Crisis and Innovations: Are they Constructive or Destructive?

An interdisciplinary approach was used to analyse multicomplex issues of the Covid-19 crisis, demonstrated also by the Economics of innovation. The Economics of innovation is useful when analysing a unique feedback of megatrends and the emergence of liminal crisis innovations. The purpose of this paper is, in spite of many statements to the contrary, to prove that innovative activity may serve as the key to unlocking a post-crisis economic development. Analyses presented in the paper are based on the Polish and foreign literature on the subject, reports on research conducted in many research centres and the author’s own observation at the Social Innovation Council. Three research themes are signalled: 1) the reality of the crisis in the aspect of Covid-19 pandemic and other crises in the literature studies and in practice; 2) innovation as the driving force for recovering from the Covid-19 crisis; 3) Coronavirus support: the activity of the state and social expectations. Conclusions and recommendations contained in this paper are, to a large extent, based on hermeneutics; they also stem from statistical data analyses and own research.

Bilateral Trade By Products Between the V4 Countries and China in Years 2009–2019

Subject and purpose: Using annual data for the periods 2009–2019, this paper examines trade flows between China and the Visegrad Group countries. The aim of this article is to assess real changes taking place in international trade in the Visegrad Group countries (V4) over the last eleven years. The starting point for the analysis was 2009 – the time after the 2008 economic crisis, and it was compared especially to 2018 – a year marked by a significant improvement in the economy. The purpose is to discuss concerns related to the differences in bilateral trade between China and Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovak Republic. The main aim of this research is to distinguish the characteristics of bilateral trade by products between V4 and China in years 2009–2019. The purpose of this article is also to systematize and discuss points of view, rationalizing further empirical research. Two research hypotheses, resulting from the research purpose, were formulated: H1: in the V4 countries import exceeds export, and this trend seems to be growing, H2: Chinese goods imported to the V4 are much more sophisticated than those exported. Design/Methodology/Approach: To assess the initial and current situation on international trade between the V4 and China, the author uses variables obtained from WTO and OEC resources, diagnosing the situation in Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovak Republic. The collected empirical data were processed using theoretical methods such as analysis, synthesis, and comparison to formulate conclusions using deductive and inductive inference methods. Practical Implications: The results can be used in scientific and expert work on diagnostic and forecast trends in bilateral trade by products between the V4 and China. Originality/Value: It concerns the indication of the importance of the V4 trade with China compared to the share of the V4 countries in world trade. It was also possible to identify the top export and import products of the V4. The findings also confirm the significant change in China’s trading structure.

The Impact of the 1959 Agreement on the Legal Status of the Nile in the Post-Colonial Period

The Nile, one of the longest rivers in the world, has not been subjected to a uniform legal regime yet, despite the pressing needs. The hitherto proposals presented by the riparian states of the lower and upper reaches have not been unanimously accepted. Egypt and Sudan face particular difficult situation since the Nile river is their main source of water supply. It is argued that the lack of necessary coordination among all the States in the basin may in the future lead to significant damage and consequences both in terms of access to water and its quality. This short study critically examines past and present initiatives undertaken to solve one of the most controversial aspects of international law in Africa.

Using Selected Data-Mining Methods in the Analysis of Data Concerning the Attitudes of Students towards the Issue of Vaccination

Preventive vaccination is one of the greatest successes of modern medicine. The SARS-CoV-2 epidemic, during which vaccination is the main method of prevention against death and severe disease, gave rise to a resurgence of anti-vaccine (anti-vax) movements. The aim of this study was to analyse the attitudes of students towards vaccination and the COVID-19 pandemic. The statistical analysis was performed with the use of the following data-mining methods: correspondence analysis and basket analysis. The obtained results show that students of medicine are characterized with the highest level of knowledge. Students of other medical faculties, on the other hand, have a significantly less uniform views, as do students of non-medical faculties.

“Mathematics is the Logic of the Infinite”: Zermelo’s Project of Infinitary Logic

In this paper I discuss Ernst Zermelo’s ideas concerning the possibility of developing a system of infinitary logic that, in his opinion, should be suitable for mathematical inferences. The presentation of Zermelo’s ideas is accompanied with some remarks concerning the development of infinitary logic. I also stress the fact that the second axiomatization of set theory provided by Zermelo in 1930 involved the use of extremal axioms of a very specific sort.1

Same-Sex Marriage and the Catholic Church in Europe. Any Chance for Understanding?

