This paper discusses key issues related to the economy of Poland. Thanks to its sound policies, close links to the German supply chain, and substantial EU transfers, Poland is the only country in the European Union that avoided an outright recession during the global financial crisis. However, this strong performance has masked enduring regional disparities, which are undermining the quality of growth. Poland faces significant long-term challenges as an aging population weighs on potential growth and public finances. The new government, which took office in November, has approved a Responsible Development Plan, focused on spurring growth through innovation and reducing social and regional disparities.

This paper explores how fiscal policy can affect medium- to long-term growth. It identifies the main channels through which fiscal policy can influence growth and distills practical lessons for policymakers. The particular mix of policy measures, however, will depend on country-specific conditions, capacities, and preferences. The paper draws on the Fund’s extensive technical assistance on fiscal reforms as well as several analytical studies, including a novel approach for country studies, a statistical analysis of growth accelerations following fiscal reforms, and simulations of an endogenous growth model.

The Solidarity-led government which came into power in Poland in Autumn 1989 faced two enormous tasks. First, to stabilize an economy prone to hyperflation. Second, to replace a crumbling command system in favour of a market mechanism, in a country whose market institutions had been destroyed under forty years of communist rule. This book recounts the events of this period and the course taken by the new government, and analyzes the significance of this for the transition process in Poland and elsewhere.

Economic policy, conditions and stabilization.

Twenty researchers and scientists from 13 different European countries join forces to offer their insights into the development of the Information Society in their respective countries. These experts provide analyses regarding issues of technological absorption, economic growth, and cohesion across the enlarged European Union. This volume shows that the history of Information Society in these countries has mainly been about catching up under harsh economic constraints. The ongoing monitoring of these innovative challenges--and how they are addressed at a regional and national level--is an essential contribution to these countries' efforts to become world-class economies.