The article presents briefly five general theories or theoretical perspectives in which European social policy can be perceived and analyzed: (1) functionalism and neofunctionalism; (2) the new institutionalism; (3) the European Union as a specific political system; (4) the paradigm of Europeanization; (5) liberal intergovernmentalism. The author argues that the most relevant approach to study and to understand the contemporary process of European social integration are new institutionalist proposals, and especially the concept of multi-level governance. In explaining the complex interplay between European Union and national social policies also the paradigm of Europeanization seems to be highly useful.

Financial exclusion is strictly related to social exclusion and consists in limited access to financial services provided by banks and financial institutions. Among factors having impact on such an exclusion we shall mention: level of education, main source and level of income, age and place of residence. However significant part of the Polish adults do have current account and bank cards, intensity of using them, like other financial services, is low. One of the main reasons is the low level of financial education among the society. Improving the level of financial education is not only the task of public administration and government institutions, but also of NGOs.

The author analyzes many kinds of risks connected with defined contribution (DC) occupational pension plans. The article deals also with the problem of asymmetrical risk allocation between employers and employees, which could be a serious obstacle in the development of the occupational pension schemes (PPEs) in Poland.

This paper presents the results of a study carried out with the use of the Social Research Questionnaire, a tool created for the needs of the scientific study project Ogólnopolskie badanie sytuacji potrzeb i możliwości osób niepełnosprawnych (Nation-wide Study of the Situation, Needs and Prospects of People with Disabilities); for the purposes of our research, results of the second stage of that study, completed in 2009, were used. The results obtained confirm the hypothesis that individuals with mental disorders are a group most likely to be marginalized, as well as face social exclusion. The problem of marginalization involves numerous aspects of their lives: they feel more alienated than people with other types of disability, they undertake professional activity less often, finish education at a lower level as well as assessing their own satisfaction with life and general health as significantly worse. The phenomena of marginalization and social exclusion manifest themselves in this group at two levels. The first is linked to the fact of being a person with a disability, while the other level involves the fact that it was a mental disorder that was diagnosed as the fundamental source of disability, and is closely linked to self-marginalization.

In the last twenty years the majority of European states changed the strategies in reducing unemployment. The activation of long-term unemployed became the priority. This required an alteration of the previously valid instruments of the active labor market policy in order to separate its mostly effective forms. The reason for these undertakings is the changed formula of the functioning of programs that support the integration of unemployed into the open labor market. According to this formula unemployed people should be activated instead of supported through paying maintenance. Within the bounds of this concept some actions have been taken in the FRG, which effect are the changes in the use of previous means of activation of unemployed people.

The article presents an insight into the old age pension system in Turkey. The article consists three topic paragraphs: 1. the historical development of its pension system, 2. the present situation, and 3. challenges and foreseen changes. There, the author’s goal was to present both past and present solutions employed by the Turkish pension system, in search for ideas worth consideration in international comparisons. In the summary, the author highlights as a particular Turkish approach two-pillar system, separate to commonly, by World Bank, forced three-pillar solution. Next distinguishing mark of Turkish system is total voluntary participation in fully funded pillar.

Book reviews
Information

EUROPEAN SOCIAL POLICY - TOWARDS A THEORY - Włodzimierz Anioł
FINANCIAL EXCLUSION IN POLAND AND ITS PREVENTION - Piotr Błędowski, Małgorzata Iwanicz-Drozdowska
RISK ALOCATION IN OCCUPATIONAL PENSION SCHEMES IN POLAND - Marek Szczepański

MARGINALIZATION OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES CONNECTED WITH MENTAL DISORDERS - Anna Izabela Brzezińska, Kamila Zwolińska

NEW ACTIVATION STRATEGY OF UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE IN GERMANY - Krzysztof Nyklewicz
OLD AGE PENSION SYSTEM IN TURKEY - Jarosław Poteraj

Stanisława Golinowska, Jerzy Wilkin, Marek Bednarski, Urszula Sztanderska, Mieczysław W. Socha, Bożena Balcerzak-Paradowska (eds.): SOCIAL TIES AND ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATIONS. POLAND AND OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES - Reviewed by Elżbieta Kryńska

SOCIAL TIES AND ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATIONS. CONFERENCE IN WARSAW - Beata Kaczyńska