Polish higher education provides a particular example of a system that, until very recently, has been largely reformresistant as it has a long-standing tradition of bottom-up 'academic self-governance' at both the system and the in

The Constitutional Role of the President of the Republic of Poland in the Context of Membership of the European Union The article presents a synthetic analysis of issues related to the constitutional position of the President of the Republic of Poland in constitutional and institutional order in the context of Poland’s membership in the structures of the European Union. The text mentions the basics of not only legal but also functional elements of the constitutional system. The purpose of this article is also to indicate how much the constitutional model of the executive bodies is sufficient to resolving problematic political issues when there is a particular kind of relationship between the head of state and the government administration.

CEL NAUKOWY: Celem artykułu jest usystematyzowanie wiedzy o relacjach zachodzących pomiędzy epidemiami a strategiami walki z nimi w różnych typach systemów politycznych i ich konsekwencjami społecznymi. PROBLEM I METODY BADAWCZE: Problemem badawczym jest analiza modeli strategii walki z epidemiami w bipolarnym ujęciu systemów politycznych jako pochodnej różnych kryzysów społecznych, w tym wynikających z pandemii. Zastosowano metody badawcze właściwe dla nauk społecznych. Wykorzystano analizę krytyczną i syntezę literatury naukowej oraz badania porównawcze. PROCES WYWODU: W pierwszej kolejności przedstawiono stan badań nad zagadnieniem epidemii i ich skutkami społeczno-politycznymi, następnie zaprezentowano modele walki z epidemiami w kontekście typów reżimów ustrojowych, a w kolejnym, na przykładzie procesów zachodzących w pierwszej połowie XX wieku, ukazano wpływ tych kryzysów na wzrost sympatii społecz­nych wobec ideologii antysystemowych. WYNIKI ANALIZY NAUKOWEJ: Długofalowe skutki epidemii prowa­dziły do przesileń, które w sposób istotny wpływały na losy cywilizacji. Towa­rzyszyły temu zjawiska, które w związku z załamaniem się podstaw funkcjo­nowania społeczeństw oddziaływały na światopogląd mas, przewartościowując scenę polityczną i transformując systemy państwowe. WNIOSKI, INNOWACJE, REKOMENDACJE: Nawet jeśli analizowano procesy społeczno-ekonomiczne pojawiające się w związku z kryzysami zdro­wotnymi, rzadko zastanawiano się nad relacją zachodzącą pomiędzy epidemia­mi a strategiami walki z nimi w określonych typach reżimów państwowych. Tym­czasem wnioski płynące z dotychczasowych rozważań wskazują na aktualność tej problematyki zarówno dla badaczy teorii polityki i państwa, jak i decydentów odpowiedzialnych za stabilność funkcjonowania systemu politycznego.

The age of intellectual debates in France between the Revolution in 1789 and the Dreyfus Affair at the turn of the centuries is one of the key sources that enable the understanding of the modern political culture. It concerns, in particular, the modern concept of liberty that became one of the defining values shaping the European political discourse. Thus, the post-revolutionary France remains an extremely valuable source of inspiration when revisiting the essence of many contemporary debates in political philosophy and public discourse. Most of the ideas and arguments in circulation today echo the debates over the liberty, reason, and society that dominated the intellectual climate of that period in the French political history or, at least, heavily depend on the foundational ideas formulated then and there. Thus, they are worth reconsidering.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: The objective of the article is to analyse legislative acts introduced in Poland in response to COVID-19 pandemic (the so-called anti-crisis shields), which led to a clash between fundamental rights and constitutional principles and triggered a debate on systemic transgression and the principles that limit the government’s activities directed at citizens.     THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND METHODS: COVID-19 led to attempts undertaken by the Polish government to redefine the constitutional strategies established by the Solidarity generation by choosing a strategy to deal with the crisis based on limiting citizens’ rights. This led to doubts triggered by the collision of this strategy with constitutional norms. The method used in the study was a legal-doctrinal comparative analysis and a synthesis of the literature.    THE PROCESS OF ARGUMENTATION: The article presents the determinants underlying the creation of constitutional principles in Poland embedded in the context of the common good as the principium which guides the relationships between the state and its citizens. The doctrinal transgression resulting from the government’s attempts to fight against COVID-19 was analysed and conclusions concerning the threats to the political system in the context of the governmental attempts to reinterpret the concepts fundamental to the democratic state of law were drawn.   RESEARCH RESULTS: COVID-19 proved that the existing regulations are not sufficient to secure the principle of the common good as an underlying principle of the government’s activities. Crises become a pretext for decision-makers to introduce such laws which prioritise the interests of the authorities over the interests of citizens.   CONCLUSIONS, INNOVATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS: It is recommended to consider the introduction of extra legislative mechanisms that would prevent the primacy of the interests of the state to take precedence over the interests of citizens in the future.