Sustainability and Social Justice

Occupational Safety and Health in Poland in the 1990s: A Regulatory System Adapting to Societal Transformation

Document Type

Article

Abstract

The societal transformation underway in Poland created a fundamental challenge to the occupational health and safety system, as the ideological and administrative principles on which it was founded vanished along with the communist-dominated regime. This paper examines the regulatory reform in Poland during the 1990s: its structural elements, implementation record and future prospects. Drawing on five case studies of privatized firms, a mailed questionnaire, and policy and institutional analysis, we find that Poland had considerable success in developing an effective regulatory system for managing occupational health hazards in privatized sector while also achieving considerable socioeconomic progress. The fundamental legitimacy of the regulators and regulatory process, the availabiliy of information about firms and regulatory intents, and the capacity for case-specific decision making, are among the key explanatory factors. The case-specific implementation in Poland is consistent with models advocated by several authors in relation to other industrialized European economies (termed variously as negotiated compliance,' 'tit-for-tat,' cooperation-deterrence),despite a uniquely Polish context related to the continuing legacy of the communist era. The study shows how in Poland a good 'fit' between regulatory institutions and policies on he one hand, and their social context on the other hand, contributes to the effectiveness of the regulatory system.

Publication Title

Policy Sciences

Publication Date

12-21-2001

Volume

34

Issue

3-4

First Page

247

Last Page

271

ISSN

0032-2687

DOI

10.1023/A:1012656913744

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS