Polityka edukacyjna jako polityka prawdy w społeczeństwie ponowoczesnym

The main inspiration for for this paper came from Michel Foucaulfs concept of power/knowledge, Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of reproduction and the Ulrich Beck’s concept of reflexive modernisation. Authors aim to analyse the basie notions and ideas associated with the liberał discourse on education and knowledge reproduction in the post-modern society, characterised by globalisation of knowledge and privatisation of cognitive mechanisms. The authors posit that those processes are interrelated within the top-down, omnipresent imperative of individual self-fulfilment and rationality, which allows the market- oriented governance logie to permeate the micromechanisms of the reproduction of selfhood. As a result, we witness changes in contemporary educational curricula in the EU and OECD. Therefore, the modern education policy becomes a tool of a liberał cognition policy based on the idea of a rational actor, whereas the education system reproduces the structural marketisation of the society,Główną inspiracją do napisania niniejszego artykułu była koncepcja władzy-wiedzy Michela Foucaulta, teoria reprodukcji Pierre’a Bourdieu oraz koncepcja modernizacji refleksyjnej Ulricha Becka. Celem autorów jest analiza podstawowych pojęć oraz idei związanych z liberalnym dyskursem dotyczącym edukacji oraz reprodukcji wiedzy w społeczeństwie ponowoczesnym, odznaczającym się globalizacją wiedzy, a zarazem prywatyzacją mechanizmów poznawczych. Autorzy stawiają tezę, że wyżej wymienione procesy wiążą się w ramach odgórnego i wszechogarniającego imperatywu samorealizacji i racjonalności jednostkowej, który pozwala na przenikanie logiki zarządzania rynkiem na poziom mikromechanizmów reprodukcji podmiotowości. Rezultatem tego procesu są zmiany zachodzące we współczesnych programach edukacyjnych Unii Europejskiej i OECD. Tym samym współczesna polityka edukacyjna staje się narzędziem swoistej liberalnej polityki poznania opartej na idei rational actor, zaś system edukacji reprodukuje strukturalne urynkowienie społeczeństwa

Meandry wiedzy eksperckiej. Konstruowanie Alkoholowego Zespołu Płodowego FAS

W latach 1973-1974 prestiżowe czasopismo medyczne Lancet zamieściło serię trzech artykułów napisanych przez grupę badaczy z Washington School of Medicine przy Uniwersytecie w Seattle. W publikacjach dowodzono, iż dzieci matek pijących alkohol w okresie ciąży cierpią na szereg charakterystycznych anomalii: opóźnienia rozwoju i wzrostu, mikrocefalię, specyficzne rysy twarzoczaszki – szeroko rozstawione oczy, płaskie wargi, spłaszczona środkowa cześć twarzy

Depoliticising addiction : Who gets to speak in European press reporting, 1991–2011?

Aims: The article presents an analysis of sources of information employed in mainstream print media reporting on addiction problems in Finland, Italy and Poland in the 1990s and 2000s. Method: A quantitative content analysis of frequency of different sources employed in articles in daily newspapers from Finland (N = 258), Italy (N = 296), and Poland (N = 212) from the years 1991, 1998 and 2011. Semantic units were coded in Atlas.ti. The societal spheres represented were identified using a common coding scheme broadly inspired by Boltanski and Thevenot's typology of polities of worth. Transformations were identified in line with van Leeuwen's framework for trends in discourse salience over time. Results: The study highlights different patterns of coverage of addictions in the three countries. Over time, increased salience is given to the individuals affected by addictions and experts who represent biomedical sciences. This process occurred with varying intensity and expressiveness in all countries under study. Conclusions: Social and political sources were employed to less extent over time. The media focus seemed to shift to the affected individuals and scientific expertise. This confirms results from previous studies on a general move towards individualisation and an increased focus on more personal and technical aspects of addiction problems in the mass media.Peer reviewe

Sharing, group-buying, social supply, offline and online dealers: how users in a sample from six European countries procure new psychoactive substances (NPS).

