The challenges of globalization and the modern electoral system

The article focuses on one of the most essential problems of contemporary science of politics which is the issue of participation of citizens in elections and referenda and factors which stimulate and determinate this participation. It has been proved that the attendance at elections in Poland is one of the lowest in Europe and therefore ways of making Polish electoral system more citizen-friendly seem to be necessary. The state ought to stimulate the increase of political culture and create pro-civic attitudes among citizens. What may also be implemented is the reform of the electoral system which would allow citizens to vote by pro- xy, mail, the Internet, or even by sending a text message. Introduction of actions shown above seems to be inevitable and is not only linked with the fact that Polish society is aging, but also with simplifying the process of electoral decision- making for Polish migrants.

Challenges for Intellectual Property Rights in the Age of Digitization

The 21st century undoubtedly belongs to intellectual property law. In principle, each area of social life, but also private individuals to some extent, depend on legal regulations in this field. On the one hand, amazing technological development has taken place, thanks to which unprecedented improvements have been made in areas such as health, economic well-being and overall quality of life, on the other, technologies have forever changed societies, not just Western ones. Therefore, intellectual property law has faced huge challenges since the beginning of our century. It can deepen the gap between the poor and the rich by hindering access to modern solutions, it can also help overcome barriers (access to medicines, knowledge, and material goods). Legal issues arise in every field that humanity develops through its creativity - soon, legislators will have to face questions regarding, among others effective protection of software, big data, personalized medicine, autonomous vehicles, video games and artificial intelligence, etc. However, the question arises whether the actions of legislators will meet the expectations of society and whether they are sensitive to the needs of a changing world.

The purpose of this article is to analyze the behavior of local authorities on the issue of participatory budget in the situation of confronting the COVID-19 pandemic. A new category has been introduced here - direct contact-free democracy, which aims to emphasize the need to avoid personal contact while continuing the performance of mechanisms accompanying democracy. To verify the accepted hypothesis, an existing sources analysis, and a survey, in which more than 40 cities with district rights participated, were conducted.

Youth Councils as Entities of Youth Participation in Local Communities – Legal Analysis of Art. 5b of the Act on Municipal Self-Government of March 8, 1990

The article is part of a publication cycle on research on the institution of communal youth councils in local self-government communities in Poland. This publication analyzes the current legal regulations regulating the functioning of youth councils. Additionally, the legal basis for participation was presented, taking into account the provisions of the Polish Constitution as well as the act on municipal self-government. The essential part of the article is the analysis of the original wording of Art. 5b of the Act on Municipal Self-Government and the changes that have occurred in it after the amendment of April 20, 2021.

Not only a discussion. About participatory forms and methods of youth organizations operating in the territory of Ukraine

The subject of the text concerns various forms and methods of the participation of selected Ukrainian youth organizations, which were particularly active in 2018. The author discusses the basic theoretical assumptions by analyzing the issue of participation in relation to Polish and foreign literature of the subject. Then, she describes the research material and methods of analysis of the collected empirical data. In the last part of the article, the author presents the most important conclusions regarding the „soft” and „hard” forms and methods of the participation of six youth organizations operating in Ukraine.

Citizen assembly in the perspective of participants and attendees

The citizens’ assembly is a relatively new form of democracy, consisting of developing a thoughtful set of recommendations preceded by a detailed analysis of a given issue. The suggestions formulated are agreed upon by a representative group of residents and this process is preceded by an education phase that aims to provide participants with reliable knowledge regarding the subject of the panel. These characteristics make this co-decision mechanism increasingly popular, including in Poland. Citizens’ assemblies have been implemented in most major Polish cities. However, there is no doubt that for organizers, as well as for participants and urban communities, this is something new. Therefore, it seems important to conduct in-depth research on the implementation of panels in Polish conditions. In this context, the aim of the article is to present the results of a study on the II Łódź Citizens’ Assembly. The obtained results show that the citizens’ assembly is positively evaluated by those participating in it. Participants of the Łódź panel particularly emphasized its educational and social merits, while somewhat less so the political aspect, that is the opportunity to influence the city, which is the primary function of the panel.

Model of Civic Education in the Republic of Austria

Civic education (politische Bildung) is one of the pillars of a democratic state. Austria, following German solutions, has created its own model of political education. The first part of the article outlines terminological issues in the light of Polish and German literature. Next, the conditions, goals and assumptions of civic education in Austria will be presented, with particular emphasis on its role in shaping civic competences. Further analysis of the Austrian model will allow the formulation of conclusions and recommendations, which may be impulses for further discussion in the face of the internationalization of science and transnational transfer of knowledge and competences, as well as for the implementation of innovative systemic solutions in the field of civic education.

The Innovation of the Citizens’ Legislative Initiative in Finland

Finland was relatively late in introducing the institution of the citizens’ legislative initiative into its legal order, only in 2012. However, it can be said that the solutions adopted, both constitutional and statutory, differ to some extent from typical regulations. There are both formulated and unformulated initiatives, and the choice of the form of initiative depends on the initiators. Moreover, the digitisation of the initiative submission process is noteworthy. Particularly noteworthy is the creation of a generator of such initiatives. It has translated into a significant interest of citizens in this form of initiating the legislative process. However, this does not change the fact that the success rate of such initiatives is not particularly high. This concerns both the successful collection of signatures of support and the eventual subsequent acceptance of the citizens’ proposal by the Finnish parliament.