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In 2016 the Law and Justice (PiS) - a ruling party in Poland - commenced the so-called 500+ programme under which all parents residing in Poland receive an unconditional monthly payment of 500 PLN for each second and subsequent child.
It is known fact that Poland needs children. The country has one of the lowest fertility rates in Europe. Already employers are struggling to fill jobs, despite a stream of workers from neighbouring Ukraine. But there are economic risks too. Apart from its cost, critics warn that 500+ encourages parents to drop out of work to qualify for the subsidy. In Poland, the inactivity trap — the disincentive to return to employment after inactivity — is one of the highest in the EU. Since the start of programme, it has risen sharply to double the EU average. Already there are signs that mothers are quitting paid work. According to an estimate by the Institute for Structural Research in Warsaw, some 100 000 women were absent from the labour market in the first half of 2017 because of the 500+ benefit. The effect was strongest among low-educated women and in little- to medium-sized towns.
This monograph is a record of time spent in south-east region of Poland (the poorest and historically a part of Galicia) with one of the families that benefited from PiS programme. Head of the Grodzkis family - Zbigniew, and his wife Barbara, live under one roof with their in-laws and grandmother. They have 5 girls and 3 boys. The programme, apart from many problems it introduced, has also undeniable positive effects. I had privilege to witness simple economical change helping one family to pick up pieces of their life and pull out from day-to-day struggle of making ends meet each month to the standard of living that finally provided much needed free time for them. Time we all take for granted in our society.
It is known fact that Poland needs children. The country has one of the lowest fertility rates in Europe. Already employers are struggling to fill jobs, despite a stream of workers from neighbouring Ukraine. But there are economic risks too. Apart from its cost, critics warn that 500+ encourages parents to drop out of work to qualify for the subsidy. In Poland, the inactivity trap — the disincentive to return to employment after inactivity — is one of the highest in the EU. Since the start of programme, it has risen sharply to double the EU average. Already there are signs that mothers are quitting paid work. According to an estimate by the Institute for Structural Research in Warsaw, some 100 000 women were absent from the labour market in the first half of 2017 because of the 500+ benefit. The effect was strongest among low-educated women and in little- to medium-sized towns.
This monograph is a record of time spent in south-east region of Poland (the poorest and historically a part of Galicia) with one of the families that benefited from PiS programme. Head of the Grodzkis family - Zbigniew, and his wife Barbara, live under one roof with their in-laws and grandmother. They have 5 girls and 3 boys. The programme, apart from many problems it introduced, has also undeniable positive effects. I had privilege to witness simple economical change helping one family to pick up pieces of their life and pull out from day-to-day struggle of making ends meet each month to the standard of living that finally provided much needed free time for them. Time we all take for granted in our society.