Neo-nationalism in Poland and its impact on labour law and social policy

This paper discusses neo-nationalism in Poland and its impact on social policy and labor law. It is predicated on the following assumptions: since 2015, Poland has been governed by a coalition of right-wing parties headed by the political party Law and Justice; in order to secure a victory in the elections in 2014 and 2019, and after coming into power in 2015, this coalition has used the rhetoric of neo-nationalism (new nationalist movement) and acted in tune with the guiding principles of this ideology In the first part of the paper, I discuss the concepts of ‘new nationalism’ and ‘neo-nationalism’. In the second part, I outline the aspects of the agenda of the parties currently in power in Poland that are aligned with the neo-nationalist outlook. In the third part, I explore the reasons behind the resonance of populist and nationalist views in Poland, and behind the two subsequent electoral victories of Law and Justice (in 2015 and again in 2019). In the fourth part, I review the post-2015 reforms, focusing first on their impact on the public and second on the support that Law and Justice enjoys in Poland. My key argument here is that the purpose of the post-2015 social policy reforms in general, and those in the realm of family policy in particular, is to legitimize the Law and Justice administration. The reforms are not intended to address systematic labor market problems and social policy challenges. They are designed to be impressive rather than effective. The focus is on quick gambits with big immediate political payoff among the sectors of the society that have the power to sway the vote.