From 1991 until 2000 Professor Rychard was the Director of the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IFiS).

He has also been a visiting scholar at Indiana University and the University of Chicago.

As a Professor of Sociology he has been engaged in theoretical and empirical studies on the relations between the state, economy and society, and on social legitimation of the political and economic systems. His main research interests are in the area of institutional sociology of the transition processes in Central and Eastern Europe with an emphasis on the relationship between political and economic institutions and their social implications. He is particularly interested in the social conflicts of interest resulting from the crisis and transformation of centralized political power and the economic system. This is studied in the broader framework of the analysis of the factors enabling transformation and the political and social barriers to it. The role of legitimation and the role of other factors of stability are also analysed in his works. In his recent publications he attempts to study the role of reforms "from above" and the significance of spontaneous changes as sources of transformation in post-communist countries.

Professor Rychard is the author and/or co-author of more than 100 scientific publications in Polish, British, Swedish, German and American professional journals, including books and monographs. Moreover, he is the author and/or co-author of 17 research projects. In addition, he served as the Scientific Secretary of the national research programme "Structure and Dynamics of Polish Society" from 1982 until 1985.

He is actively engaged in the reform process of the Polish scientific institutions and the restructuring of the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology (IFiS), including the development of the teaching programmes.

Main books and selected articles

Books:

"Reforma gospodarcza. Socjologiczna analiza związków polityki i gospodarki" ("Economic Reform. Sociological Analysis of the Relations between Politics and Economy"). Warsaw, 1980.

"Władza i interesy w gospodarce polskiej u progu lat 80" ("Power and Interests in Polish Economy of the 80") Warsaw, 1987, second updated edition: 1995, Oficyna Naukowa, Warsaw.

"La Pologne en temps de crise" ("Poland during Crisis") W. Adamski, W. Pańków, A. Rychard, R. Sainsaulieu (eds.), Meridiens, Klincksieck, Paris 1988.

"Polacy 90. Konflikt i zmiana" ("Poles 90. Conflict and Change") co-author, IFiS&ISP PAN, 1991, also co-authorship of the research series "Poles" in the years 1980, 1981, 1984, 1988, 1995-6.

"Społeczeństwo w transformacji. Ekspertyzy i studia" ("Society in transformation") A. Rychard and M. Federowicz eds. IFiS Publishers, Warsaw 1993.

"Reforms, Adaptation, and Breakthrough. Sources of and limits to the institutional changes in Poland" IFiS Publishers, Warsaw, 1993.

"The Transformation of Europe: Conditions and Consequences" (Alestalo, Allardt, Rychard, Wesołowski, eds.), IFiS Publishers, Warsaw, 1994.

"Strategie i system. Polacy w oblicu zmiany systemowej" ("Strategies and system. Poles facing social change") co-authorship, IFiS Publishers, Warsaw, 2000.

"Elementy nowego ładu" ("Elements of the new order") co-edited with H. Domański, IFiS Publishers, Warsaw, 1997.

"Jak żyją Polacy?" ("How the Poles live?") co-edited with H. Domański and A. Ostrowska, IFiS Publishers, Warsaw, 2000.

"Democracy in local context" (in Polish) co-edited with E. Mokrzycki, A. Zybertowicz, IFiS Publishers, Warsaw, in print.

Articles:

"The Health Care System in Poland: The Case of Łódź as Compared with Foreign Regions. A Secondary Analysis" "Social Science and Medicine" 1984, Vol. 19, no. 8; also in "Sisyphus", 1987 Vol. 4.

"Organizations in the Social Structure: The Case of a Socialist Country, Poland" Co-authorship. In: "International Studies of Management and Organization" New York, Winter 1980-1981, Vol. 10, no. 4.

"An Analytical Model of Economic Reform" In: "International Journal of Sociology", 1980-1981, Vol. 10, no. 4. New York.

"Władza i gospodarka: trzy perspektywy teoretyczne" ("Power and Economy: Three Theoretical Perspectives") In: "Democracy and Economy". W. Morawski (ed.). Warsaw, 1983.

"Politics, Economy and Society: How they interrelate" In: "The Polish Dilemma". M. K. Ciechocińska, L. S. Graham (eds.). Westview Press, Boulder, USA, 1987.

"The Legitimation and Stability of the Social Order in Poland" In: "Crisis and Transition. Polish Society in the 1980s" J. Koralewicz, I. Białecki, M. Watson (eds.). Berg Publishers, Oxford, New York, Hamburg, 1987.

"Konflikt und Anpassung: Konzeptionen und Veranderungschancen der Gesellschaftsordnung in Polen" In: G. Meyer, F. Ryszka (eds.), "Die Politishe Kultur Polens", Francke Verlag, Tuebingen, 1989.

"Social and Political Preconditions for and Consequences of Economic Reform in Poland", The Vienna Institute for Comparative Economic Studies, Working Paper No. 143., Vienna, May 1988.

"Alternatives in the Health Area: Poland in Comparative Perspectives" (co - authorship). In: M. L. Kohn (ed.) "Cross - national research in sociology", Sage 1989, American Sociological Association Presidential Series, reprinted in book ed. by B. Deacon in United Kingdom.

"Makt, ekonomi intressen: tre paradigm for analys av samhallsskicket" In: H. Wiberg et al. (eds.): "Konflikt och Solidaritet i Polen", Prisma, Stockholm, 1983.

"Economy and Polity. Dynamics of Change" In: "Social Research", Summer 1990, New York, co-author.

"Politics and Society after the breakthrough: the sources and threaths to political legitimacy in post-communist Poland: In: G. Sanford (ed): "Democratization in Poland", McMillan, 1992.

"Les acteurs du changement et de la stabilite dans les entreprises" In: T.,N.Lowit et.al: Modernisation des entreprises en France et en Pologne, L'Harmattan, Paris, 1996.

"Zur Ungleichzeitigkeit wirtschaftlicher und politischer Reformen" In: U. Thaysen, H. M. Kloth (eds.): "Wandel durch Reprasentation - Reprasentation im Wandel", Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft Baden-Baden, 1992.

"Two societies? Poland in transformation and Poland beyond transformation" In: "International Review of Comparative Public Policy", Vol. 7, 1996, p. 101-107.

"Institutions and Actors of a New Democracy. The Vanishing Legacy of Communist and Solidarity Type Participation in Poland?" In: "Participation and Democracy", D. Rueschemeyer (ed.), M. E. Sharpe, 1998.

"Czy transformacja się skończyła? Powstawanie nowego ładu w perspektywie socjologii zmiany instytucjonalnej" ("Is transformation finished? The emergence of the new order in the light of the sociology of the institutional change") Instytut Badań nad Gospodarką Rynkową, 1996.

"Beyond gains and losses: in search of ťwinning losersŤ" In: "Social Research", Vo.63, No. 2, Summer 1996.

"On the dynamics of system transformation and its Polish peculiarities" (with W. Adamski). In: "System change and modernization. East-West in comparative perspective", (W. Adamski, J. Buncak eds.), IFiS Publishers, Warsaw, 1999.

"Social actors and institutions" In: as above.