Given the multiple ways of regulations and market situations for new psychoactive substances (NPS), it is of interest how NPS users procure their drugs in different countries as well as in different user groups. Data comes from a face-to-face and online survey conducted in six EU countries, covering three groups of current (12-month) adult NPS users: (1) socially marginalized, (2) users in night life, and (3) users in online communities. While the supply situation differed considerably between countries, friends were the most prevalent source for buying, followed by online shops and private dealers. Marginalized users were more likely to buy from dealers, while online respondents showed the highest rates for buying online. While buying NPS from online or offline shops was relatively prevalent, we also found high rates for social supply and buying from dealers. A considerable part of this market may be classified as “social online supply,” with private suppliers procuring their drugs online. The market features among marginalized users resemble more those of illicit drug markets than those for other NPS users

Przemysł alkoholowy a agendy zdrowia publicznego. Problematyka interakcji podmiotów rynkowych i instytucji zdrowia publicznego

Przedmiotem rozprawy doktorskiej „Przemysł alkoholowy a agendy zdrowia publicznego. Problematyka interakcji podmiotów rynkowych i instytucji zdrowia publicznego" są zagadnienia związane z tworzeniem wiedzy w polityce wobec alkoholu. Analiza objęła przykłady wpływu przemysłu na politykę wobec alkoholu w kontekście zmian ekonomicznych, społecznych i legislacyjnych, na poziomie krajowym i międzynarodowym. Celem pracy było przedstawienie procesu tworzenia i komunikacji wiedzy naukowej przez organizacje przemysłu alkoholowego i instytucje zdrowia publicznego oraz projektowania rozwiązań politycznych w obszarze kontroli ryzyka, na przykładzie polityki wobec alkoholu. Problematyka komunikacji polityki wobec alkoholu oraz proces wyłonienia się polityki wobec alkoholu, były rozpatrywane w kontekście zagadnień, które wpłynęły na kształt społeczeństwa późnej nowoczesności: ryzyka, wiedzy eksperckiej, indywidualizacji i problematyki zdrowia. Następnie, przedstawione zostały zmiany w polityce wobec alkoholu – w tym zmiany legislacyjne – będące efektem dominacji interesów ekonomicznych. Kolejnym obszarem analizowanych zagadnień była komercjalizacja badań naukowych i ich wykorzystanie przez przemysł alkoholowy oraz reakcje środowiska naukowego reprezentującego interesy zdrowia publicznego. Podstawę teoretyczną pracy stanowi teoria systemu autoreferencyjnego Niklasa Luhmanna: badania naukowe i rozwiązania polityki wobec alkoholu były rozpatrywane w kontekście komunikacji ryzyka związanego z alkoholem, uchwyconej podczas wzajemnych obserwacji oraz samoobserwacji systemowych, dokonywanych przez system zdrowia publicznego i system przemysłu alkoholowego. Redukcja złożoności środowiska obydwu subsystemów przybiera postać komunikacji środkami dyskursu naukowego, przekształconego pod kątem możliwości adaptacji do ich własnej logiki działania. Jednocześnie, komunikacja środkami dyskursu naukowego nasila się wraz ze wzrostem złożoności środowiska zewnętrznego obydwu systemów. Potrzeba redukcji złożoności środowiska oraz przeciwdziałania wzrostowi złożoności samego systemu powodują, że zarówno system zdrowia publicznego, jak i system przemysłu alkoholowego dokonuje inkluzji polityki w jej wymiarze prawnym, ekonomicznym i społecznym, przetwarzając dany obszar zagadnień za pomocą własnych narzędzi komunikacji, a następnie rzutując go na środowisko. Wyniki analizy wskazują, że podstawowym problemem polityki wobec alkoholu, realizowanej pod naporem zmian związanych z globalizacja ekonomiczną i unifikacją stylów życia w społeczeństwie neoliberalnym, są ograniczone możliwości stosowania rozwiązań których skuteczność została udowodniona naukowo (m.in. ograniczeń w podaży alkoholu, kontroli cen). Wśród przyczyn tego zjawiska należy wymienić dominację racjonalności ekonomicznej w polityce, efekty procesu globalizacji, włączenie podmiotów gospodarczych w proces tworzenia polityki, liberalizację postaw społecznych oraz polisemiczność dyskursów eksperckich. Ponadto, komunikacja środkami dyskursu naukowego nie ogranicza ryzyka związanego z alkoholem, lecz przyczynia się do wzrostu niepewności. Przykład inkluzji nauki przez system przemysłu alkoholowego, wskazuje na negatywne konsekwencje komercjalizacji badań naukowych oraz promocji współpracy biznesu i nauki. Działania te mogą bowiem prowadzić do instrumentalizacji badań naukowych, manipulacji ich wynikami w celu osiągnięcia korzyści ekonomicznych bądź politycznych, a w konsekwencji – do utraty prestiżu i autorytetu nauki.The main subject of my doctoral dissertation Alcohol industry and the public health agenda. The construction of knowledge in the alcohol policy was the alcohol-related risk communication in the context of interactions between private stakeholders and public health institutions. The analysis included examples of construction and communication of knowledge on alcohol by the industry and public health as well as the industry impact on alcohol policy in the context of economic, social and legislative change. Theoretical background of the study is the Niklas Luhmann theory of self-referential social systems. According to Luhmann, social systems are founded on the basis of communication. However, they are closed systems, operating within system-specific range of meaning. The main problem in Luhmann’s theory is the complexity of the world. This complexity must be reduced in order to maintain communication with environment and within the system as well as protecting system boundaries by simply distinguishing between system and environment. Social systems constantly observe each other. However they are not transparent, therefore the communication is possible only as a self-referential process. Reduction of environment complexity leads to increase of internal