Issue 2007

European Dialogue: Problems, Barriers, Perspectives

  • Author: Katarzyna Dośpiał–Borysiak
  • Institution: University of Łódź (Poland)
  • Author: Alicja Stępień–Kuczyńska
  • Institution: University of Łódź (Poland)
  • Year of publication: 2007
  • Source: Show
  • Pages: 7-11
  • DOI Address: http://dx.doi.org/10.15804/ppsy2007001
  • PDF: ppsy/36/ppsy2007001.pdf

The meaning of dialogue can differ. In a very narrow sense it is defined as a reciprocal conversation between two or more persons. However from scientific point of view it should be first of all understood as an universal value, one of the most important premises for social actions. Dialogue should be than seen either as a form of bilateral or multilateral relations on global or regional scale or as a method of reaching political decisions inside the political system, functioning as a stabilizing factor. A constructive dialogue is constituted by three basic rules: rule of mutual understanding; rule of mutual respect; rule of integrity of each side’s convictions and behavior. Coexistence of these aspects creates practical mechanisms for solving problems of human condition, civilization threats and social and cultural conflicts in a globalized world.

cultural conflicts European Dialogue political system

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Retrospections and Perspectives of Russian Diplomacy Actions in 2006

  • Author: Miao Huashou
  • Year of publication: 2007
  • Source: Show
  • Pages: 12-25
  • DOI Address: http://dx.doi.org/10.15804/ppsy2007002
  • PDF: ppsy/36/ppsy2007002.pdf

According to he author of this article, Prof. Miao Huashou – from the Euro-Asian Social Development Research Institute and from the Development Research Center of the PRCh State Council, Russian diplomacy may boast of many great successes in 2006. Russia once again creates its image of a great empire by demonstrating its geopolitical and economic inuences. €e country underlines this way its position of an empire equal to the USA. It will continue to strengthen its inuences in the Commonwealth of Independent States and undertake all the eorts aiming to development of strategic partnership with the EU on equal rules. It will also develop its contacts with the USA, as well as it will continue political dialogue and economic cooperation with other, great world powers.

2006 Russian Diplomacy foreign policy Russian foreign policy

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Legitimacy of Power of the President of the Russian Federation

  • Author: Sylwester Gardocki
  • Institution: University of Warszawa (Poland)
  • Year of publication: 2007
  • Source: Show
  • Pages: 26-59
  • DOI Address: http://dx.doi.org/10.15804/ppsy2007003
  • PDF: ppsy/36/ppsy2007003.pdf

Russian President is both a political institution of key importance and a distinctive individual of a specic manner of behaviour in his authoritarian rules. In this article I would like to present the role of the President in society with reference to historical heritage and the modern political culture of Russian society. Taking into consideration the fact that public opinion and the media, in conditions of democracy or democratization, constitute basic social mechanism that forms bases and formulas of legitimacy, I have decided that it is merge to join the issues into one. It is the President that I aim my examination at, not the Russian media themselves, the history of their development a€er 1991, or their ownership structure that governs them. e media will be of interest as long as they are necessary to understand how the President legitimizes his powers, to what extent he is successful, and what scope of success or failure depends on in the legitimacy e‚orts.

Russian society political culture the Russian Federation

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The Position of Poland on the Background of Sustainable Development Trends in the Baltic Sea Region

  • Author: Janusz Korol
  • Institution: University of Szczecin (Poland)
  • Year of publication: 2007
  • Source: Show
  • Pages: 60-68
  • DOI Address: http://dx.doi.org/10.15804/ppsy2007004
  • PDF: ppsy/36/ppsy2007004.pdf

The Baltic Sea Region was the first multi-country region in the world to adopt common goals and actions for sustainable development. The instrument for that cooperation is Baltic 21 (formally “An Agenda 21 for the Baltic Sea Region”). There are two de"nitions of sustainable development (SD): technical and nontechnical. Technical definition: “a sound balance among the interactions of the impacts (positive and/or negative), or stresses, on the four major quality systems: People, Economic Development, Environment and Availability of Resources”. The non-technical definition was given as being: “a sound balance among the interactions designed to create a healthy economic growth, preserve environmental quality, make wise use of our resources, and enhance social benefits” [Global Community Assessment Centre].

