Encyklopedia Administracji Publicznej MW Pivot Skin

INTERNAL AFFAIRS – one of the main areas of public administration activity. In the structure of competences of public authorities it constitutes a modernly separated government administration department. The i.a. are mainly composed of issues related to: protection of public safety and order; protection of the state border, control of border traffic and foreigners’ traffic; state migration policy; crisis management; civil defence; fire protection; supervision over mountain and water rescue. In the Polish administration, there are also issues related to: citizenship, population records, ID cards and passports, as well as civil status registrations, including changes of names and surnames. The matters of the ministry of the interior belongs to the original core of the central state administration, which was formed at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries in France in the era of absolutism. At that time, a central administration model was formed based on the departmental division, which required more and more specialization. Among the originally separated ministries (classical) there were: foreign affairs, military, treasury and justice. It was not until the French Revolution that the ministry of the i.a. was formed. All the matters were assigned to it for which there was no room in other ministries. Originally, the state administration performed a rationing and police function. Most of the tasks of the i.a. administration falls within this function. Over time, along with the progressing specialisation, the i.a. administration became a subject of constant “slimming”. Another phenomenon regarding the administration was the need to coordinate the activities of individual ministries in the field. As a result, two types of administration were formed: joint and special (non-joint) administration. Field supervisors of the joint administration were mostly subordinated to the head of the ministry of i.a. An integral part of this department has always been the issue of → public safety and → public order [ A. Misiuk ].

Literature: H. Izdebski, M. Kulesza, Administracja publiczna. Zagadnienia ogólne, Warszawa 2004 ■ A. Misiuk, Administracja spraw wewnętrznych w Polsce (od połowy XVIII w. do współczesności). Zarys dziejów, Olsztyn 2005.