Purpose: The purpose of the study was to answer the question: “What are the most common factors
influencing effectiveness of internal communications faced by Polish organizations?” This article
discusses the role of internal communications practices leading to enhancement of organizational
performance. In particular, it concentrates on factors impeding the flow of information inside the
organization. Later on, the article presents empirical findings.

Methodology: Contemporary public relations, internal communications and employee communications
texts have been reviewed to identify how internal communications is defined in literature
and how it influences organization success. Relevant existing research was reviewed and primary
research was conducted. The latter consisted of 29 in-depth interviews with employees from various
Polish organizations.

Results/findings: The article presents interesting results that can be especially useful for internal
communications specialists and managers. It is recommended that to gain a fuller picture of the
issues underlying the findings, quantitative research with relevant employees should be undertaken.

Purpose: The paper presents the results of a qualitative analysis of selected aspects of general business
environment. The author strives to answer the following question formulated in the context
of postcolonial deliberations: has the general business environment been affected by European
colonialism?

Methodology: Semantic and semiotic analysis of primary sources (statistical data and research
findings formulated by international organisations, such as the World Bank, OECD, UNIDO) and
secondary sources (scientific and research studies of Polish and foreign authors based on primary
sources); literature review.

Findings: In the postcolonial perspective, qualitative analysis shows neither a positive nor a negative
impact of colonialism on the contemporary general business environment. If certain signs of
its deterioration are observed, they are mostly due to the erosion of state capacity, whose origins
can be traced back to the Berlin Conference.

Originality: Papers on Postcolonial Management and Critical Management Studies (CMS) bridge
the gap in literature pertaining to management issues, especially in Poland. Due to their interdisciplinary
nature, Postcolonial Management and CMS cover a broad range of research areas (i.e.
theory of state and nation, sociology, economic history). They pertain to both economics an management, and are therefore difficult to classify.

Purpose: This article informs readers about the theoretical and practical origins of the behaviorally
informed interventions (BIPI), analyzes examples of the BIPI from different policy sectors and
strategies they offer for policy and regulatory design, and discusses applications and implications
of BIPI for public interventions.

Methodology: This paper is based on a review of literature, as well as an inspection of administrative
practices in OECD countries. It encompasses a systematic analysis of scientific papers from
the SCOPUS database and a query carried out at the library of George Washington University.

Findings: The traditional approach to public policy research is based on rational choice theory. It
offers limited support, because by assuming perfect rationality of policy decisions, it overlooks
existence of systematic errors and biases of human decision-making. The authors argue that behaviorally
informed public interventions (BIPI) might contribute to improving the effectiveness of
a number of public measures – regulation, projects, programs, and even entire policies.

Practical implications: The behavioral approach allows decision-makers to better understand the
decisions and behaviors of citizens, as well as to design more effective interventions with minimum
effort by adapting the existing solutions to real decision mechanisms of citizens.

Originality: By combining the concepts of traditional approach with the growing behavioral
approach, the authors aim to propose a new theoretical framework (BIPI) to be used as a tool for
policy design, delivery and evaluation.

Purpose: The fundamental aim of this article is to verify an assumption according to which the
proper Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) is a key factor in the rationality of law. Rational law
is a law which is effective and able to realize and achieve social, economic and environmental aims
determined and established by the lawmaker.

Methodology: The scope of this paper – which determines its structure – encompasses the definition
of RIA, including its specific (but non-legal) forms such as benchmarking and evaluation. As
far as we are concerned, these methods can provide – as a kind of Regulatory Impact Assessment
– a significant tool for measuring the rationality of regulations. Furthermore, the usefulness of
benchmarking and evaluation has been recognised by representatives of jurisprudence. We will
also explain the concept and the assumptions of the rationality of law on the grounds and in the
light of the case law of the Polish Constitutional Tribunal and the Supreme Administrative Court.
This should allow to countercheck the main thesis of this paper. The methodology encompasses
primary legal methods such as literature, case law and legislation analysis.

Findings: An indispensable condition of the rationality of law is actual elimination of irrational
regulations which were not subjected to the Regulatory Impact Assessment.
Practical implications: Although RIA is a problematic issue (in terms of its practical application),
it is necessary to carry it out in order to assure the rationality of law. A good and desirable complement
to Regulatory Impact Assessment are non-legal methods such as benchmarking and evaluation.

Originality: Originality and value of this survey lies in taking into account the case law of the
Polish Constitutional Tribunal and the Supreme Administrative Court. Additionally, this paper is
original in that it considers non-legal methods in the examination of the rationality of law.

Purpose: The paper describes the functioning of the RIA system in New Zealand using the analogy
of RIA and the evaluation of public interventions. Presented solutions can provide inspiration for
the Polish government in the process of improving the quality and extent of the use of RIA.

Methodology: The analysis is based on a review of government documents and literature, as well
as individual interviews and correspondence with representatives of the government of NZ.

Conclusions: The RIA system in NZ is not error-free and its shortcomings include inter alia the
lack of solutions with respect to ex-post analysis and insufficiently rigorous methodological
approach. At the same time, a number of solutions can be regarded as good practice, e.g.: regular
external quality reviews of RIS, obligation to supplement each RIS with ‘quality assessment’ and
a ‘disclosure statement’ outlining their credibility and utility.

Practical implications: The presented strengths of the RIA system in NZ may serve as an inspiration
for modifying the RIA system in Poland.

Originality: The RIA system is presented through the prism of the model of evaluation use, which
is a related tool of collecting information about non-regulatory interventions.

Purpose: This paper critically evaluates the development of the impact assessment instrument in
Lithuania’s public administration and suggests improvements to its impact assessment system.

Research question: What interesting conceptual imperatives have appeared in Lithuania’s investigation
of the impact of regulatory policy?

Methodology: This research study uses positivist methodology to analyse the problems that researchers
have identified in Lithuania’s impact assessment. This investigation explains why certain
problems have appeared, what has changed and what system changes can be identified traced. The
study proceeds as follows. First, the research on impact assessment carried out in Lithuania is
analysed. Second, regulations on impact assessment in Lithuania are investigated. A substitute for
non-existent integrated theory is emphased by the logical structure of the EU administrative system
imperatives, principles, and norms, whose modifications have become the basis of impact assessment
system design in Lithuania. The present research combines, integrates and consolidates the
theoretical and practical information on impact assessment into an explanatory scheme, which
could be developed into a model in the future. Information from two qualitative interviews conducted
in 2009 and 2010 was also used.

Conclusions: The present research reveals that Lithuania’s regulatory impact assessment model is
still being constructed and reconstructed towards evidence-based management. A model which
revises the old impact stereotype has been designed, based on contemporary methodologies (cost-
-benefit and cost-effectiveness analyses), consultations with the interested parties, a small but
exhaustive legal initiatives impact assessment, and a centralised and institutional coordination of
impact assessment.

Practical consequences: The present research presents the issues which could be useful for the
states that are starting to implement a regulatory impact assessment model. This study described
the pitfalls to avoid in order to implement a successful evidence-based management initiative.

Originality: In the present research, regulatory impact assessment is emphased as an assessment
model and normative of the EU administration effectiveness and optimality, which can be used as
a good-practice example for the modernisation of administrative activities in Central and Eastern
Europe to the level their European counterpart