multi-country region Poland economy

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European Identity and Populism

  • Author: Maria Ewa Szatlach
  • Institution: University of Bydgoszcz
  • Year of publication: 2007
  • Source: Show
  • Pages: 69-90
  • DOI Address: http://dx.doi.org/10.15804/ppsy2007005
  • PDF: ppsy/36/ppsy2007005.pdf

Identity as a theoretical concept in social sciences has evolved from a status of derivative importance into an essential and autonomous notion performing at present an important role that explains some processes of the contemporary world. According to Renata Dopierała, generally identity can be defined as a reflective attitude of an individual to himself, created by the necessity of self-characteristic building a system of ideas, opinions, convictions, etc., that corresponds with the given social context. However, the answer to the question: What is identity?, is not so obvious as some can expect. The relationship between identity, interests, preferences, and loyalty is also not so clear. Shortly speaking, identity can be also perceived as a self-conception rooted in the society, our attitude and relation to others. Its integral parts are two main components: individual and social.

social sciences Populism European identity

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Civic Education for Human Rights

  • Author: Jerzy J. Wiatr
  • Institution: University of Warszawa (Poland)
  • Year of publication: 2007
  • Source: Show
  • Pages: 91-99
  • DOI Address: http://dx.doi.org/10.15804/ppsy2007006
  • PDF: ppsy/36/ppsy2007006.pdf

The success of democracy depends on the formation of the social capital conducive to the maintenance of democratic patterns of behavior. Civic education is the most important instrument of the formation of such social capital and is, therefore, an essential responsibility of the democratic state. The concept of social capital, introduced in the social science theory by such authors as Pierre Bourdieu (1984) and James Coleman (1988), implies that the quality of democracy depends on the relations between citizens, particularly on the acceptance of such values as trust in others and willingness to accept them as equals. Consequently, the way in which human rights are perceived in a society has profound importance for the quality of political life and constitutes the crucial component of democratic political culture.

Civic Education democracy human rights

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Local Government and the Global Civil Society

  • Author: Andrzej Chodubski
  • Institution: University of Gdańsk (Poland)
  • Year of publication: 2007
  • Source: Show
  • Pages: 100-113
  • DOI Address: http://dx.doi.org/10.15804/ppsy2007007
  • PDF: ppsy/36/ppsy2007007.pdf

A characteristic feature of a modern state is dichotomy of its development. On one hand, it is striving a!er unification and universality of social, political and economic solutions aiming to integrate the world, but on the other, there is a growth of tendencies disintegrating a country, development of localness, aspiring to give local communities high level of independence and self-deciding powers, that is: the reverse of massive society. The phenomena connected with unification and aspirations for preserving local identity are complementary and complement one another. The globalization of world-wide system does not mean its inner homogeneity. The world is perceived as an internally diverse reality.

local government globalization civil society economy

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Turkey's European Aspirations to the EU

  • Author: Wojciech Stankiewicz
  • Institution: University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn (Poland)
  • Year of publication: 2007
  • Source: Show
  • Pages: 114-133
  • DOI Address: http://dx.doi.org/10.15804/ppsy2007008
  • PDF: ppsy/36/ppsy2007008.pdf

European Union is nowadays facing one of its biggest challenges and opportunities since its foundation. An answer, which will be sent to Turkey, will bring overwhelming repercussions in wide and large Muslim world. e far-sight approach of European Council can open new stage in evolution of European identity. The European Union’s aim is a safe, secure and wealthy continent, capable to peacefully cooperate with other states.

