Abstract

The specificity of political and economic changes in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) over the past decade requires detailed theoretical analysis and in-depth empirical research. In particular, the so-called illiberal turn in politics and the accompanying economic reforms are of interest to social scientists. This article attempts to explain this turn in the context of social policy changes, based on the example of the Family 500+ programme in Poland during the rule of the populist political party Prawo i Sprawiedliwość (Law and Justice, or PiS). To demonstrate the instrumental role of this programme in the implementation of the illiberal strategy, the concept of the commodification of social benefits is used to shed new light on the specificity of Polish ‘pseudo-social welfare’. Hence, the main premise of this article is the thesis that the Family 500+ programme not only fails to constitute the foundation of the Polish welfare state, but, through the commodification of social relations and cuts within the de-commodified social services, it reinforces neoliberal economic forces and the importance of the state.

摘要

过去十年中东欧政治经济变化的特殊性需要详细的理论分析和深入的实证研究。特别是，所谓的政治非自由转向以及随之而来的经济改革引起了社会科学家的兴趣。本文试图以民粹主义政党 Prawo i Sprawiedliwość（法律与正义，或 PiS）统治期间波兰的 Family 500+ 计划为例，在社会政策变革的背景下解释这一转变）。为了证明该计划在实施非自由战略中的重要作用，社会福利商品化的概念被用来为波兰“伪社会福利”的特殊性提供新的启示。因此，本文的主要前提是，家庭500+计划不仅未能构成波兰福利国家的基础，反而通过社会关系的商品化和去商品化社会服务的削减，强化了波兰福利国家的基础。新自由主义经济力量和国家的重要性。