complexity of the system. As a result, the system boundaries are expanded and the system improves its reaction to contingency and environment complexity. Public health and the alcohol industry systems constitute an environment for themselves. As commercial and national interests are at stake, the conflicts of interests are imposed between public and private stakeholders. In the late-modern societies, the public policies are expected to develop and employ evidence-based measures. To be competitive in this new discourse, alcohol industry creates its own institutions that produce or support science. Science as a code of communication facilitates reduction of the environment complexity, although public health and industrial interests are shaping scientific discourse and outcomes. Scientists representing public health considered such measures as restricting outlet density, maintaining limits on hours and days of sale, increasing alcohol taxes, and enhanced enforcement of laws to be effective. Employing above measures impose a threat that has to be neutralised by alcohol industry. In response, the industry started to cast itself as representing public health interests but on the same time ignoring key findings of public health research regarding effective approaches to the prevention and reduction of alcohol-related problems. Industry representatives oppose to several findings of alcohol science, influence public health decision-makers and delay or eradicate the unfavourable policies that may harass their vested interests. The alcohol industry observes its environment and makes efforts to engage some public institutions as the World Health Organization (WHO) in dialogue to influence the final shape of the alcohol programmes and policies. Using such terms as ‘corporate social responsibility’ and ‘partnerships with the public health community’, the industry funds a variety of scientific activities such as scientific meetings or publications and creates so called Social Aspect Organizations (SAO) as International Centre for Alcohol Policy (ICAP). ICAP was set up in 1995 by the major 11 multinational alcohol producers aiming at changing the debate on alcohol by shifting the discussion from the commodity to individual behaviour. ICAP’s publications ignore the facts that taxation, pricing policy and limitations in supply decrease the level of overall alcohol consumption which affects the rates of alcohol-related problems. ICAP tends to offer apparently balanced review of research evidence presenting both findings confirming and challenging individual policy options. In a context of apparently insufficient research evidence, the ICAP reports use a language of values of the free market, the freedom of choice, the individual responsibility and the freedom of commercial communication. All these values support and reinforce policy-related claims of the industry at the expense of public health interests. Instead of comprehensive public health policies with stress on population based approach, alcohol policy becomes segmented into numerous interventions with main focus on the reckless individual and groups who misuse alcohol or drink irresponsible, as the industry continuously avoid the term addiction. From this point, alcohol manufacturers state their limited responsibility for this small group of consumers, stress the importance of partnerships in addressing this particular target group (primarily by education and encouraging life-skills), propose self-regulation in alcohol marketing and emphasize the 'normality' of alcohol as an ordinary commodity. Public health advocates recognize ICAP as an ideological instrument on behalf of vested interests of alcohol industry, promoting poor quality and biased research in favour of industry’s position. They accuse alcohol industry for undermining the evidence-based policy, challenging regulatory interventions, confusing public opinion, discrediting independent scientists and their research, damaging the integrity of science and discouraging or delaying effective alcohol policies. Nevertheless, public institutions work together with the industry on issues related to drinking patterns, education, drink-driving, drinking in pregnancy, parents responsibility and fail to recognize that the evidence the industry bring to the table is impartial and favours their commercial interest rather than the public good. One of the greatest achievements of the alcohol industry was promotion of possible protective effects of alcohol consumption and alcohol benefit to society, despite its potential for abuse or addiction. It happened in front of public health agenda and scientific evidence that ranks alcohol as one of the highest causes of disease burden in the world together with measles, tuberculosis and malaria. According to the most recent estimates alcohol is responsible for 3.8% of global deaths and attributes to 4.6% of the global burden of disease and disability. The results of my analysis indicate that the major problem with implementation of alcohol policy measures which effectiveness has been scientifically proven (including restrictions on alcohol supply, price controls), arouses from the pressure of economic globalization, the individualization and unification of lifestyles in the neo-liberal society, dominance of economic rationality in politics, the inclusion of industry stakeholders in the policy-making process and the polysemy expert discourses. Moreover, it seems that the scientific discourse does not help to reduce the risk associated with alcohol, but quite the opposite, it may increase the uncertainty. The inclusion of science by the alcohol industry shows the negative consequences of research commercialization and promotion of partnerships between business and science. Among them the most significant are instrumentalisation of research and manipulation of scientific data in order to achieve political or economic benefits. As the result, prestige and authority of the science is endangered