Turkey European Union European identity international relations

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The Late Westphalian International Order

  • Author: Marek Pietraś
  • Institution: Marie Curie-Skłodowska University of Lublin (Poland)
  • Year of publication: 2007
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  • Pages: 134-157
  • DOI Address: http://dx.doi.org/10.15804/ppsy2007009
  • PDF: ppsy/36/ppsy2007009.pdf

The international order, denoting in a very general sense the manner of the organization and functioning of the international environment in a given period of time, is a dynamic construction that evolves. e feature of the present stage is a transition from its earlier form called the Westphalian order to the future form with qualitatively new features, sometimes called the post-Westphalian order. This process does however mean that the “parameters” of the Westphalian international order are to be replaced by the parameters of the post-Westphalian order. The qualitatively new features of the organization and functioning of the international environment “coexist” with those characteristic of the Westphalian system of international relations. This “coexistence” determines the distinctive feature of the present stage of international relations, which is a hybridity or combining of solutions, o!en opposing in their logic, relating to the organization and functioning of the international environment. Hence it seems appropriate to term the present stage of dynamics of and change in international relations as the late Westphalian order.

Westphalian order Late Westphalian International Order

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The U.S. Supreme Court and the Cold War: Fear V. Security. The Times of Vinson Court and Warren Court

  • Author: Pawel Laidler
  • Institution: Jagiellonian University in Kraków
  • Year of publication: 2007
  • Source: Show
  • Pages: 159-173
  • DOI Address: http://dx.doi.org/10.15804/ppsy2007010
  • PDF: ppsy/36/ppsy2007010.pdf

The main field of my study concerns the role of the Supreme Court in American legal and political system. My research frequently focuses on the case law, especially on some of the most important cases in the Court’s history, and on their in#uence on the whole of political, economic, and social relations of the country. I personally believe that American federal judges – among whom the most in#uential are the Justices of the Supreme Court – have gained more power than the Framers of the Constitution agreed to give them. Such situation occurred mostly because of the creation of the power of judicial review by the Supreme Court, which allowed the judiciary to determine the contitutionality of acts created by the other branches of government.

Fear V. Security U.S. Supreme Court Cold War

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The 'Theory' in the Study of International Relations and Political Science

  • Author: Jerzy Sielski
  • Institution: Jan Dlugosz Academy of Częstochowa (Poland)
  • Year of publication: 2007
  • Source: Show
  • Pages: 174-185
  • DOI Address: http://dx.doi.org/10.15804/ppsy2007011
  • PDF: ppsy/36/ppsy2007011.pdf

In this article the author is going to answer the question, that intrigues many researchers of international relations and political science – is it possible to build a grand theory explaining actions and behaviours of political, and international, entities? International relations are distinguished from other disciplines of science by its special character: they are polyarchic, plural, complex and impulsive. Th€is is why we find here, exceptional in contrary to other, more mature disciplines, diversity of opinions and answers to the question – in what way international relations shall be build? Searching for the right answer the researchers of international relations have to cross borders of many disciplines, also using research methods of sociologists, historians, economists, lawyers, psychologists and anthropologists. €There is a similar problem with political science, as the political matter is widely interpreted and, depending on the researcher and the analysed political system, its scope is wide as when using so called largo sense in the totalitarian states, where even the choice of school for a child has a political character or as when using so called strict sense in the democratic systems.

international relations political science

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The Concept of Communitarianism in Research on a Contemporary Political Philosophy

  • Author: Łukasz Dominiak
  • Institution: Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń (Poland)
  • Year of publication: 2007
  • Source: Show
  • Pages: 186-197
  • DOI Address: http://dx.doi.org/10.15804/ppsy2007012
  • PDF: ppsy/36/ppsy2007012.pdf

The aim of this essay is to provide a theoretically satisfactory de€nition of communitarianism, a de€nition which would be theoretically proli€c and so fully substantial that it would allow to distinguish communitarianism from the other philosophical streams; and it would give us an answer as to why a given idea or thinker is categorized as communitarian. e essence of this goal is to show a rationally justi€ed method of constructing the de€nition of communitarianism is aim will be achieved in three steps: 1. Showing that communitarianism related research has not been able to provide a theoretically satisfactory de€nition of the philosophy; 2. Identifying the causes of this theoretical failure; 3. Formulating a rational method for constructing the theoretically satisfactory de€nition of communitarianism.

