Polish Paradoxes
Economy, Labour, and Participation
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Traditionally, Polish society seems to be characterized by paradoxes and contradictions. Time and again, unexpected upturns follow periods of apathy. Even today, many observers lament a “social vacuum”. Poles vacillate between indifference and overconformity to post-Fordist market mechanisms. Nonetheless, there are also positive developments: the education level of young Poles is rising steadily, and in many places, new forms of social and political participation have come into existence.
(Osteuropa 5-6/2011, pp. 249–258)