In reflection summary it can be stated that social policy is both a possibility and a barrier in the development of a new corporate culture–civilization, referred to as globalization. Main forces shaping the new global reality, and the face of social policy are: technical and scientific progress, international laws and education focused on raising awareness of global change. Quick pace of civilization reveals an inability to adapt to a wide range of society the realities of the world of IT and information, and consequently the phenomenon of exclusion and widening of social pathologies. The image shaping social policy sets out the special role of participatory unit. The implementation of the project of European integration reveals a large gap between the assumptions and practice of social life. Standards of social policy remain in the realm of vision, a declaration of hope, the boundaries between the real world and virtual information and disinformation and manipulation. An important role in this regard play the media, which in its action shall submit to the effectiveness of the delivering authentic information about contemporary social realities and social policy pursued in its various structural dimensions.

Current discussion on the consequences of modernity, and social effects of the ongoing globalization of the world, more and more frequently focus on the increasing number of signs of the world’s unification, and at the same time tendencies to divide it not necessarily according to the designated national borders, are becoming visible. Towards the end of the 20th century, factors conducive to integration of the world and communities that inhabit it, began to become more apparent. Integration complements, clubs and harmonizes particular spheres of human existence and activity. It is a process, during which the structure of integrating elements alters (they frequently undergo a forced change and adapt to each other) and the bond is subject to evolve. It is a dynamic process that creates new quality.

Now, unemployment among young generation of the Europeans is one of the most crucial problems in the policy of European Union and of the Member States. The economic crisis caused social exclusion of the significant part of the youth who after graduation augments number of the unemployed. Young generation shows less interest in running own business. Fear of bankruptcy forcibly decreases economic activity. European Union for few years has been undertaking measures aiming at coordination of the systems combating unemployment in the Member States. In the same time, it has been developing programs supporting actions undertaken in various states in the field of creating jobs, vocational trainings and probations addressed to the youth. Lowering unemployment rate among the youth is one of the priorities of the strategy Europe 2020. European politicians think that unemployment may be decreased based on the active “knowledge triangles” in which education of various levels, employers and business institutions participate and act together. Economic analysts however underline that unemployment among the youth may be decreased only when global economic growth occurs.

State social policy should take into account the subsidiary nature of assistance from public authorities in relation to the activity of the interested parties in their efforts to find and pursue work. Social assistance supports individuals and families in their efforts to meet the necessary needs and enables them to live in conditions which conform to human dignity. This aim is achieved by preventing insurmountable, difficult life situations when an individual in a crisis situation ceases to be self-sufficient. A classified form of this difficult situation is the case of individuals (families) who are on the verge of social exclusion. For it is the category of “social safety” that accommodates those allowances that are directed at individuals (families) being in a particularly difficult situation, and their function is to prevent the deprivation of needs. The group of social safety benefits singled out in this study constitutes a sub-category of social assistance benefits. Providing social safety is implemented with the use of a directory of services of different specifics, roles and functions.

Jedną z konsekwencji odejścia od etatowej pracy jest obniżenie poczucia bezpieczeństwa socjalnego wśród pracowników, których określa się mianem prekariatu, a wykonywane przez nich prace jako niepewne (prekarne). W artykule, w nawiązaniu do dyskusji w środowisku naukowym, toczącym się co najmniej od lat 80. XX w., skupiam uwagę na dwóch aspektach zagadnienia: niepewności przypisywanej do obecnie wykonywanej pracy zawodowej oraz roli polityki społecznej i jej instytucji w kreowaniu prekarnych miejsc pracy. Wykorzystuję metodę porównawczą, sięgając do prac, których autorzy piszą o prekariacie w sposób bezpośredni lub gdzie stanowi on kontekst wypowiedzi o rzeczywistości społecznej. W ten sposób zamierzam pozyskać znaczenie i treść pojęcia prekariat.

