Kaja Gadowska

National and international anti-corruption efforts: the case of Poland

This articles objective is to analyse the influence of international anti-corruption pressure on national measures aimed at combating corruption in Poland. First, the change in perception of corruption in Poland will be addressed, along with a short discussion on attempts to reduce its scope. Second, the anti-corruption measures of international organisations, such as the United Nations, the organisation for economic co-operation and development (OECD), the Council of Europe, Group of States against Corruption and the European Union, as well as international Conventions adopted and ratified by Poland will be examined. Third, the role of state and non-governmental institutions involved in the fight against corruption in Poland will be reviewed. Finally, the process of implementing governmental anti-corruption strategies will be analysed, with a particular focus on the introduction of legislative changes that are aimed at limiting corruption through the processes of legal modernisation and harmonisation. This article argues that from among the many initiatives undertaken by various international institutions combating corruption in Poland, the most effective was found to be pressure exerted by the European Union. Polands eagerness to enter the European Union, and to make use of structural funds after accession, forced the countrys elected governments to implement certain recommendations of the European Commission regarding anti-corruption policy. However, these activities had, to a certain degree, a facade-like character and were addressed to fulfil the formal requirements of the European Commission instead of serving as a genuine effort to curb corruption. Even though corruption has been officially considered a serious social problem, which needs to be combated and many anti-corruption measures have been implemented, the effects of the actions undertaken by consecutive Polish governments are not fully satisfactory. Also, anti-corruption slogans have been instrumentally used to fight against political opponents. From another perspective, the activities of Polish non-governmental organisations have contributed to a visible reduction in social tolerance for corruption. Although public opinion research shows that the level of corruption is slowly decreasing in Poland and the countrys position in the Corruption Perception Index is systematically improving, it is uncertain how strongly rooted this positive tendency will find itself in the long term.

Relacje między polityką i administracją w procesie tworzenia służby cywilnej w Polsce. Perspektywa nowego instytucjonalizmu

Civil service is an important element in the system of public administration and has a major impact on a state’s manner of functioning. The creation of civil service in Poland was intended to ensure that the public administration performed its duties in a professional and impartial manner, unhindered by special political interests. The aim of the paper is to analyze the process of creating civil service in Poland after 1989, and to show how, in practice, from the beginning of the transformation and under the governments of successive political groups, a division was formed between the political and administrative spheres, and to what degree the actual relations between politics and public administration ref lect the formal regulations contained in civil service acts. The paper concentrates in particular on personnel policy in regard to senior positions in civil service, because these appointments are connected with assuming control of decision making processes and human resource policy in administrative offices. In the research, various complementary qualitative and quantitative methods were used. Multidimensional analysis of the data leads to the conclusion that political parties in Poland strive to limit the autonomy of the government administration and to make it subordinate to their interests. The legislation in the area of civil service has been largely subjugated to the political interest of the moment, and not to the long-term interest of the state. The use of neo-institutional perspective helps to identify the reasons behind the adoption of specific legal measures and to show their actual effects.