WSZYSTKO, CO ZŁE, TO REFORMA. O UTRACIE STATUSU MIASTA WOJEWÓDZKIEGO W DYSKURSIE KALISZAN
REFORM IS THE CAUSE OF ALL EVIL. OPINIONS ON LOSS OF VOIVODESHIP STATUS AMONG KALISZ INHABITANTS

Summary/Abstract: Administrative reform conducted in 1999 in Poland took away a province status from many Polish cities. That decision entailed protests of their inhabitants, according to whom it might have caused economical regress in towns. The case of Kalisz inhabitants presented in this article reveals that the opposition to the changes was not only characteristic to the moment of reform. The malevolence is still intense, confirming rightness of 1999 protests. The said article introduces a point of view of the research subjects and demonstrates the reasons of their continuous critique. A systematization of different opinions expressed by the representatives of different Kalisz social groups (traders, local politicians, local leaders an ordinary people) enabled the researchers to determine the reasons referring to: the economic condition of the town, new Wielkopolska province financial policy, symbolic role of a status of province, and difficulties resulted from a transformation of administrative institutions. According to the residents the reform has had a negative influence on all those categories reflected in a progressive degradation of Kalisz. As stated in the article the basic foundation of the reform associated with building strong local-governments does not constitute a sufficient and attractive compensation to the inhabitants. The summary of the article is based on a reflection on specificity of the obtained results revealing discrepancy between the opinion of the respondents and their actual experience.

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