Inclusion is often understood as a deeper integration, what means that integration itself loses its basic sense of a voluntary and spontaneous interpersonal relationship based on the equality of rights and equalization of life (developmental) opportunities. Integration as a pedagogical concept originates from the idea of the universal education known since the times of Jan Amos Komensky, and nowadays it refers into the philosophical and social contexts of the idea of freedom and equality, constituting an important aspect of the social cohesion policy. Quite rarely, attention is paid to the fact that social (including educational) inclusion can – in defiance of noble assumptions and without conscious intention – aim at dominating the included minority group. The proposal to think about integration as the purpose of inclusion concerns both activities undertaken on educational grounds (especially for students with special educational needs) and more general social policy.

The article considers pertinent issues related to social policymaking and its implementation in Ukraine.
Emphasis is placed on remuneration as the key element of ensuring citizens’ welfare and economic development of the state. Remuneration plays one of the most important roles in the economic system and ensuring a decent standard of living. The wage refl ects the employee’s welfare level and should be correlated with the qualification level and productivity in the production spheres or determined according to the set qualification criteria, quality assessment system and efficiency of employees in non-production spheres. Low remuneration standards and low correlation between wages and productivity affect the motivation of the workforce and reduce its economic and labour activity.
The analysis of the minimum wage and subsistence level as the categories defining the status and directions of economic and social policy of the state has been performed. The minimum wage has a decisive infl uence on many social and economic processes. A significant issue in Ukraine is that establishing the minimum wage in the legislation is made without objective analysis and taking into account the financial and economic conditions that should be the basis for the state social policymaking. The minimum wage directly affects the volume and structure of the expenditure part of state and local budgets, as it is one of the basic elements for making the payroll of budgetary institutions and organizations. For business structures, the minimum wage is an indicator that refl ects the economic and social policy of the state, as well as a microeconomic category that affects their current business activities and the production and financial strategy making.
Some aspects of the current social protection system in Ukraine have been described. One of the main issues in Ukraine is the excessive number of legislative acts regulating social protection matters. Another important issue is that a significant number of benefits and social transfers, which are stipulated in the legislation and guaranteed to the citizens, cannot be implemented due to lack of financial resources in the state budget. Today, one of the priority tasks of the state policy is to address issues of reforming the social protection system and the introduction of new efficient mechanisms for financing and managing the social services system.
It has been noted about the need to develop and set in the legislation a system of social standards and norms, as well as the development of a standardised mechanism for determining the minimum wage and subsistence level based on and depending on the socio-economic development indicators.

The unfavorable demographic situation and the falling number of births resulted in an increased interest among Polish politicians in introducing tools to social policy that would reverse this negative trend. Implemented to social policy by Prawo i Sprawiedliwość Party in 2016, the “Family 500+” benefit has become such a tool. According to the government’s intention, this financial aid for families with children aims to reverse the decline in the number of births observed for many years and reduce the scale of poverty among families with the most complex financial situation. After several years of the “Family 500+” Program in force, it is difficult to clearly define whether the goals were achieved and whether the expenses for financing the program were adequate to the results. The aim of the article is an attempt at the assessment of the functioning of the Family 500+ Programme. Both the statutory assumptions of the programme, the costs of its functioning, and its results so far were analyzed. The central part of the analysis covered the period 2016–2019.

The aim of the article is to present the place of the social and solidarity economy in the state policy aimed at reducing social exclusion in Poland. The analysis focuses in particular on social cooperatives and the conditions for their functioning, which are one of the tools of active social policy. The activities of social cooperatives are aimed at supporting people at risk of social exclusion and at their social inclusion.

Artykuł opisuje dwa przypadki rozwoju państwa opiekuńczego (welfare state): polski i izraelski. W obu przykładach mieliśmy do czynienia z przejściem z etatystycznego państwa opiekuńczego do modelu neoliberalnego charakterystycznego dla państw anglosaskich. W przypadku Polski dokonało się to częściowo, w przypadku Izraela w stopniu znacznie większym. Analizując rozwój welfare state na wskazanych przykładach, spróbowano także odpowiedzieć na pytanie o przyczynę kierunku tych przemian.