de€nition of communitarianism political philosophy

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Marketing through a Political Glass. Polish Experiences

  • Author: Marek Jeziński
  • Institution: Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń (Poland)
  • Year of publication: 2007
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  • Pages: 198-214
  • DOI Address: http://dx.doi.org/10.15804/ppsy2007013
  • PDF: ppsy/36/ppsy2007013.pdf

In this paper, the issues concerning the relationship between political marketing and commercial marketing are presented. The main concern of the study is the usage of the commercial economic marketing categories in the political domain. As a result, phenomena coming from the economic field as market; a customer, profit, product brand, or advertising are presented as the elements of the marketing techniques employed in the public game played in the specific market of politics.

Political Glass Polish Experiences Marketing

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Religious Fundamentalism: Theorethical Problems

  • Author: Maria Marczewska–Rytko
  • Institution: Marie Curie-Skłodowska University of Lublin (Poland)
  • Year of publication: 2007
  • Source: Show
  • Pages: 215-223
  • DOI Address: http://dx.doi.org/10.15804/ppsy2007014
  • PDF: ppsy/36/ppsy2007014.pdf

The following article will attempt to present characteristics of religious fundamentalism. The task requires addressing terminological and methodological issues, which seem to constitute the weakest link in the overall research of the phenomenon. Even a cursory analysis of the available data points to the fact, that comparative studies are in minority, while an overwhelming majority of all research focuses on particular instances of fundamentalism, most commonly within one speci€c religion. ree preliminary observations can be made. Firstly, usually the case is that of either methodological maximalism or minimalism. The work edited by Martin E. Marty and R. Scott Appleby Fundamentalisms Observed, signi€cant as it was, can serve as a valid example of maximalist approach. The phenomenon discussed therein is viewed in the broad perspective, thus it becomes almost synonymous to traditionalism, nationalism, orthodoxy or communalism.

Religious Fundamentalism Theorethical Problems religion

The Status of the European Institutions Officials

  • Author: Tomasz Hoffmann
  • Institution: Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń (Poland)
  • Year of publication: 2007
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  • Pages: 224-232
  • DOI Address: http://dx.doi.org/10.15804/ppsy2007015
  • PDF: ppsy/36/ppsy2007015.pdf

The European Union increasingly in€uences the member states, their political institutions, business groups, commercial business sector and the citizens. The institutions, politics and legal regulations of the Communities in€uence also countries and human beings from outside the Union. is in€uence means that each member state of the European Union has its own representative in the European Institutions such as European Parliament, European Commission, the Court of Justice and the Court of Auditors.

European Commission European Institutions Officials European Parliament

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The Development of Lithuanian Statehood in Years 1918–1940

  • Author: Renata Runiewicz–Jasińska
  • Institution: Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń (Poland)
  • Author: Kinga Dudzińska
  • Year of publication: 2007
  • Source: Show
  • Pages: 233-254
  • DOI Address: http://dx.doi.org/10.15804/ppsy2007016
  • PDF: ppsy/36/ppsy2007016.pdf

The Lithuanian historiography is not a novelty in Polish academic literature. The attempts undertaken many times by historians to examine the Lithuanian past are fully justi€ed by the common history of the Polish and Lithuanian lands. It is worth stressing that there are still many controversial questions in this area, which have not been answered in both Lithuanian and Polish academic circles. Taking into account the basic facts from Lithuanian history in the 20th century, when Lithuanians undertook the first actions towards developing a state which would be offcially recognized by the international community, it should not be surprising that it is a subject frequently discussed by the newest studies, which continually refer to the equally rich literature of the earlier period. The researchers ascribe considerable signi!cance to the circumstances, in which the independent Lithuanian state came into being and to its functioning in the interwar period, in years 1918–1940 . What also had a strong influence on this process were the following events in the history of the state, when Lithuania was in the end incorporated into the Soviet Union. 

