Speakers

Economic and social after-effects of COVID-19 (panel discussion)

• Karol Tokarczyk (moderation of the discussion)

  

  Karol Tokarczyk analyses digital economy at Polityka Insight. Previously, he worked for Polish Radio News Agency, where he was responsible for coverage of major economic and business events. A graduate of history and post-graduate studies The Mechanisms of the Euro Area at the University of Zielona Góra.

• Prof. John Bachtler

  

  Professor John Bachtler is a Professor of European Policy Studies at the University of Strathclyde, Director of EPRC Delft, and a Director of EPRC Glasgow. His research experience is principally in regional and industrial development in Europe, encompassing the economic development policies of the EU28 Member States and several other European countries, the structural and cohesion policies of the European Union, administrative capacity in Cohesion policy, EU integration and enlargement. He has led EPRC research on regional policy, rural development, territorial development, foreign investment, RTDI and policy evaluation. In this capacity, he has been an expert adviser to numerous government departments across Western, Central and Eastern Europe, and an adviser to European organisations (European Parliament, European Commission, Committee of the Regions, Assembly of European Regions). He has been an Expert Adviser to 12 EU Presidencies over the past 15 years on budget and regulatory reform, and the reform of the Cohesion policy. He co-directs the EoRPA programme of research and knowledge exchange on regional policy in Europe and the IQ-Net programme of research and knowledge-exchange on the management and implementation of Structural Funds across the EU. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Fellow of the Academy of Social Science, and Fellow of the Regional Studies Association.

• Balazs Szepesi, Ph.D.

  

  Economist, sociologist, PhD in political science. The head of Economics School in the Mathias Corvinus Collegium. Throughout his professional career, he worked as an analyst, government official, and teacher. As an analyst, he wrote about entrepreneurship, competitiveness, development policy, regional policy, and public policy. He is the founder of Hétfa Research Institute (2009). He was the head of the research resulting in the book titled Report on the State of Capitalism in Hungary (2009). Author of several publications on competitiveness and environment of Hungarian enterprises. As the Deputy State Secretary for Economic Development (2018-2020) in the Ministry of innovation and Technology he lead the work on the Government Strategy to Strengthen Small and Medium Size Enterprises of Hungary. In the Ministry of National Economy, he was Chief of Staff for the state minister responsible for economic strategy (2010-2012) – he was responsible to develop programs to improve competitiveness of economy. He was head of unit at the National Development Agency (2004-2006), his team supported the ESF focused planning with analysis and methodology. 

• Piotr Arak

  

  Socio-economic analyst, Director of the Polish Economic Institute. Previously, he worked in the consulting company Deloitte, the Polityka Insight analytical center, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Ministry of Administration and Digitization and the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland. A graduate of social policy, postgraduate studies in statistical methods at the University of Warsaw and MBA studies at the Warsaw School of Economics and the University of Montreal. During his PhD in public policy at the University of Warsaw. Author and co-author of many studies in the area of digitization, health economics and economic policy.

• Piotr Żuber, Ph.D.

  

  PhD in economics, lecturer at the Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies of the University of Warsaw. For many years he has been involved in the processes of implementing European funds in Poland and in activities aimed at improving the quality of regional policy and strategic management in public administration. In the years 2001-2013 and 2016-2017, the director of the Department (Ministry of Development / Ministry of Regional Development) responsible for the strategic coordination of negotiations, programming and implementation of projects under the cohesion policy. Currently involved in works on the strategic dimension of the National Recovery Plan. Member of the National Spatial Development Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN). Author of numerous publications in the field of, inter alia, cohesion policy and regional and local development.  

The impact of COVID-19 on the areas of cohesion policy interventions and its implementation

• David Alba

  

  David Alba is Team Leader for evaluation activities in the DG Regional and Urban Policy overseeing evaluation activities and support services in the area of monitoring and evaluation of Cohesion policy. Being a regular speaker on internal evaluation conferences, seminars and workshops and a believer in the “evaluation function”, he is a champion for ensuring evaluations right place in policymaking.  He worked in the area of evaluation and audit for 16 years of his career in the European Commission and KPMG. His academic background is in Business Administration.

