Entrepreneurship is often cited as the single most important factor in economic development. Although this contention is limited mostly to the realm of private business activities, entrepreneurship is also present in governmental organizations. Public entrepreneurs, like their private counterparts, are agents of change.

This study hypothesizes that although public entrepreneurship requires availability of capital and presence of educated public and administrators, to be effective it demands also cultural values of 'individualism', 'need for achievement', and 'need for certainty'. Or, in other words, that culture and history matter. The hypothesis is tested in four historically and culturally distinctive regions in Poland. The research shows that despite forty-five years of communist rule stressing the uniformity of the "new socialist society," differences in the realm of cultural and political values remained. These, in turn, influenced other areas of public life. Almost immediately after the decentralization of local governments in 1991, some local governments showed more entrepreneurial spirit than others. At least part of these differences can be accounted by better socioeconomic situation of a region, but culture seems to be playing even a larger role in this entrepreneurial race.

The old days of communism in Eastern Europe are often seen as time of darkness, fear, and privation. It is true that the years were not always happy, especially with the suffocating presence of the Soviet Union, but surprisingly those were also years of normal life, joy of school, travel, and a vibrant intellectual and political life, even if some of it sometimes had to be hidden from the vigilant eyes of the secret service. This book is about those years in the communist Poland. It is a memoir from the late 1970s, but often going back to the 1960s, 1950s, and sometimes touching upon a Centuries long history of the region. It is written by then a student at Warsaw University, excited with exploring philosophy, literature, and sciences, going through happy and not so happy relationships, and also deeply involved in the opposition to the communist government. The memoir defies many stereotypes of the communist past and often reflects upon our changing views, expectations, and evaluation of the past.

This is a brief introduction to argumentation and debate. It is based on the principle that arguments are not only advocacy of certain position, but also a part of dialogue in finding the best answers to the most difficult questions. The book explores methods in developing arguments on the questions of fact, value, and policy. It emphasizes the point that argumentative skill can be practiced best when working on matters related to policymaking: in finding practical solutions to practical problems. Also, the book covers types of reasoning, logical fallacies, the evidence, and teaches style and delivery. Each chapter ends with a list of key terms, exercises, and study questions making the book a valuable text for college courses in argumentation and critical thinking.

This is a Chinese language translation. This is a brief introduction to argumentation and debate. It is based on the principle that arguments are not only advocacy of certain position, but also a part of dialogue in finding the best answers to the most difficult questions. The book explores methods in developing arguments on the questions of fact, value, and policy. It emphasizes the point that argumentative skill can be practiced best when working on matters related to policymaking: in finding practical solutions to practical problems. Also, the book covers types of reasoning, logical fallacies, the evidence, and teaches style and delivery. Each chapter ends with a list of key terms, exercises, and study questions making the book a valuable text for college argumentation and critical thinking courses.