W artykule przedstawiono różnorodność rynku pracy w krajach Grupy Wyszehradzkiej z perspektywy ekonomii instytucjonalnej. Instytucje takie jak: regulacje w zakresie podatków i transferów, przepisy dotyczące ochrony zatrudnienia lub aktywna i pasywna polityka rynku pracy mogą wpływać nie tylko na efektywność gospodarki z perspektywy makroekonomicznej, ale również odgrywać kluczową rolę w określaniu systemu zasad i zachęt do zarabiania pieniędzy. W tej perspektywie warunki instytucjonalne rynku pracy bezpośrednio wpływają na zachowanie uczestników rynku pracy, ich dochody, a tym samym nierówności dochodowe. W celu dokonania oceny i porównania sytuacji między krajami Grupy Wyszehradzkiej, obliczono syntetyczną miarę instytucji rynku pracy. Ponadto przeprowadzono analizę taksonomiczną, w efekcie której pogrupowano kraje V4 względem wybranych krajów Unii Europejskiej. Takie działanie umożliwiło ocenę i porównanie podobieństw i różnic między krajami wyszehradzkimi. Finalnie podjęto próbę identyfikacji i oceny związków między syntetyczną miarą instytucji rynku pracy a nierównościami dochodowymi. Zastosowano współczynnik korelacji Pearsona i dodatkowo współczynnik korelacji rang Spearmana. Wyniki analizy są próbą odpowiedzi na pytanie o rolę państwa w ograniczaniu nierówności dochodowych za pomocą instytucji rynku pracy i pomagają zidentyfikować te działania, które są najbardziej skuteczne w analizowanej dziedzinie.

Motivation: Job satisfaction as an attitude that reflects an evaluation judgment of the various aspects of a job is an essential factor influencing employees as well as employers. The well-being of individuals, activity in the labor market, productivity, and turnover are examples of effects of job satisfaction. The inclusion of the circumstances of Poland and the Czech Republic countries and additionally young generations (GenY and GenZ) context enables the formulation of practical implications for increasing job satisfaction for both employers and employees in CEE countries.Aim: The research aims to identify factors that shape job satisfaction patterns among young adults, including age as an indicator variable in Poland and the Czech Republic. The identification is based on the two separate ordered logit models estimated in the group of young adults ages 18–29. The models were built upon the data collected in 2021 in a survey using the CAWI technique on a sample of 304 respondents in Poland and 259 in the Czech Republic.Result: The results of the logit models estimation indicate that job satisfaction in Poland and the Czech Republic is determined by various sets of factors considered in four dimensions, i.e., behavioral, economic, educational, and socio-demographic. Substantial differences between young adults in both countries were recognized. The greatest impact on job satisfaction in Poland has the willingness to control expenses and wage satisfaction. In the Czech Republic, job satisfaction is most strongly influenced by the imposition of rules that discipline expenditure and wage satisfaction.

Motivation: Institutions play a significant role in development processes, contributing to understanding the economic backwardness of Sub-Saharan Africa. There is no consensus in the literature on the specific set of institutions that significantly influence developmental processes. Furthermore, there is no convincing evidence that institutions create the proper environment for long-term growth or result from increased development due to advances in human capital and investments. Therefore, the article examines overcoming the developmental backwardness of those countries following sustainable development. Aim: The article aims to analyze whether institutions contribute to the development processes of Sub-Saharan African countries. The paper identifies the differences in channels of institutions’ impact on the two development measures, GDP per capita and the Human Development Index (HDI). Regarding the high diversity in the level of development of countries in the region and the differences in their institutional systems, thirty-two countries in Sub-Saharan Africa were grouped regarding HDI level. Results: The heterogeneous panel Autoregressive Distributed Lags (ARDL) models revealed that in the lower developed countries, financial aid in the form of grants or very low-interest loans from the World Bank and OECD is of particular importance. They show that increased use of CO2 is a proxy for driving forces of African economies (production, investments, etc.). Indicators referring to institutions’ measurement like government effectiveness, political stability, economic freedom, or the number of days for establishing a business play important roles in continuing development.

Redistribution and the alleviation of income inequalities: the case of the European Union

Central Eastern European countries (CEEc) are characterized both by huge diversity in income inequality and, on average, by lower levels of well-being than in the other European Union (EU) countries. Given that income inequality may affect well-being negatively, the present study aims to explore the links between income inequalities and different dimensions of well-being in the eight CEEc, i.e. Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. The analysis is conducted in the two groups of CEEc regarding low and high inequality in income distribution, namely CEE Continental group and CEE North group (corresponding to post-socialist corporatist and post-socialist liberal, respectively). The multidimensional concept of well-being is applied, enabling deep exploration of its links with income inequalities in the following dimensions: subjective well-being (happiness) and objective well-being (material, health, educational, and environmental dimensions). We estimate the vector autoregression (VAR) models based on annual data disaggregated into quarterly data covering 2004 to 2020. The empirical results of Granger causality testing, which was used to investigate the links between income inequality and multidimensional well-being, indicated that not only are there differences between the groups in the studied patterns of interconnectedness, but also the groups of CEE North and CEE Continental countries are not homogeneous in those links.

The paper examines the links between the consciousness of sustainable consumption and middle-income class affiliation. It contributes to two contemporarily important issues, namely sustainable consumption and the role of the middle-income class in sustainable development from the perspective of the economic processes in a post-socialist state. Considering consumption as the determinant for socioeconomic stratification, it is assumed that sustainable consumption consciousness is positively related to income-class affiliation. In the present study, two econometric models, namely logit models, were estimated regarding differences between objective and subjective middle-income class affiliations. The study is based on data collected in the middle-income class in Poland in 2021. The results of the study show that the probability of sustainable consumption consciousness is higher when individuals classify themselves as lower middle-income class based on their cognitive frame, not knowing what the income thresholds for the income classes in Poland are. It means that subjective evaluation of one’s material position matters for sustainable consumption consciousness more than objective class belonging. As economic policy recommendations, it is suggested that educational programs be designed to inform people about income class thresholds to avoid underestimation of their income situation, along with dedicated actions to develop discernment about sustainable consumption behaviors.