Occupational position and alcohol use disorders in Poland

ObjectivesThe following analysis covers the role of the occupational structure in the prevalence of alcohol use disorders (AUDs). The authors investigated whether the occupational position affected the prevalence of AUDs among men and women, and how this relationship varied in lifetime and past year periods.Material and MethodsData were taken from the General Population Survey on Mental Health in Poland (EZOP) utilizing the Composite International Diagnostic Interview questionnaire (N = 2806). Binary and multiple regression models were employed to assess the risk of AUDs adjusted for the occupational structure and socio-demographic variables.ResultsThe occupational position affects the prevalence of AUDs in men, while it has no impact on AUDs in women. Skilled and non-skilled workers suffer from AUDs to a greater extent than those in higher occupational positions. However, the risk of alcohol harm in women seems to be equally distributed across the occupational structure.ConclusionsThe uneven pattern of alcohol harm in men and women can be possibly explained by shifting working conditions and work environments, as well as traditional gender roles affecting alcohol behaviors. The findings of the study support further development of the occupational position concept in alcohol research. The problem of harmful alcohol drinking in women across the occupational structure warrants a more in-depth inquiry

New psychoactive substances in Poland. The analysis of policy responses and its effects

Introduction : The aim of this article is to analyse the process of creation and implementation of policy on new psychoactive substances (NPS) in Poland in the context of definitional and legal issues, social and market response, implementation of prevention programmes and scientific knowledge. New psychoactive substances and policy response in Poland : New psychoactive substances are a subject to both criminal and administrative law in Poland. Two definitions that refer to NPS and two lists on which they can be placed are currently in force: the annex to the Act on Counteracting Drug Addiction and the annex to the regulation of the Minister of Health. Changes in legislation and the expansion of the list of scheduled substances in 2009-2015 were accompanied by an increase in health risks while the initial success of the policy was diminished with the revival of the NPS market. Critical evaluation of new psychoactive substances policy in Poland : New psychoactive substances challenged nearly every aspect of drug policy in Poland, starting from definitional struggles, through establishing frames of intervention, monitoring and risk assessment, to institutional developments, risk communication, and treatment. The strong focus of NPS policy on the reduction of supply had its obvious shortcomings. The strategy proved to be time consuming and limited in its effectiveness. The NPS market changed dynamically and access to reliable knowledge on NPS was limited, whereas the policy network made of several institutions was flawed and lacked structural and financial resources. Conclusions : The new psychoactive substances phenomenon was based on individual efficacy and economic effectiveness, new technologies, developed logistics, flexibility and responsiveness of the NPS market according to consumer requirements. It posed a challenge for drug policy and a risk that cannot be effectively controlled with ‘traditional’ repressive policies

Computational Fluid Dynamics of Ammonia Synthesis in Axial-Radial Bed Reactor

Ammonia synthesis by the Haber–Bosch method is a typical and effective implementation of the chemical process in the large-scale fertiliser industry. Due to the growing demand for fertilisers and food, it is desirable to study this process thoroughly using modern numerical methods to improve the operation of existing devices and facilitate the design of new devices in industrial installations. This manuscript focuses on the influence of the catalyst bed parameters on the ammonia synthesis process. Variants with different sizes of catalyst particles and modifications of the geometry of catalytic beds were considered. The axial-radial Topsoe converter with magnetite as a catalyst, commonly used in modern fertiliser industry beds, was investigated using Computational Fluid Dynamics. As a result, contours of velocity, pressure, concentration, and rate of ammonia formation were obtained. The analysis of the obtained results made it possible to determine the gradient of ammonia production rate in the catalyst bed and designate zones with negligible reaction rates. The authors also proposed possible bed geometry modifications to reduce bed volumes without affecting the converter’s performance