Z wielką przyjemnością oddajemy do rąk Czytelników dziewiąty tom wydawnictwa Instytutu Nauk Politycznych i Dziennikarstwa Uniwersytetu Śląskiego w Katowicach „Studia Politicae Universitatis Silesiensis”. Geneza jego powstania jest ściśle związana z pamięcią o Pani Profesor Lucynie Frąckiewicz. W rocznicę Jej śmierci grupa pracowników naukowych Uniwersytetu Śląskiego, wychowanków Pani Profesor, postanowiła przypomnieć Jej postać w sposób najbardziej godny pracownika naukowego — dyskursem intelektualnym. Zwrócono się do środowiska naukowego powiązanego z dziedziną polityki społecznej z prośbą o wypowiedź w kwestiach zakreślonych tematyką uwzględniającą propozycje zawarte w dokumentach „Europejskiego Roku Walki z Ubóstwem i Wykluczeniem Społecznym” zainaugurowanego przez Parlament Europejski i Radę Unii Europejskiej. W efekcie kon­taktów, rozmów i dyskusji uzyskano obszerny i interesujący materiał będący odbiciem aktualnych problemów polityki społecznej zarówno w Polsce, jak i poza jej granicami, który pozwalamy sobie przedstawić w środowisku politologicznym. W niniejszym zbiorze znalazło się dwadzieścia pięć artykułów, które ze względu na poruszaną problematykę zawarto w czterech blokach tematycznych: „Ubóstwo, marginalizacja, wykluczenie społeczne — aspek­ty teoretyczne i praktyczne”, „Przeciwdziałanie ubóstwu dzieci i młodzieży oraz międzypokoleniowemu przekazywaniu biedy”, „Partnerska współpraca podmiotów polityki społecznej w zakresie przeciwdziałania wykluczeniu społecznemu”, „Czynniki warunkujące wykluczenie społeczne grup szczególnego ryzyka”. Autorami tych opracowań są pracownicy i doktoranci naszego Instytutu, jak również przedstawiciele zaprzyjaźnionych ośrodków naukowo‑dydaktycznych w Polsce i za granicą.

Abstract: The role of government intervention in the creation of the “welfare state” in the twentieth century

The article deals with issues connected with the shaping of the “welfare state” on the ground of the interventionism. The work was focused upon the following groups of issues:

— a genesis of the increase of the state’s protective role in the social area,

— creation of a welfare state, and

— material and social interdependencies of the existence of a “welfare state” in Europe.

In the presentation of the above thematic blocks, a number of phenomena necessary to understand the discussed issues were illustrated, among which some of the most significant ones were: the search for ways to overcome poverty in the industrialization period, the desire to establish a new social-political order in Western European countries in the 20th century, the New Deal, some terminological issues — among others: mutual interdependencies between the “welfare state” and the interventionism, social care model and the competition between the “welfare state” and different ideological attitudes — chiefly the doctrine of neo-liberalism.

Key words: government intervention, “welfare state”, interventionism, economical crisis

Abstract: Axioms legitimate discourse, or what is excluded in the debate on social exclusion

The debate on social exclusion takes place within the discourse-based system of axioms relevant to market society. Discourse is treated naturally and does not require substantiation. As a result, eliminated from the debate are the questions that undermine its legitimacy. The current discourse illustrates the daily practice of living a “normal” majority. Cultural obligations are excluded (that was not a minority) is to undergo rehabilitation under the terms of a legitimate social system.

Key words: legitimate discourse, social exclusion, market society, resocialisation

Abstract: The margin of society in the context of sociology

In social life, there are two different phenomena: the marginalization and exclusion, which are not identical because of its circumstances and implications. Marginalization is the result of the process stratification of social structures, and as a result of this process some persons, social categories or groups are being degraded or declassing and are considered as if they were outside the structures, which previously lived and was captured at the margins of society.

