SCENARIOS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF POLISH SOCIAL POLICY OVER THE NEXT DECADES

The purpose of the paper is to present scenarios for the development of Polish social policy over the next decades. We are considering three such scenarios. The first one foresees the continuation of the concentration of social policy on its adaptation to current challenges specific to Poland. The second scenario assumes a gradual change of priorities for external challenges related to globalization processes, changes in the structure of developed countries’ economies, as well as technological progress and the construction of a knowledge-based economy. The final scenario is an attempt to answer the question of what the shape of the welfare state will be depending on different ways of responding to the challenges that will be ahead of it and on the goals that can be achieved at that time. The scenarios presented by us are not of a prognostic nature, they are rather subjective reflections on probable development trends in the area of social policy.