positions in HDI rankings are high although labour markets do not show a high degree of flexibility. Exactly the opposite dependence occurs in the so-called new member states (except Slovenia and Croatia), where relatively high flexibility of labour markets is visible, with relatively low positions in terms of the level of social and economic development. The research on relation between variables (HDI 2017, GCI 2017–2018, LFI 2018) based on the Pearson linear correlation coefficient and the Spearman rank coefficient proved there is no significant empirical evidence for the relation between socio-economic development and labour market flexibility.Pozycja Network mechanisms for supporting entrepreneurially weak regions(Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, 2020) Miczyńska-Kowalska, Maria; Slonimska, MarinaEntrepreneurial network creation can be considered one of the important factors of regional development. The paper focuses on the problem of entrepreneurial network development in entrepreneurially weak regions. It shows that digital technologies are key elements of a modern entrepreneurial ecosystem. Systematization of network effects allowed for the conclusion that the main conditions for their occurrence are trust and ICT-based platforms. The paper draws on quantitative and qualitative data from interviews with owner-managers from a study of SMEs in an entrepreneurially weak region of Belarus to assess the nature of their networking activity. The survey did not identify any formal networks of SMEs in the form of consortia or temporary arrangements in the Vitebsk region, and showed that the problems hindering the development of SME cooperation in the Vitebsk region are lack of information about potential partners, a low level of trust between entrepreneurs, lack of infrastructure and services for business community cooperation support. This article offers a regional system for entrepreneurs networking development using three types of ICT-based platforms: a public-private partnership (PPP) platform, entrepreneur’s partnership groups (EPG) platforms and Living Labs platform. The proposed policy measures for regional authorities would be expected to allow them to contribute to creating an effective entrepreneurial ecosystem in entrepreneurially weak regions.Pozycja Green economy indicators as a method of monitoring development in the economic, social and environmental dimensions(Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, 2020) Daniek, KamilaThe economic crisis of 2008 became a turning point in international debates during which the issue related to the need to transform the current economic model was raised and discussed. The idea of the green economy, based on the concept of sustainable development, became the focal point of the new strategy. One of the issues related to the development of the green economy was how it could be monitored at both the local and international levels. The aim of the article is a comparative assessment of selected sets of indicators for measuring the transformations towards the green economy in terms of four dimensions: economic, social, environmental and political. The research method is a critical analysis of selected research describing how to measure the green economy. The article presents international sets of indicators proposed by such organizations as the OECD and UNEP, as well as composite indicators such as the Global Green Economy Index and the Green Economy Progress. The article also highlights the results of Polish researchers and research institutions, which include the Green Economy Index constructed by Bożena Ryszawska and the Green Economy Indicators proposed by Central Statistical Office in Poland. Selected indicators were also analysed and compared in the economic, social, environmental and political dimensions. An attempt was made to formulate their synthetic characteristics. This study is primarily the result of exploring foreign literature complemented with Author’s thoughts and conclusions. Discussions on the theme of the green economy are centred around the effects of implementing it. This is why there is a need to conduct research into how to determine progress in greening current economies across countries in a manner as close to the current situation as possible.Pozycja The economic effects of emigration: a literature review(Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, 2020) Walerych, MałgorzataDespite great policy, social and economic relevance, the consequences of international population movements for the sending countries remain relatively under-researched. Migration economics has so far focused mostly on the impact of immigration, trying to explain how the movement of people affects the economic situation of the countries that receive migrants. Studies on the source economies are mostly empirical and analyse the effects of outward population movements on local labour markets, and in particular the wages of those who stay behind, as well as the consequences of brain drain. This paper conducts a review of the literature on the economic impacts of migration movements. It presents the current state of knowledge and main findings from existing empirical and theoretical studies, focusing on five areas: consequences of brain drain, implications for wages of non-migrants, role of the remittances sent by emigrants to the home countries, fiscal effects and welfare consequences. We describe different approaches used so far in the literature to evaluate the effects of emigrants on non-migrants, focusing both on the methodology, findings and limitations. The article also tries to identify gaps in the existing literature, as well as the potential directions for future research. Finally, we place special emphasis on the consequences of population movements following the 2004 EU enlargement, and particularly, on the emigration from Poland as the largest economy entering the EU in 2004.Pozycja The knowledge-based economy: an integrated macroeconomic and management approach to the analysis of major forces affecting the evolution of modern economies(Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, 2020) Valente, RiccardoThe present article represents the first part of wider research focusing on the development of an authorial interpretation of the phenomena characterising modern economies on the basis of a critical analysis of macroeconomic and management literature. It points out, first of all, the existence of two opposing approaches to the interpretation of phenomena characterising the knowledge-based economy. The first one describes these as a completely new phenomenon requiring the development of theoretical instruments significantly different from those already available. The second one, instead, underlines that the conditions characterising modern economies can be treated rather as an economic system development phase, which, based on income inequalities, economic growth and capital accumulation evolution, resembles a return to trends already observed in the past. The paper presents the author’s proposal of integrating both approaches and knowledge-based economy interpretations as an economic development phase characterised – based on the observed trends and a set of theoretical arguments derived from Keynesian theory and justifying the existence of an acceleration mechanism – by the lower profitability of physical capital accumulation. The conclusions indicate how the existence of such a mechanism and the underlining of such a feature of modern economies suffices, according to the author, to explain both the emergence of different phases of development as well as specific economic phenomena considered typical for the knowledge-based economy in the literature. Forthcoming articles will supplement