THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL-WELFARE POLICIES ON SELF-INITIATIVE AND FAMILY-STRUCTURE - THE CASE OF POLAND

Over the past several decades, Polish social welfare policy (broadly d efined) has developed into a comprehensive system, creating the potent ial for unintended negative consequences as well as the intended benef its. This article examines the extent to which the Polish experience i s consistent with controversial hypotheses concerning the impact of so cial welfare policies on individual initiative and family structure. T he abrupt changes currently taking place in Poland during the transiti on to a market economy provide opportunity for us to observe the exten t to which previous state policies have reduced individual initiative. Trends in divorce and out-of-wedlock childbearing are examined for ev idence of weakening family structure.