Arkadiusz J. Derkacz

Background. The issue of economic growth is still an important area of economic research. This topic is crucial for the economic sciences as well as for economic policy practice. Let this statement be the most important assumption in this arti­cle. Everything that happens in the economy concerns socio-economic phenomena. The main scientific problem comes down to the question of what is the role of in­stitutional factors in the socio-economic development of Poland?

Research aims. The author set himself two main aims. The first aim is an at­tempt to present institutional determinants that affect the socio-economic devel­opment of the Polish economy. The second is an attempt to present the devel­opment of the Polish economy by setting it against the background of selected European countries.

Methodology. This work uses a modified taxonomic development measure meth­od based on the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). The research was embedded in the current of new institutional eco­nomics. The concept of the institutional matrix was also used.

Key findings. Analyses conducted have facilitated the creation of an overview of the socio-economic development of the Polish economy. This was illustrated by the average socio-economic development index (ASEDI). Taxonomic measures of development were also calculated for all 10 of the economies analyzed. The main research time horizon is 2008–2018. Part of the collected data enabled anal­ysis of the period 1995–2018. The results of research and analyses have shown that selected institutional factors significantly affect the final level and quality of socio-economic development of Poland in comparison with selected European countries.

JEL Codes: B520, E020, O110.

Background. The general concept of a neo‑institutional causal sphere was developed in response to the question about what company management, understood as practice, is from the perspective of dynamic changes taking place in a broadly defined coherent causal sphere. A critical analysis of the literature on new institutional economics, psychology, and sociology, observation of the socio‑economic reality, and the author’s long experience in managing companies became the prime movers behind the formulation of the concept presented in this paper.

Research aims. As a result of the search for answers to the key question, two hypotheses emerged. The first one concerns understanding a company as a collection of activities in the form of socio‑economic phenomena, whereas the other is related to human activity within a company, which shapes the neo‑institutional manufacturing system. It is a process of the direct achievement of the organization’s objectives using appropriate tools. However, the most important subject here is the contracting man. In this context, the author of the article proposes a thesis according to which company management practice, as defined by the neo‑institutional perspective, should be oriented towards broad‑aspect determinism of a coherent causal sphere.

Methodology. In order to support his thesis, the author first presents issues concerning a company from the neo‑institutional perspective, providing a background for the concept of a coherent causal sphere. The second part of the paper discusses a coherent causal sphere identified with the dynamic environment of a company. And finally, the author defines functions of company management in the context of a coherent causal sphere, which have a chance of forming a new direction in modern company management.

Key findings. The main conclusions include three elements. The first concerns the concept of the company in a neo‑institutional approach. The second conclusion speaks of the existence of a coherent causal sphere, which is a reflection of the holistic environment of enterprises, in a neo‑institutional approach. The most important conclusion comes down to the statement. The practice of managing a company in the neo‑institutional sense should be oriented towards the broad‑aspect determinism of the coherent causal sphere.

JEL Codes: M200, L220, D230