Lithuanian Statehood 1918–1940 history

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Alfred Korzybski's Thought and the Question of the Search for Truth in Journalist's Work

  • Author: Wiesław Wacławczyk
  • Institution: Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń (Poland)
  • Year of publication: 2007
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  • Pages: 255-262
  • DOI Address: http://dx.doi.org/10.15804/ppsy2007017
  • PDF: ppsy/36/ppsy2007017.pdf

In 1933, twelve years aer his Manhood and Humanity came out, Alfred Korzybski (1879-1950), a Polish aristocrat who arrived in the United States during World War I, published his most famous book called Science and Sanity. A former Russian intelligence o!cer, earlier trained as a chemical engineer at the Polytechnic Institute in Warsaw, Korzybski had a broad-ranging intellectual background, which he employed to work out his theory of general semantics. It is beyond doubt that the theory under discussion can help journalists depict the reality of the world in its multidimensional complexity – and thus make their performance more professional.

Truth in Journalist's Work Alfred Korzybski Journalist

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The Argentinian Reckoning with the Past. Between the Truth, Reconciliation and Striving for Judging People who are Culpable

  • Author: Aleksandra Nowak
  • Institution: Adam Mickiewicz University of Poznań (Poland)
  • Year of publication: 2007
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  • Pages: 265-279
  • DOI Address: http://dx.doi.org/10.15804/ppsy2007018
  • PDF: ppsy/36/ppsy2007018.pdf

The dictatorship of military junta in€icted on the Argentinian society many injures, which have been painful till today. ousands of people were followed, kidnapped, tortured, killed, and children of arrested pregnant women were captured and given to adoption. After lost Falklands-Malvinas War and the decline of bloody regime, victims’families began long way of exposuring the truth about crimes commited by the servicemen, and politicians confronted difficult task (or challenge), which was the reconciliation of society.

Argentinian Reckoning Judging People Argentina

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Book review: Michael Sandel, “The Case against Perfection: Ethics in the Age of Genetic Engineering”, The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Cambridge (Massachusetts), London (England) 2007, pp. 162

  • Author: Agata Miętek
  • Institution: Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń (Poland)
  • Year of publication: 2007
  • Source: Show
  • Pages: 280-283
  • DOI Address: http://dx.doi.org/10.15804/ppsy2007019
  • PDF: ppsy/36/ppsy2007019.pdf

The most important task of contemporary science is to serve humanity. It seems that technology develops in two different ways. On the one hand technology does everything to make human’s life carefree, easy and safe. But on the other scientists do their best to solve most pressing problems so that people could once and for all forget about troubles like AIDS, cancer or Alzheimer’s disease. Until tody technical progress was followed by the progress of the humanity but it seems that contemporary hi-technology left behind moral reflections of people. Michael Sandel’s book e Case against Perfection: Ethics in the Age of Genetic Engineering is a moral reflection on those problems accompanied by technological changes. It is an attempt to establish a border that cannot be crossed – on its one side human being is still a human being but on the other one it is just an artifi- cially stimulated machine.

Agata Miętek Michael Sandel book review

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Book review: “The US Foreign Policy After the Cold War”, (ed.) J. Zając, Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek, Toruń 2006, pp. 225

  • Author: Renata Podgórzańska
  • Institution: University of Szczecin (Poland)
  • Year of publication: 2007
  • Source: Show
  • Pages: 283-287
  • DOI Address: http://dx.doi.org/10.15804/ppsy2007020
  • PDF: ppsy/36/ppsy2007020.pdf

The world unrivaled position of the United States, a country which determines many aspects of global policy, attracts a lot of interest as regards underlying objectives for US decisions in the field of external relations. The consequence with which the US acts on the international arena raises questions concerning objectives of the US activity and goals they would like to achieve. e American foreign policy provides basis for establishing national foreign policies for several countries, including Poland. us, interest is growing concerning the policy, as well as its nature, directions and priorities. 