There is room for everyone in the Catholic Church, but there is no consent for same-sex marriage in that Church as marriage only between a baptized man and a woman is a sacrament. Same-sex marriage is inconsistent with the Holy Scripture where marriage is based on God’s natural law. This official Scripture’s interpretation results in lack of possibility to reconciliate the official teaching of the Church with the recognition of same-sex marriage. The world is moving forward and so are the opinions of Christians and their growing support for same-sex marriage. Such marriage is recognized in thirty states worldwide, including states with dominant Catholic religion. Regardless the official teaching, the Catholic Church’s position is not uniform. The paper discusses the official interpretation of the Scripture concerning homosexuals, analyses the position of the Catholic Church toward same-sex marriage and indicates differences in Christians’ attitudes with respect to same-sex couples in Western and Eastern Europe.

The Comparison of Three Assessment Scales in a Neonatal Unit in Poland

The aim of this study was to analyse the relationship between the following three assessments: the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS), the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS), and the General Movement Assessment (GMA). 29 patients from the neonatal unit of the Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinical Hospital were examined. The study was conducted between feedings by a person properly trained in the use of the NBAS, the AIMS, and the GMA. The average postmenstrual age of the examined newborns was 35.6 weeks. The average week of gestation was the 29th, the average birth weight was 1469 g, and the Median Apgar score in the fifth minute of life was 7. A relationship was found between the AIMS and the NBAS. It was concluded that the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale and the Alberta Infant Motor Scale may be used to determine the motor development of preterm infants. Moreover, it is advisable to use more than one assessment method in order to adjust the intervention.

Risks of Using “Language Relief” and Plain Language Principles in the Process of Applying Tax Law – Selected Issues

The level of communicativeness of official letters in the field of tax law leaves much to be desired. The article concerns the consequences of the application of “Language Relief” in the practice of applying tax law by the National Revenue Administration. The author calls for the principles of plain language to be introduced first in relation to acts of state law, so that officials can adapt their letters to the plain language of the law. A reversal of this order poses significant risks to the protection of taxpayers’ rights since internal instructions and letter templates proposed on the NRA intranet will be used to a greater extent instead of legal acts.

Values as Timeless Foundations of Today’s Economy – A Remedy for a Crisis in Economic Sciences

The presented paper refers to values as the timeless foundations of modern economics, and also to ethical limitations in the sphere of economic research, especially in the mainstream. The character of the paper is a review. The aim of the research is an attempt to show the fundamental importance of values, often rooted in history, for the development of modern economics and to present a remedy for the current analytical problems of economic sciences – considering the importance of axiology in economic research. The paper is divided into three main parts: introduction – theoretical considerations on the basis of the humanistic perspective of economics; first chapter – the place of values in philosophical and economic considerations, and second chapter – axiology as a complement to the gap in economic research (response to the crisis in the field of economic research). The authors proved that in the face of great crises, including the last one, which is the coronavirus crisis, there is an urgent need to extend economic analysis with values, which would make the science of economics more mature, perceiving an individual as an entity guided by a whole spectrum of principles. It is therefore necessary to go beyond the canon of rigid thinking, because otherwise we are threatened not only with the collapse of the economy, but the entire civilisation of the West. In this regard, let us provide a wider field for ethical analysis!

What Did Central Banks Learn from Financial Crises?

During the global financial crisis (GFC) of 2007–2009 and the currentCovid-19 debacle, central banks acted quickly, boldly, and effectively. The paper argues that they did so thanks to the lessons learned from the past financial crises, which provided them with opportunities to reconsider their previous beliefs. A case in point is the banking crisis in the United States during the Great Depression of the 1930s that taught central banks to act rapidly and decisively in order to prevent an initial liquidity crisis from escalating into a solvency crisis leading to bankruptcies of banks with potentially disastrous consequences for the entire economy. The paper revisits the consequences of the currency crises of the 1990s, which transformed exchange rate regimes across the world: the EMS one of 1992–1993 that accelerated the launch of the euro, and the Asian one of 1997–1998 resulted in the proliferation of floating exchange rates in emerging economies.