The leading motif of the volume of «Studia Politologiczne» presented here are the issues concerning the development and changes taking place in the political systems of contemporary states. This subject does not cease to arouse the interest of both political scientists and big social groups, independently of the latitude. This does not happen without a reason. These are the questions causing implications for the quality of governing and – as a consequence – for the protection and realization of the rights and freedoms of an individual, regardless of the scope and intensity of the latter’s participation in political relations.