Social energy is an innovative perspective on the traditional understanding of energy – contained within the realm of physics and chemistry, and signifying here the human propensity and capacity for intensive action. The aim of the article is to determine the relationships and strength of interactions between two main attributes of the discussed funding source: the number of people supporting projects and the sum of donations contributed to projects, taking into account the attribute of the offered reward package serving as motivation for making contributions, as well as to formulate social energy metrics and verify reward packages. The study covered selected countries with the highest crowdfunding popularity in the years 2020–2025: USA, Japan, Germany, and Canada. Four project features were considered across several dozen categories: the number of successfully completed projects, the sum of contributions to projects in a given category, the number of people supporting projects, and the types of rewards offered to them. A clustering method was applied, examining similar project categories, according to the above characteristics. An online diagnostic survey was conducted regarding motivation to participate in crowdfunding campaigns with reward offerings. Social energy metrics were proposed, taking into account selected project attributes.
This article analyzes the transformational impact of artificial intelligence on employment by integrating four source perspectives (history of AI development, scientific research, consulting firm reports, and statements from technology creators) across five dimensions of consequences: economic, organizational, developmental, social, and human. The methods included literature and report reviews as well as systematic analysis of 204 statements from industry leaders, synthesized in a comparative table of issues and exposure assessments, which allowed capturing both convergent points and divergences between source types. The results indicate agreement on productivity growth, selective occupational exposure, and inequality risks without compensatory policies; organizationally, they confirm the need for new operational governance (governance, audit, roles around data and models) and transition toward agent orchestration. In the developmental dimension, the skills-first paradigm and mass reskilling are consolidating, while socially, trust, transparency, and bias minimization become crucial; at the individual level, relief and increased stress coexist along with transition costs. The analysis is embedded in the cyclical history of AI “summers” and “winters,” emphasizing that despite unprecedented progress, the pace may slow due to lack of AGI breakthrough, hardware limitations, and explainability and regulatory challenges, though agent architectures are already transforming work roles and processes today. Implications include recommendations for public policies, education, and management practices, emphasizing investments in complementary competencies and responsible AI governance.
The purpose of this study was to present the evolution of the understanding of the category and contexts of the household against the backdrop of the development of economic theory, to highlight the cognitive deficit regarding this entity, and to attempt to identify potential components of a theory of the household, along with sources of support for such a theory within the existing body of work of economic schools and schools of thought. The study is based on an analysis of schools and trends in economic theory and the history of economic thought. It employs a broadly critical analysis of the relevant literature and the findings of the history of economic thought. The research conducted allowed us to conclude that in economic theory, or in contemporary times, much more attention is devoted to the individual (the person) than to the group of people constituting a household, and even when studies are conducted with regard to these complex entities, the analyses do not always reflect the processes (choices, decision-making) occurring within them, which result from the reactions and counter-reactions of its members to their broadly understood environment. Therefore, in the authors’ view, households as research subjects deserve a comprehensive theory that describes the relationships occurring within them, including decision-making processes, based on their past experiences and learning capabilities.
This article examines future competences in the context of accelerated technological transformation, automation, and the development of artificial intelligence. It argues that in digital societies competences can no longer be understood solely as economic or functional constructs, but must also be conceptualized as ethical and cultural categories that shape individuals’ capacity for responsible participation in complex socio-technical systems. The study adopts a theoretical and conceptual approach based on critical analysis and synthesis of interdisciplinary literature drawn from psychology, sociology, philosophy, and management studies. It proposes an original framework of four interrelated competence domains: cognitive (critical thinking and reading comprehension), emotional (emotional intelligence, empathy, and active listening), existential (self-management and psychological resilience), and socio-cognitive (lifelong learning and reflexivity). The analysis demonstrates that these domains are mutually interconnected and collectively constitute the foundations of human agency in digitally mediated environments. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of ethics and the humanities as normative frameworks that shape both the direction and the meaning of competence development in the age of automation. The article also highlights the structural tension between instrumental, market-oriented approaches to competences and their broader humanistic, societal, and governance-related functions. The main contribution of the article lies in the development of an integrated interdisciplinary model that links competence development with ethical responsibility, governance, and social participation. It is argued that the integration of technical knowledge with humanistic reflection constitutes a necessary condition for maintaining a sustainable balance between technological innovation and human values.
This study examines factors associated with proactive performance, as conceptualized by Griffin et al. (2007), among employees in Polish higher education. Drawing on a job performance framework (Hauk, 2025), rooted in the Job Characteristics Model (Hackman & Oldham, 1980) and its extensions, this research integrates motivational, social, and contextual job characteristics with two core psychological states – sense of meaningfulness and sense of responsibility and knowledge of results – and tests the moderating role of psychological safety. A survey was conducted among 378 academic and administrative staff members from 26 Polish higher education institutions. The study assessed direct, indirect, and moderated pathways between work characteristics and three forms of proactive performance: doing a task individually, as a team member, and as a member of an organization. As for the results, psychological safety moderated the indirect effects: meaningfulness served as a mediator under low to moderate levels of safety, whereas responsibility and knowledge of results played a stronger mediating role under moderate to high levels of safety. These findings advance understanding of proactive performance in academia and highlight the importance of cultivating psychologically safe and supportive work environments. Thus, they hold particular significance for higher education institutions in Central and Eastern Europe.
