The City, NGOs and COVID-19. Non-governmental organisations in Warsaw and the new horizons of societal security during the pandemic (research concept)

The authors present a concept of research concerning the share of the non-governmental organisations operating in Warsaw (Poland’s capital) during the COVID-19 pandemic in creating societal security. The elaborated research concept covers a description of the state of research, the arising research questions, suggested research hypotheses and methods. The article’s contents are meant to serve the implementation of a research project, whose results will be useful by increasing the body of knowledge on the functioning of NGOs during the pandemic, which should contribute to improving the operation of such entities in unanticipated circumstances in future. Learning the failures and successes of NGOs (scientific monitoring) in creating societal security should be seen as an intrinsic part of care for the well-being of society and the functioning of a political community. The article contemplates conceptualisation and construction of research projects in the area of security studies, social policy and politology, attention being given to the contexts and problem references to social culture, law and administration. The core content of the work includes: a synthesis of the state of research in the proposed research area; theoretical assumptions of the role of NGOs in social life; and a methodology of postulated research.