University of Warsaw

The University of Warsaw, established in 1816, is Poland’s largest university. It employs over 6,200 people and educates almost 53,700 undergraduate and graduate students in 19 faculties.

The research activities for the TransSOL project are conducted by the Institute of Social Policy in the Faculty of Journalism and Political Science. The Institute of Social Policy carries out research in various fields, particularly addressing the following issues: theory of social policy and development, social issues and critical life situations, decision-making processes in social policy, social assistance and social work, labour market and unemployment, local social policy, international comparative social policy, European social policy and migration and migration policy. The Institute, given its expertise in issues of labour policy and social exclusion, has undertaken several projects that are relevant to the LIVEWHAT’s research agenda, namely: trESS, ‘Training and reporting on European Social Security’ (2008-2010) commissioned by the European Commission; ‘CEST Transfer Project’ (Sustainable Further Training and Competence Strategies for the Social Economy); and the Leonardo da Vinci project, ‘Family Politics and the Construction of Citizenship in Europe’ under the 6th European Union Framework Programme.

We invite you to have a look at the Polish TransSOL website.

Team members

Maria Theiss is the principal investigator for the Polish team. She is a Lecturer of Political Science in the field of Social Policy in the Department of Journalism and Political Science. Her research focusses on the issues of social citizenship, social capital, civic society and the local level of social policy. She was a research team member in the research study ‘Youth, Unemployment and Social Exclusion in Europe’ (YOUNEX, 7th FP), where she was responsible for policy-making analysis at the local level in Poland. Currently she is the principal investigator of the Polish team of the project ‘Living with Hard Times: How Citizens React to Economic Crises and Their Social and Political Consequences’ (LIVEWHAT, 7^th FP). Maria Theiss also conducted an additional number of research studies in Poland, including: ‘Local social citizenship – the example of childcare services’, (ongoing) funded by the National Research Centre, ‘Differences in local social policy in Poland – the local dimension of social citizenship’, as well as several evaluation programs of local social policies. She is an author and co-editor of 3 books on issues of poverty, social exclusion and governance processes at the local level in Poland as well as articles and book chapters.

For up-to-date info, please visit her staff page.

Anna Kurowska is Assistant Professor at the Institute of Social Policy (University of Warsaw) in Poland. She holds a PhD in humanities (social policy) and graduated in Political Science (2004, University of Warsaw) and Economics (2007; Warsaw School of Economics). She is associate and expert of FOR – Civil Development Forum. Anna has authored numerous publications in the field of social policy analysis and economics. Her areas of expertise are: family and labour market policy, fertility, labour supply, social indicators and poverty. Recently she has been the head of an international project ‘Joint influence of family and labour market policies on labour supply and fertility decisions of men and women’, which explores the effects of policy reforms on citizens’ lives, particularly on fertility and labour market participation. Currently she directs a project on ‘Work-family reconciliation from capability approach perspective’, financed by the National Science Centre.

For up-to-date info, please visit her staff page.

Janina Petelczyc is researcher on the Polish team. She holds a PhD in social science. Her areas of expertise are: social security, especially retirement systems and international comparative social policy. She is the author and co-author of publications in the field of social policy as well as analyses and research reports, including for trESS (Training and Reporting on European Social Security) and FreSsco (Free movement of workers and Social security coordination). She is also a researcher in the project ‘Living with Hard Times: How Citizens React to Economic Crises and Their Social and Political Consequences’ (LIVEWHAT, 7^th FP).