• Lukáš Maláč

  

  Lukáš Maláč is a senior expert of Evalaution Advisory CE in the field of evaluations and strategy development with over a decade of industry experience. He graduated from the Faculty of Social Studies in Brno, majoring in international relations and European studies and after an internship at the European Commission (DG Employment) has worked in the private sector as a consultant and project manager for public institutions. He has led or participated in dozens of projects in the field of public intervention evaluation, strategic planning, regional and local economic development and related topics. In an international context, he managed or participated on the implementation and / or evaluation of a number of development and humanitarian projects for donors from the Czech Republic and abroad. In his practice Lukas focuses on quantitative research and application of advanced methodological approaches, including counterfactual impact evaluation. Teams led by Lukas have applied counterfactual designs in various contexts ranging from quantification of impacts on economies of private businesses to environmental impacts of targeted strategies. Recently he is the team leader of a project aimed at quantification of impacts of anti-covid measures and programmes on survival rate of businesses, their economic performance and employment in which an counterfactual evaluation based on PSM matching will be applied.

• Maciej Bukowski, Ph.D.

  

  Maciej Bukowski, PhD in economics, President of WiseEuropa (Warsaw Institute for Economic and European Studies Foundation), Head of the Economics and Economic Policy Programme. Academic researcher of the University of Warsaw. President of IBS (Institute for Structural Research Scientific Foundation) in 2006–2013. Co-author of many Polish strategic documents (such as Plan Hausnera, Polska 2030 – wyzwania rozwojowe, Długookresowa Strategia Rozwoju Kraju do roku 2030 – Polska 2030 – trzecia fala nowoczesności). Project Manager and author of numerous commentaries and press articles on macroeconomics, energy policy, innovation, the retirement pension system and the labour market.

• Paweł Penszko

  

  Paweł Penszko (Educational Research Institute (IBE) and Evalu sp. z o.o.) earned his master’s degree in sociology from the Warsaw University. He has conducted evaluation research since 2006 and has participated in more than 75 evaluation studies. From March 2014 to June 2015 he was an expert member of the Human Capital Operational Programme Evaluation Steering Group in Poland. He has worked as an expert for private research agencies, ministries and NGOs. In 2014 he received the Lider Ewaluacji Award (assigned by the Polish Ministry of Regional Development) for the best evaluation study conducted in Poland since 2004 (“Evaluation of values achieved for outcome indicators of the regional component of the Human Capital Operational Programme”). His main areas of interest are: evaluation of education and labour market programmes, counterfactual impact assessment, digital and green skills.

• Małgorzata Zub

  

  Since 2007 she has conducted evaluation and diagnostic research supporting the improvement of public policies. She has worked at the Educational Research Institute (IBE), Evalu sp. z o. o., Institute for Structural Research foundation and the Ministry of Regional Development, as well as at other institutions and as a freelancer. Graduated from the University of Warsaw with a master’s degree in sociology, she has also studied statistical analysis at the Warsaw School of Economics. Her main areas of professional interest include education and training (transversal skills and active learning in particular), employment, cross sectoral collaboration, organisational cultures and public services design.

   

Smart solutions in response to current challenges

• Anna Borowczak, Ph.D.

  

  Anna Borowczak has been collecting her professional experience in public affairs and socio-economic development impacted by the EU policies for 12 years. She is an analytical person seeking out applicable solutions to be implemented in public service. All her analytical and evaluation assignments so far have been attached to European policies, whether Cohesion, JHA or European Neighbourhood Policy. Anna has collected international experience while co-operating on evaluation projects involving cross-border and interregional programmes (Interreg) as well as multilateral innovation networks and programmes (e.g. ERA-NET, CORNET etc). On the national level she has contributed to 30 studies, including systemic evaluations of the CSF in Poland.

• Michał Wolański, Ph.D.

  

  Michał Wolański is a founder of Wolański sp. z o. o., as well as researcher and lecturer at the Warsaw School of Economics. He specializes in sustainable urban mobility, economics of transport, rail transport, rural transport, as well as evaluation and EU funds.Michał conducts advisory activities, cooperating with such entities as the World Bank, the Center for EU Transport Projects, or the Polish ministry responsible for regional development. Currently Michał manages support framework to Polish local governments in the implementation of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans. 

