Patchwork capitalism and the management of interlinked crises by essential public services in Poland

Abstract

Contributing to the literature on the diversity of capitalism, this article shows how actors in the Polish public services responded to interlinked crises, namely the chronic public services crisis and its aggravation by the COVID-19 pandemic and the arrival of refugees triggered by war in Ukraine. The empirical part of our study is based on qualitative interviews with workers, trade unionists, managers and state representatives in education, healthcare and social care. Our analysis suggests that, when faced with an insufficient government response – for reasons reflecting the basic features of “patchwork capitalism” – workers’ resourcefulness and self-organization helped maintain essential public services during the crises