The anti-crisis shields as a means of consolidating power. The case of the Law and Justice government in Poland

Jacuński, Michał (author)

In Poland, the pandemic coincided with and exacerbated the existing rule of law crisis, which had been ongoing for several years. The paper explores the Polish government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic through public policy tools known as Anti-Crisis Shields (ACS). These shields, initially designed to mitigate the pandemic's negative economic impact, were also used by the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party as a strategic instrument to consolidate political power. By analysing government’s promotional content and policy implementation during the pandemic, the paper reveals how the government leveraged economic aid to strengthen its electoral base and reinforce its authority. The research addresses questions about the instrumentalisation of public policies for political gain, the manipulation of crisis narratives, a turbulent election campaign and the effects on democratic backsliding in Poland. Ultimately, the paper discusses how crisis management, when politically driven, can undermine democratic norms and accountability

• Language: English
• Keywords: anti-crisis shield, power consolidation, democratic backsliding, Law and Justice party
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Geographic coverage: Poljska
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 81-96
• Numbering: Vol. 18, no. 1
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-179319
• UDC: 329 (438)
• ISSN on article: 1338-1385
• COBISS.SI-ID: 267947267
• Publication date in RUL: 10.02.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Journal of comparative politics
• Publisher: Department of Political Science, Center for Analysis of Administrative-Political Processes and Institutions, Alma Mater Europea-European Centre Maribor (AMEU-ECM)
• ISSN: 1338-1385
• COBISS.SI-ID: 29224285

Licences

• License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Description: This Creative Commons license is very similar to the regular Attribution license, but requires the release of all derivative works under this same license.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Protikrizni ščiti kot sredstvo za utrditev oblasti

Abstract

Na Poljskem je pandemija sovpadla z že dlje časa obstoječo krizo pravne države ter jo še zaostrila. Članek raziskuje odziv poljske vlade na pandemijo COVID-19 z orodji javne politike, znanimi kot protikrizni ščiti (ACS). Ščite, ki so bili prvotno namenjeni ublažitvi negativnega gospodarskega vpliva pandemije, je uporabila tudi desničarska stranka Zakon in pravičnost (PiS) kot strateški instrument za utrjevanje politične moči. Z analizo vladne promocijske vsebine in izvajanja politike med pandemijo prispevek razkriva, kako je vlada izkoristila gospodarsko pomoč za okrepitev svoje volilne baze in avtoritete. Raziskava obravnava vprašanja o instrumentalizaciji javnih politik za politične koristi, manipulaciji kriznih narativov, turbulentni volilni kampanji in učinkih na procese demokratičnega nazadovanja na Poljskem. Navsezadnje članek razpravlja tudi o tem, kako lahko krizno upravljanje, kadar je politično usmerjeno, spodkopava demokratične norme in odgovornost.

• Keywords: protikrizni ščit, konsolidacija oblasti, demokratično nazadovanje, stranka Zakon in pravičnost, nedemokratičnost