• Paulina Kozłowska

  

  Paulina Kozłowska has been gathering professional experience in conducting scientific and evaluation research in cooperation with Wolański sp. z o. o. She has worked as an analyst and project manager. She is highly skilled in the field of quantitative and qualitative methods. Her academic, professional and private interests are focused on transport and mobility.For over 5 years Paulina has participated in more than 20 projects, with a great emphasis on the use of counterfactual methods. Moreover, she has cooperated with various entities such as international consulting companies, SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Polish Academy of Sciences, ministries and public institutions, local government units etc.

   

Research in pandemic era (panel discussion)

• Paulina Zadura (moderation of the discussion)

  

  Director of the Analysis and Strategy Department. Has 10 years of experience in the field of social and economic research in the field of innovation, innovation and entrepreneurship (business sector, startups, clusters, public administration. In PARP is responsible for designing new services and support schemes for companies and business environment institutions as well as for evaluation studies in the supported area. At PARP, he also organizes educational programs, including conferences, workshops and networking meetings for stakeholders being part of the national innovation ecosystem. Master of sociology (University of Warsaw), she also completed post-graduate studies "Academy for the Evaluation of Socio-Economic Development Programs" (University of Warsaw) and "Digital transformation of business" (Kaminski University).

• Monika Bartosiewicz-Niziołek

  

  A graduate of Ph.D. studies at the School for Social Research of the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Postgraduate Evaluation Studies at the University of Warsaw, and Train the Trainer at the NGO Trainers’ Association. She gained her first experience in conducting evaluations in the mid-1990s by participating in international projects. As the owner of Evaluation Research Lab, and then as an independent researcher, she evaluated more than 100 projects/programs in cooperation with public administration, universities, institutions working mainly on education and social policies, as well as NGOs. She has experience in commissioning and supervising the evaluation process, along with providing consultancy in this area. She is the author of more than 20 publications and reviews on evaluation. President, training coordinator and trainer of the Polish Evaluation Society who conducted several dozen courses and workshops on evaluation, (above 1,500 h). Member of the Evaluation Steering Group of the Operational Programme Knowledge Education Development, mentor, certified reviewee/reviewer of the European Evaluation Society, Advisory Board member of the Network for Evaluation Societies in Europe, Council Member of International Evaluation Academy (Evaluation Training Working Group).

• Stanisław Bienias

  

  Between 2004-2013 Stanislaw Bienias was a Head of the National Evaluation Unit in Polish Ministry of Regional Development. He was responsible for organizing the process of evaluation of Cohesion Policy. Stanislaw was organizer and speaker on  dozens of national and international conferences. He is giving lectures concerning evaluation, monitoring and indicators in Warsaw School of Economics, European Academy in Berlin as well as Lexxion Publisher. He is an author of numerous publications in the field of evaluation and public policies. Since 2013 Stanislaw has decided to continue his mission within non-for-profit organization Foundation IDEA for Development and he is a President of IDEA Institute Ltd. In his career he was involved  in preparation of almost 200 evaluation researches.

• Anna Karczmarczuk

  

  A graduate of the Institute of International Relations at the University of Warsaw. She has been in the research industry from the beginning of her professional career in 1993. Gained experience both on the Client's side (PTC Era), and research agencies (CASE, TNS OBOP, TNS Polska). Specilizing in segmentation projects supporting brands in strategic and positioning processes.She has been the Managing Director of Ipsos in Poland since 2015, and the President of the management board of PTBRiO (Polish Society of Market and Opinion Researchers) since 2020. She is ESOMAR Member. Program Council Member of the Congress of Researchers for several times, in 2017 as its Chairwoman. Co-author of the books “Data driven decisions" and "Market Research" published by PWN under the patronage of PTBRiO.

• Urszula Krassowska

  

  Sociologist, a graduate of the Institute of Sociology at the University of Warsaw. Since 1984, she has been working in opinion and market research (OBOP, TNS, Kantar). Currently, she leads the Kantar Public team, which is part of Kantar an international research company. In her research practice, she dealt with many complex projects in the field of social research and opinion polls carried out at the request of public institutions and commercial clients.