Among many demographic changes, one of the most evident now is the aging of the population, the consequences of which are increasingly leaving a mark on the directions of social policy. In connection with the aging of the population and positive aspects, manifestations of ageism, based on stereotypes and negative attitudes toward older people, are also more and more noticeable. Sometimes, these are discriminatory practices against older people encountered in the health sector, the labor market, public offices, and others. The research presented in the article aimed to identify age discrimination and its manifestations among older people. The purposive sampling technique was used to choose the research sample – the assumption was to examine active older people related to a large city who get involved and participate in various activities and projects carried out for them by nongovernmental organizations. The method of a diagnostic survey with a questionnaire, which included both closed and open-ended questions, was used in the research. The research was intended to help answer the following questions: do older people notice age discrimination, and have they experienced worse treatment because of their age? How many of the surveyed seniors experienced worse treatment and what forms (most often) did it take, and where did it happen?

Wraz z globalnym starzeniem się populacji praca socjalna z osobami starszymi nabiera coraz większego znaczenia dla społeczeństwa. Jednym z głównych warunków skutecznego prowadzenia pracy socjalnej z osobami starszymi jest szkolenie wykwalifikowanych specjalistów posiadających m.in. pozytywną postawę w zakresie pracy z osobami starszymi. Postawy pracowników socjalnych powstają w dużym stopniu podczas przechodzenia kształcenia zawodowego. W artykule opisano wyniki badania komponentu poznawczego postaw wobec pracy z osobami starszymi studentów kierunku „Praca socjalna” z Rosji (m. Omsk) i Polski (m. Lublin i m. Kielce). Jest ono częścią badania postaw wobec pracy z osobami starszymi studentów kierunków pomocowych, prowadzonego pod kierunkiem prof. dr hab. Anny Kanios w ramach Programu im. L. Kirklanda.

Pandemia COVID-19 jest czynnikiem, który może w znaczącym stopniu zmienić sytuację na rynku pracy w Polsce. Obecnie – choć poza sporem pozostaje to, że takie przekształcenia nastąpią – można jednakże mówić raczej o pewnych prognozach co do przewidywanych kierunków i stopnia możliwych modyfikacji w tym zakresie, a finalny ich stan będzie efektem tak czasu trwania swoistego „zawieszenia” działalności szeregu firm, ale i pracowników, jak i efektywności podejmowanych działań – zarówno w sferze medycznej, jak i ekonomicznej, czy społecznej. Przedstawiony artykuł jest jednym z głosów w dyskusji na wskazany temat, toczącej się w przestrzeni publicznej, której celem jest nie tylko wskazanie potencjalnych wektorów rozwoju rynku pracy w trakcie i po trwającej pandemii, ale także zidentyfikowanie jego głównych problemów. Bowiem to właśnie w okresach znacznego pogorszenia koniunktury ujawniają się nieprawidłowości i zaniedbania, które mogą mieć istotny wpływ na rynek pracy i jego uczestników.

The Influence of Political Processes and the War in Ukraine on the Formation of Generation Alpha and the iGeneration (Z): Defining Specific Features

The article attempts to analyse and define the specific features of the iGeneration (Z) and Generation Alpha in Ukraine in the context of the political processes and the war taking place in Ukrainian society. The article discusses the generation issues, taking into account the characteristics of the iGeneration (Z) and Generation Alpha. Assuming that a generation is an identifiable group of people who share a similar time of birth and significant events at critical stages of development, the article presents an original approach to determining the specific features of the iGeneration (Z) and Generation Alpha in Ukraine. The Orange Revolution (2004), the Revolution of Dignity (2014) and the hybrid war (2014-2022) and Russian-Ukrainian war (from 24.02.2022) had a significant impact on the formation of the iGeneration (Z) and Generation Alpha in Ukraine.