Renata Podgórzańska J. Zając book review

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Book review: Marek Szulakiewicz, “Dialogue and Metaphysics. In Search for the New First Philosophy”, Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek, Toruń 2006, pp. 288

  • Author: Łukasz Dominiak
  • Institution: Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń (Poland)
  • Year of publication: 2007
  • Source: Show
  • Pages: 287-291
  • DOI Address: http://dx.doi.org/10.15804/ppsy2007021
  • PDF: ppsy/36/ppsy2007021.pdf

A serious disease of the contemporary world is a state of “the loss of being”. We started to see redundance of metaphysics as a result of reduction of reality to a physical dimension that had been made by positivism. There was no place for scientific discipline which subject had undergone destruction. Being was reduced to objects, to objectivity, to things which only appear to man. “is way we have lost the being, only objects have stayed, things which surrounded us (…) e true existence is confront with material existence.” The same vision of contemporary situation can be found among representatives of the “end of philosophy” discourse such as J.-F. Lyotard, G. Vattimo, O. Marquardt, R. Rorty, P. Laslett. 

Marek Szulakiewicz Łukasz Dominiak philosophy book review

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Book review: “Peace and Antiterrorist Operations in Process of Maintenance of International Security in Years 1948–2004”, (ed.) Dariusz S. Kozerawski, Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek, Toruń 2006, pp. 250

  • Author: Wojciech Stankiewicz
  • Institution: University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn (Poland)
  • Year of publication: 2007
  • Source: Show
  • Pages: 291-300
  • DOI Address: http://dx.doi.org/10.15804/ppsy2007022
  • PDF: ppsy/36/ppsy2007022.pdf

After the Second World War European countries experienced a period of stability in terms of international situation. Governments of war-damaged states undertook reconstruction of devastated cities and national economies. Considerable war damage caused by War World II resulted in the onset of a period of counteracting possible international disputes. The establishment of the UN as well as NATO initiated the process of resolving conflicts in a diplomatic way and with the use of force of the UN.

Dariusz S. Kozerawski Wojciech Stankiewicz book review

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Book review: Michał Kosman, “United Germany and the Process of European Integration (1990–2002)”, Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek, Toruń 2004, pp. 205

  • Author: Iwona Hofman
  • Institution: Marie Curie-Skłodowska University of Lublin (Poland)
  • Year of publication: 2007
  • Source: Show
  • Pages: 300-302
  • DOI Address: http://dx.doi.org/10.15804/ppsy2007023
  • PDF: ppsy/36/ppsy2007023.pdf

Michał Kosman’s book is worth attention not just in the context of the ongoing discussions regarding deteriorating Polish-German relations. It deserves to be read for a number of reasons – in order to verify widespread opinions on the role of Germany in European politics in the final decade of the twentieth century. €The most important of these reasons are: high competence of the young researcher (affiliated with universities in Bydgoszcz and Poznań), his balanced opinions and comments formulated on the basis of Germanlanguage publications and magazine articles, and thorough factographical presentation.

Iwona Hofman Michał Kosman book review

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Book review: Wojciech Peszyński, “First Elections to the European Parliament in Poland” (Pierwsze wybory do Parlamentu Europejskiego w Polsce), Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek, Toruń 2007, pp. 147

  • Author: Mariusz Popławski
  • Institution: University of Białystok (Poland)
  • Year of publication: 2007
  • Source: Show
  • Pages: 302-306
  • DOI Address: http://dx.doi.org/10.15804/ppsy2007024
  • PDF: ppsy/36/ppsy2007024.pdf

Political scientists, in their research work, concentrate on various topics. For some, thoughts and ideas of a famous statesman are fascinating and for others is the future influence of NGO’s on local communities. One thing, one time is said to have enough potential to unite attention of most of political scientists, as this is an event when they may observe how matters that they are especially interested in are apprehended. is mentioned event is, in my opinion, what elections indeed are and some may even say that elections are the festival of politics and sometimes of democracy.

Wojciech Peszyński Mariusz Popławski European Parliament book review

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