Povertv and social conditions in Poland during the transformation to a market economy Warzywoda-Kruszynska W, Grotowska-Leder J. Poverty and social conditions in Poland during the transformation to a market economy. Scand J SOC Welfare 1993: 2: ll5-127. 0 Munksgaard 1993. The social welfare system in Poland was changed during the 1990s. The full employment policy, as a guarantee for social security, was abandoned and the institutions through which social resources were distributed were replaced. State-owned enterprises previously fulfilled certain social functions; the necessary resources came from state subsidies and from obligatory funds: housing and social funds as well as a proportion of wage costs. Thus, the prices of many types of important consumption goods (such as food and housing) were fixed at a relatively low level. The elimination of subsidies resulted in the bankruptcy of many state-owned enterprises which, in turn, led to the diminished importance of the social security function of industrial enterprises. Their role in the newly created social welfare system was taken over by social welfare centers, through which assistance was distributed to those in need. Besides the traditional recipients of social assistance, a growjng number of unemployed people, who comprise approximately 14% of the productively active citizens, have also begun collecting assistance.
In family research, detecting differences between or among countries depends on the use of measurement that is comparable across countries and relevant within all countries. Measurement is affected by theory, by the level at which measurement is considered, e.g., word or construct; and by time it is necessary to have enough time for all researchers to have both a scholarly understanding of families and an experiential understanding of families in all countries included in a study. An equally important issue affecting the detection of differences is the strategy used to find similarities and differences. Our experience suggests that it is best to examine differences within countries and compare patterns of differences across countries. Using this strategy it is possible to detect subtle differences that can be lost in global tests of cross country differences. We illustrate this point with data from a study of families in the former Soviet Georgia, Poland, Russia, and the United States.
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