Journal of Geography, Politics and Society

The European Commission as Political Entrepreneur – The Europe 2020 Strategy

2023-10-24T12:28:26+00:00

This study deals with the European Commission Communication Europe 2020, which was a direct result of the global economic crisis that began in 2007-2008. The focus is to explore how the Commission gained an extended role as political entrepreneur by launching the Europe 2020 Strategy and turning crisis into a window of opportunity. Europe 2020 was a Commission initiative to deal with the crisis by promoting smart, sustainable and socially inclusive development beyond the narrow scope of economic growth. The Commission addressed the economic crisis as an existential threat to European economy, but also to wealth, health integration and stability. It is argued that the crisis management of the Commission, was, in times of weakened member-state capacities, a result of political entrepreneurship.

Urban Cultural Heritage in the Digital Space

2023-10-24T12:53:15+00:00

The aim of the study was to identify ways of digitalising specific cultural heritage sites in the space of six selected Polish cities: Białystok, Bydgoszcz, Gdynia, Kielce, Olsztyn and Rzeszów. The data used in the analysis came from four types of online sources. Firstly, these were the official websites of the 18 sites under study, existing in the 2022. Another source of information was the tourist review portal Tripadvisor. In addition, information from popular promotional platforms and social networks was taken into account. The study used techniques applied for existing materials analysis, as well as the following methods: analytical, descriptive, internet query, statistical and graphical. An own zero-one rating system was applied, assigned to six categories of assessment of the digitalisation level of the sites. Among the analysed cities, the best results as to the level of digitalisation were obtained by the facilities located in Kielce, Rzeszów and Bydgoszcz, respectively.

The Effect of Economic Development Level on the Spatial Diffusion Characteristics of Western Food Brands

2023-10-25T11:15:12+00:00

This study uses KFC as a representative brand of Western fast food to reflect the consumption ability of food, and Starbucks as a representative brand of the beverage industry to reflect the consumption ability of beverage, defines an S/K formula, compares the data with the level of regional economic development in order to present a certain correlation, and explores the spatial distribution characteristics of KFC and Starbucks, the influence of cultural institutions and economic influences on spatial selection. The study found that the ratio of the number of Starbucks stores to the number of KFC stores showed a positive relationship with the level of economic development (i.e., GDP and GDP per capita). The study not only empirically complements the current research on the spatial expansion of multinational retail firms but also provides validation for the theory of the spatial expansion of firms. At the same time, the study can provide some reference for site selection for other brands in similar fields entering the market.

Resource Provision in the Field of Social Assistance in the Conditions of New Social Risks

2023-10-26T13:20:06+00:00

The purpose of this study was to identify the main ways to provide social assistance to restore the resource potential of victims of emergencies (military conflicts, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, etc.), as well as to highlight the features of training future specialists in the social sphere to deal with new social risks. The study used methods of scientific analysis and generalization, as well as comparing the experience of domestic and foreign researchers and social practitioners who worked with vulnerable contingents in overcoming the consequences of emergencies. The focus is on generalizing the results of the experience of training future specialists in the social sphere to work within an environment of new social risks. Based on the conducted research, it was concluded that for the professional activity of social sector specialists in resource provision in the conditions of new social risks, it is important to direct social assistance to restore the physical, mental and social health of people at all six levels of health, taking into account the peculiarities of their age, social status, as well as ethnic features and the context of the social problem. The main directions of relevant social work with victims of emergency situations have been defined: work on strengthening the family’s potential, establishment of useful social connections in a new environment, the use of art therapy practices to normalize the psychosomatic state of clients, the use of ethnocultural means to increase the possibilities of social adaptation in new conditions. Very important in the preparation of future specialists for the relevant work is the practice-oriented training on the basis of specialized social institutions working with victims in emergency situations, as well as mastering special techniques of self-development and professional self-improvement to increase one’s own resource potential.

Spatial and social aspects of the impact of Pol’and’Rock Festival and Jarocin Festival in Poland

2023-10-26T13:36:58+00:00

Among the popular music festivals operating in Poland in the last forty years, two of them played a special role, especially for their young recipients of amplified music. The first of them was the Rock Festival in Jarocin (it had different names) functioning in the years 1980–1994, so still in the period of communist authorities. Reactivated in 2005, it recently operates under the name Jarocin Festival and uses the legend of the event from the 1980s. In the new socio-political conditions, the second important event, the Pol’and’Rock Festival (called Woodstock Station in 1995–2017), began to function in 1995, which in the late 1990s exceeded 100,000 participants and became the largest popular music event in Poland.
The aim of the study is to characterise the impact of these two important popular music festivals in Poland at the turn of the second and third decade of the 21st century in the spatial and socio-cultural dimensions on the community of its participants. Referring to the traditional chorological paradigm of human geography, an analysis of the differentiation of the territorial impact of festivals was made, and using patterns immersed in social geography-oriented music research, factors motivating to participate in festivals were determined.

Changes in Transport Service for the Kartuzy Poviat in Poland in the Years 1990–2023

2023-10-27T06:34:45+00:00

In many areas of Poland, areas of transport exclusion related to the lack of public transport service or insufficient offer are identified. After 1989, when Poland underwent political transformation and consequent economic transformation, funding for bus and rail transport collapsed. While rail transport experienced a significant regression in connections, regional bus transport can be said to have been completely eliminated. On the map of the whole of Poland, Kartuzy poviat is an exception, where the role of the carrier has been taken over by a private company which offers transport services at a level corresponding to demand, thus positively influencing the transport habits of the inhabitants. The article examines the change in the offer in bus and rail transport in Kartuzy poviat in the years 1990-2023 and shows that the private bus carrier performs tasks that should de facto rest with the state authorities.