the present one, focusing on their analysis, leading to the development of a unified interpretation scheme able to explain the main mechanisms and major forces affecting economic system functioning both at a given development phase and in the longer-term perspective.Pozycja The relation between income from active foreign tourism and the number of foreign visitors: a case study of the four Visegrad Countries(Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, 2020) Matušíková, Daniela; Šambronská, Kristína; Żegleń, PatrycjaThe importance of tourism primarily lies in it as an important source of revenue for the national budget. It contributes to the creation of gross domestic product, enables the creation of new jobs, and supports regional economic development. The tourism sector plays multiple roles because it significantly influences a number of other economic sectors, such as: transport, trade, and culture. Therefore, the tourism economy is perceived as a “flywheel” for local and regional economies. The present study is an analysis of foreign visitors and revenues from tourism within the Visegrad Four countries in the 2009–2015 period. The aim of the study is to describe the position of tourism in the Visegrad countries. Specifically, it focuses on the relationship between income and traffic within the Visegrad Four countries. The data obtained from official sites of the statistical authorities and the OECD were evaluated using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. There was a presumption of the existence of a dependence between the income from tourism and the number of visitors in individual countries of the Visegrad Four. On the basis of testing, the main hypothesis cannot be verified or falsified. The statistically significant relationship between the income from tourism and the number of foreign visitors was not confirmed in one of the Visegrad Four countries, namely in the Republic of Hungary. Therefore, it is significant to manage the tourism sector in a suitable way. Tourism management and tourism policy should be perceived as priority actions and initiatives by decision-makers and authorities. Suitable directions for tourism policies and strategies should be indicated and implemented by those who are responsible for tourism development in each country. Moreover, the countries of the Visegrad Four should continue to cooperate, to exchange information on legislative changes in the field of tourism in individual countries, but mainly in promoting the Visegrad Four as a unified whole.Pozycja Globalization in highly developed countries and reasons for differentiation(Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, 2020) Swadźba, StanisławThe main goal of this paper is to show the level of globalization, its changes and the reasons of differentiation in highly developed countries. The advanced hypothesis states that a convergence process is taking place in the sphere of globalization. The research methods used were the following: historical, literature, descriptive analysis and statistical methods. Statistical data used in this paper come from KOF Globalization Index, and the World Bank Database. The research covered 16 countries of Western Europe, the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. The time range of the research is 1990–2018. The conclusions of the study are as follows: highly developed countries are the most globalized. The level of globalization in individual countries varies, but the differences are not considerable. Medium-sized European countries are the most globalized, while non-European countries are the least globalized. The index of de jure globalization is much higher than the index of de facto globalization, especially in non-European countries. Starting from the 1990s, the level of globalization has increased significantly, although it has varied considerably. The highest increase was in the less globalized countries, the lowest in the most globalized ones. As a result, the differences between them have significantly decreased. Thus we can see the convergence in the sphere of globalization in highly developed countries. Differences in the level of globalization relate to land area, population number, population density, geographical location (distance from other highly developed countries) and participation in the integration process (countries that take part in it are virtually more globalized).Pozycja Education versus standard of living in the considerations of classical and modern neoliberal approaches(Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, 2020) Danowska-Prokop, BarbaraThe paper presents the attitudes of the English classics, i.e. Adam Smith and John Stuart Mill, as well as the neoliberal Milton Friedman, to education as a tool supporting the process of division of labour, and thus having a positive impact on the nation’s wealth (national income) and standard of living, not only of individuals but of whole society as well. The aim of the study is to discuss the representatives of the classic economic thought and Milton Friedman’s idea of education as a tool for improving living conditions. The method of describing and reviewing the literature of the subject was used in the paper. In the reality of the free market economy, knowledge and skills as well as the activity, creativity and entrepreneurship of an individual determine individual success, and thus translate into a standard of living. However, with the spread of the capitalist system of production and the deepening of the process of division of labour (specialisation), a universal and public education system, financed by public and private funds hand in hand, plays an increasingly important role in improving the standard of living of the individual and of the general public. Today, the efficiency of the education system (easier access to an appropriate level of education) determines the wealth of society and the position of the state in the global economy.Pozycja Does teal suit everyone? Psychosocial factors affecting work attractiveness in an organisation with a horizontal structure(Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, 2020) Pawlak, JustynaAs success in today’s world is increasingly associated with an approach based on flexibility, decentralised control and quick response to the changing conditions, a new approach to the functioning of organisations is needed. Previous guidelines influencing the way many companies operate, which were based on hierarchy, competition and maximising profits, have ceased to respond to changes taking place in the world. An additional important variable is the change in the labour market and employees’ expectations, therefore, recruitment, increasing commitment and retention in the organisation have all become more of a challenge for managers. One of the possible responses to these changing conditions is the creation of horizontal organisations, such as teal (turquoise) ones. However, as some organisations based on this model achieve success, while others return to traditional solutions, attention should be paid to factors affecting the satisfaction and effectiveness of employees’ work in this type of organisations. Based on literature analysis and a case study, the paper discusses psychosocial determinants of work in a teal organisation, related, among others, to the changing approach to work by younger generations, different needs of employees, changes in the education system, as well as to personality predispositions. Recognition of these factors may be helpful in planning recruitment, considering the possibility of implementing teal solutions in a particular organisation, and may also help to include this option in the analysis of individual predispositions in the process of career guidance.