However, the exclusion proceeding more or less radical and immediate causes reversible effects, such as in the case of exclusion someone from an association is possible to re‑accept it under certain conditions or irreversible in the case of sentencing someone to death. Exclu­sion may be partial or total, such as exclusion from one social group does not eliminate a person from participating in other group.

Key words: marginalization, social exclusion, stratification of social structures, degradation, partial exclusion, total exclusion

Abstract: The influence of the foreign earning migration on the living standards as well as on the creation of regional demand – an example of rural areas of the Opole district

The article presents the results of a research led across the rural areas of the Opole dis­trict. The aim of the research was to show how strong does the process of migration influence the living standards as well as the creation of regional demand.

The first part of this paper contains particular forms of earning emigration from the rural areas of the Opole district. The crucial role played a definition in which way the examined emigrants allocated their earnings for the expenses in their native land as well as abroad.

A different problem were the effects of transferred incomes of examined emigrants on the level of disposing incomes in the examined area.

At the end author presented ways of redistribution the part of emigrant’s earnings trans­ferred to the Poland and the influence of their expenses gained abroad on the creation of demand in the branch dimension.

Key words: foreign earning migration, living standards, creation of regional demand, redis­tribution the part of earnings

Abstract: Groups particularly in risk of social exclusion — a demographic aspect

The paper deals with groups that are in particular danger of social exclusion (about 30% of the country’s population): structural (incomes below the poverty level, unemployment, homelessness), physical (disability, chronic disease), normative (related to breaking the law, social pathology). In the light of the demographic-statistical research in Opole Region, it is possible to distinguish seven groups especially endangered with social exclusion. Special attention should be paid to wage-earning emigrants and their children with weakened family and social bonds (“Euro-orphans”) in connection with the increase in migration processes in the Region. A decisive factor limiting the problem of availability of work and the danger of social exclusion is an economic boom in the region.

Key words: risk of social exclusion, wage-earnig emigrants, migration processes, availability of work economic boom

Abstract: System basics assistance to disabled persons

Issues relating to assistance to disabled persons settled in the basic legal acts: the Constitu­tion and laws of the details. They identified the bodies of tasks to persons with reduced efficiency and basic tools. The effectiveness of the system to assist disabled persons in Poland is not only dependent on the improvement of legislation. Important is particularly appropriate action, form­ing a favourable mechanism for the disabled.

Key words: assistance to disabled persons, legal acts, persons with reduced efficiency, basic tools of help

Abstract: The role of social benefits into beat children poverty, particularly disabled children

Children consists socio-demographic group which is probably in most risking of poverty. More children in family and the disability of child increase risk of poverty. Economic activity of parents i.e. employment status on the labour market is the basic circumstance impacting the range of poverty in families with children. Social transfers have played the essential role in reduction of children poverty range, particularly in reduction poverty of disabled children. Both transfers: family benefits and social assistance benefits can do able to output from bio­logical (extreme) and legal poverty.

Key words: social benefits, children poverty, family benefits, social assistance benefits, bio­logical poverty, legal poverty

Abstract: In this contribution we analyse the current state and prospects of company social policy in the Slovak Republic. We specify the notion of company social policy, its main objective, realms and functions in the introduction. The characteristics of the company social policy possibilities in connection with the disabled employees’ care and achieving harmony with working and family life of the employees constitute the heart of the present paper.

Key words: social policy, social work, company, company social policy, company social work, employee, disability, family, work

Abstract: Trade union movement with regard to the problems of exclusion and marginaliza­tion in the railwaymen circle

In the immediately postwar period, the former railway workers, who did not receive their due welfare, found themselves in a very difficult financial and social situation. In such circumstances The Railway Workers’s Union undertook many initiatives aiming at the improvement of material situation of senior citizens and railway pensioners, both in their own worker’s circle as well as on the road of parliamentary and public initiatives. At the same time, accomplishing the ideas for the unity of worker’s circle, The Railway Workers’s Union, by doing every effort to improve the standard of living, embraced all those in need regardless of their union membership in the past.

Key words: trade union movement, exclusion, marginalization, railwaymen circle, improve the standard of living