• Michał Woch

  

  Michał Woch is a graduate of the Institute of International Relations at the University of Warsaw. He also studied Economics at the University of Milan and Project Management at the Warsaw School of Economics. Co-founder and Managing Director of Evalu (formerly Agrotec Poland). Entrepreneur. He manages several companies operating, among others, in the furniture industry and production of watches. Privately a sports enthusiast and a father of three sons.

The use of secondary data in evaluation

• Dominika Rogalińska (Chairperson)

  

  Since 2007, Director of the Spatial and Environmental Surveys Department in Statistics Poland. Has many years of experience in the implementation of statistical surveys, methodological and conceptual work on the development of spatial statistics, implementation of public policy monitoring systems and management of projects co-financed from EU funds.A graduate of the Faculty of Economic Sciences at the University of Warsaw (MA), PhD student at the Collegium of Socio-Economics of the Warsaw School of Economics. Presidium member of the Committee for Spatial Economy and Regional Planning, Polish Academy of Sciences; member of the Committee on Geographical Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences.

• Ian Vollbracht

  

  Deputy Head of Unit (the Competence Centre on Microeconomic Evaluation) and Researcher at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre in Ispra, main focus on impact assessment and evaluation through the policy cycle. Over 20 years of experience in government, mainly as an official in the UE institutions.

• Prof. Agnieszka Chłoń-Domińczak

  

  Professor Agnieszka Chłoń-Domińczak is a Vice Rector for Science at the SGH Warsaw School of Economics and a head of the Institute of Statistics and Demography. Twice a Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy as well as former Director of the Department of Economic Analyses and Forecasting in the same Ministry with responsibilities covering, among others the oversight of the social insurance system. A member of the pension reform team in Poland that prepared the changes implemented in 1999. As a consultant, she participated in numerous activities related to pension reforms in the region of Central and Eastern Europe, cooperating with the World Bank, ILO and the OECD. An author and co-author of many publications in the field of pensions and labour markets.

• Jakub Adamski

  

  Jakub Adamski, healthcare system expert, attorney-at-law and manager with years of experience in public administration and consultancy. Specialises in healthcare services financing, including reimbursement of medicinal products and medical devices. As the director of the Analyses and Strategy Department, along with the health need maps team, he introduced new standards of big data analysis and data visualisation in the Ministry of Health. He was responsible for introducing Instrument Oceny Wniosków Inwestycyjnych w Sektorze Zdrowia (a tool for healthcare investment appraisal). He is a former member of the Economic Commission and currently a member of the Tariffs Council and the Regional Medical Malpractice Commission in Bydgoszcz. He co-authored the State Pharmaceutical Policy 2018-2022 and multiple scientific publications, including a commentary to the Act on reimbursement of pharmaceuticals. He graduated from the IESE Business School's Advanced Management Program.

The use of remote research techniques in evaluation

• Anna Mazerant

  

  A psychologist. She has been involved in marketing research for several years.She specialises in conducting strategic projects related to brand positioning, creating product and service innovations; she also conducts projects in service design methodology. She is also involved in developing and implementing new research methodologies (e.g. online community, metaphors, research reportage).He has gained experience in the sectors: FMCG, finance, media, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications and in organisation research. She is the co-author of several trendbooks. She also conducts workshops and trainings in market research and academic classes. In her free time, she produces documentary movies.

• Adam Polasz

  

  A sociologist and researcher by education and passion. A graduate of the Sociology Department of the Jagiellonian University.In marketing research since 2004. His versatile research experience comes from his work on the client's side (T-Mobile, Kompania Piwowarska), a strategic agency (One Eleven), a media house (Wavemaker) and a research agency (Difference). He is the author of publications, conference presentations, trainings and lectures in the field of communication efficiency, reporting and data visualization (he lectures at the University of Warsaw, Warsaw School of Economics, Kozminski University and Consumer Intelligence PTBRiO School).He specializes in brand & communication research as well as in innovative research methods.