Social and economic functioning of women at risk of social exclusion during the Covid-19 pandemic

The main objective of the paper is to analyse the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the situation of Polish women whose common features are uncertain life circumstances. In March and April of this year, we held a qualitative study on this subject (Focus Group Interview). The choice of this research tool allowed for collecting testimonials that resulted in better understanding of problems and attitudes of women who due to their specific life circumstances were likely to endure more severely the consequences of the pandemic. Our analysis of presented input also leads to a conclusion about the dysfunctional nature of social policy.

The COVID-19 pandemic affected the elderly in a special way. On the one hand, it contributed to the increase in health deficits and those related to social isolation. On the other hand, it also had a significant impact on the level and methods of support provided to seniors. The pandemic situation turned out to be a particular challenge for local governments and non-governmental organisations operating in various areas of senior policy. The general aim of the article was to analyse the state’s initiatives aimed at counteracting the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic addressed to seniors and examples of activities of the local government and the civil sector cooperating with it for the benefit of this group of people. In turn, the specific objective was to identify and understand the greatest difficulties that seniors had during the pandemic and the role played by the non-governmental organisation (both during the pandemic and as an entity of potential support in the future, which was particularly interesting given the European Union promoting services provided in the local environment). In connection with the specific objective, qualitative research was carried out using the in-depth interview method. The interviews were based on scripts that concerned four areas: problems and experiences of the elderly during the pandemic, help and support, communication, health, and well-being.

The undeniable fact is that various social sciences and other disciplines constitute the research perspective which relates to the practice of a multidimensional phenomenon. The welfare state is an excellent example of such notion, which in its nature unifies many theoretical and practical positions. It seems, however, that the economic and political dimensions of the welfare state (as conceptual or pro-social proposals) are disproportionately exposed both on the basis of scientific reflection and pragmatic approaches used by the institutions of the state. This tendency to think in economic and political terms, which incidentally is maintained for several decades, represents: (a) only one side of a complex nature of social welfare, and (b) a significant reductionism, leading to the elimination of sociological, cultural, educational, and psychological consequences of the functioning of the welfare state. This article is designed to reverse the trend of the dominant perception of the construct of the welfare state in economic and political terms, and replace it with the highlight of the mainly sociological dimension of this phenomenon (the welfare state sociology). However, it does not mean abandonment of the economic and political dimensions in general, as they are an integral part of the issue.

Social policy in Poland and Ukraine through the prism of demographic processes: diagnosis and comparative analysis in the context of the population of pre-working age (0–17 years)

The article the presents results of a study on the situation of children in Poland and Ukraine in the years 1991–2021 (30 years). Children and youth are determinants of social changes, they shape the future potential of society, therefore creating conditions for their formation and accumulation of human capital is one of the main priorities of state policy in most countries of the world. The comparative analysis was carried out on the basis of selected demographic indicators, including the number of children, the participation of children aged 0-17 in the general population in Poland and Ukraine, the number of live births, the birth rate, the fertility rate in Poland and Ukraine, the child mortality rate under 1 year, the child mortality rate under 5 years (0-4 years) in Poland and Ukraine. The diagnosis and analysis of the situation of children in Poland and Ukraine shows both positive and negative trends that require modernization of public policy instruments in this area in both countries.

Poverty, material need in Slovakia, and particularly among Romany population, is one of the biggest present day problems. This article deals with social exclusion and poverty of Romany people, its expression in selected areas of their life including the value of labour. Theoretical analysis is illustrated by the results of regional and Slovak-wide research.

A social worker is a key support profession in the social assistance system, so this profession should be performed by well-educated specialists. The aim of this article is to study the advancement of the process of professionalisation process of the job of a social worker in Poland. The research questions concern the key indicators of professionalisation of the job of a social worker, the course of this professionalisation in Poland and the main barriers to the process. Based on the research carried out, it was shown that, in the case of Poland, the professionalisation of the job of a social worker has reached the level that makes it possible to define a social worker as a ‘profession’. However, full professionalisation has not been reached in terms of all adopted indicators of the analysis; hence the need to support further professionalisation of this profession.