Economic development in Poland: a local perspective

Abstract

Explores the local impact of market reform in a former communist country. Uses the Bialystok voivodship in Poland to discuss the local impact of monetary reform and the banking system, local business development, the impact of Western influences, and finally the problem of unemployment and policies intended to combat it. The voivodship is geographically remote from areas currently favoured by foreign investment which contributes to a growing sense of East-West inequality. Despite showing ingenuity and entrepreneurialism to work the system many businesses are still struggling to adapt and realize that the market economy has significant individual costs. Highlights the local impact of national policy and re-emphasizes the potential for local economic opportunities not only between countries but also between different regions within those countries.

Attitudes towards entrepreneurship education: a comparative analysis

“…Nonetheless, in recent times positive progress occurred through large foreign investments (FI) especially in the western regions. Thereby, companies such as Fiat and Hewlett Packard intend to benefit from lower production and wage costs in order to attain a cost reduction in their overall operations (Foley et al, 1996). The service sector also experienced growth, which can be mainly attributed to the internationalisation, and globalisation efforts in the retail sector (Waters, 1999).…”

“…Beginning with Poland, the changes in the political and economical system in Central and Eastern parts of Europe led to an increase in the demand for improved living standards (Foley et al, 1996). These aforementioned shifts from communism, a centrally organised command and control system, to a liberal market economy and the accompanying revolution of formerly publicly owned assets into private ownership, however, created problems (OECD, 1998;Dickinson, 2000;Socha and Weisberg, 2002).…”

Attitudes and motivations of Polish students towards entrepreneurial activity

“…Countries such as Poland offer several advantages for business including competitively priced educated workforce, proximity to the centre of the EU and a huge indigenous market (BIM, 2006; Por and White, 1991). Since the collapse of communism in Eastern European countries, expectations were raised within the population of improved standard of living (Foley et al , 1996, Reichal and Rudnicka, 2009). Indeed, the contribution of the private sector to GDP rose from 18 per cent in 1989 to around 60 per cent by 1999 (Osborn and Slomczynski, 2005) and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) rising from EUR 46 billion in 2002 to EUR 107 billion at the end of 2007 (KSV1870 Holding AG, 2010).…”

Assessing Entrepreneurial Attitudes and Skills of Students

“…It is argued that a country's development and economic growth can be achieved by promotion of enterprise education among students a trait that requires knowledge of entrepreneurshi, financial resources and the business environment 13 . The review by Gorman et al 14 indicates that by aligning education with entrepreneurship, countries lacking resources and employment opportunities can foster entrepreneurial attributes, and the potential of students, which in turn could bring several economic benefits.…”