Economic and Political Thought Quaterly 1/2010
ARTICLES
- Tadeusz T. Kaczmarek, The Future of Global Economy - Dilemmas and Forecasts
- Ewa Freyberg, The Effectiveness of the European and Polish Regional Policy
- Leokadia Oręziak, The European Union Budget after 2013 – Directions of Change in the Light of the Analysis of the Position of the Member States’ Governments
- Marian Guzek, Political Conditions and Doctrinal Foundations of the Transformation in Poland in Comparison with Other Post-Communist Countries
- Tomasz G. Grosse, Polish Membership in the European Union Balance – Between Europeanization and the Influence of Political Culture
- Józef M. Fiszer, Polish Foreign Policy towards Small East-Central European Countries (1989 – 2009)
- Eliza Bujnowska, Poland’s Co-operation with Non-European Union Countries in the Field of Environment Protection
- Paweł Olszewski, Western Balkans in the European Union Policy
REVIEWS
- Józef M. Fiszer (ed.), Poland in the European Union: Political, International, Social, Economic and Military Aspects (Paweł Olszewski)
- Igor Chalupec, Cezary Filipowicz, Russia, Oil and Politics (Paweł Wróbel)
- Johnn H. Dunning, Marianna M. Lundan, Multinational Enterprises and the Global Economy (Rafał Jarosz)
- World in 2025 - US National Intelligence Council Scenarios (Marcin Matuzik)
SUMMARIES
Tadeusz T. Kaczmarek, The Future of Global Economy - Dilemmas and Forecasts
The article is aimed at showing the most important causes of the financial crisis of 2008 and highlighting its features which are similar to those of the Great Depression of the 1920s.
The author presents dilemmas and forecasts of the global economy future development and emphasizes civilization-related changes of a revolutionary character in the global economy. In this context economic cycles were presented from the point of view of N.D. Kondratieff’s theory. Modern technologies and the whole infosphere are what will certainly determine the future development of the global economy.
Analyzing new tendencies within civilization-related changes, the author concentrates on the specific conditions which led to the global economic crisis in 2008. The present economic crisis is a speculative one and it is typical of a financial market. The author also highlights the disastrous situation on the American mortgage market and explains how it triggered the first stage of the credit crunch.
The author used elements of the method of analysis and synthesis which enabled him making a conclusion that the present crisis would transform into an economic crisis and a recession.
Ewa Freyberg, The Effectiveness of the European and Polish Regional Policy
The article is aimed at analyzing the effects of the European Union regional policy to remove the disparities in the development of its member states. The analysis makes use of both European Commission reports and research carried out by the European scientific institutes in order to answer the question why the differences in the level of the member states’ and particular regions’ development do not decrease at all (regions), or decrease at a very slow pace (countries). It is not easy to answer the question due to the lack of tools accurate enough to measure the results of that regional policy. The present analysis enables the author making the following conclusions: 1) Funds spent on the cohesion policy should support the improvement of the quality of administration and established law to a greater extent than they have so far; 2) The effects of the cohesion policy in Poland will determine the future cohesion policy in the European Union; 3) It seems that Polish regions are strongly motivated and well prepared to absorb the funds offered within the cohesion policy. This potential should be used to increase Polish influence on the course of the European Union regional policy reform.
Leokadia Oręziak, The European Union Budget after 2013 – Directions of Change in the Light of the Analysis of the Position of the Member States’ Governments
The creation of principles of financing the European Union which are to come into force in 2014 is connected with some serious challenges. Taking into account the existing differences in the level of economic development of the present European Union member states, it is essential to acknowledge the mechanisms of solidarity. There is some concern that in the future that solidarity will continue to decrease. The establishment of a new source of individual funds in the form of income from the so-called European tax is not very probable due to an evident opposition from a big group of countries. The spending which will certainly cause the biggest controversies among the member states is the financing of the Common Agricultural Policy and regional support. An important area for negotiations will also be constituted by the issue of rebates which benefit the United Kingdom and some other countries being net payers. The shape of the future European Union budget will be determined by the integration model which is planned to be practically implemented. The key issue is whether the future integration model will be limited to the implementation of ambitious long-term objectives or only to current intervention activities. The factor that will strongly affect the negotiations of how to finance the European Union in the period after 2013 is the condition of public finance in the member states, especially those which are net payers. The global economic crisis caused a considerable increase of budget deficits and resulted in the rise of public debt. Thus, the possibilities to increase the Union budget are rather limited.
Marian Guzek, Political Conditions and Doctrinal Foundations of the Transformation in Poland in Comparison with Other Post-Communist Countries
The article presents a diagnostic assessment of the political and economic system transformation process in Poland. The author expresses an opinion that Solidarity as a mass social and political organization played a significant role only in the destruction of communism but not in the creation of a new political system. Its main leader, Lech Walesa, did not allow it to do so. And it was substituted in that role by the conservative - formerly communist - power after it had eliminated the orthodox communists’ fraction. In co-operation with the Democratic Union and later the Union of Freedom, and Lech Walesa himself, it substantially contributed to the creation of a new post-communist system. In such conditions the economic system could not be formed following the model of fair capitalism but political capitalism based on the principles of pseudo-liberal ideology and propaganda and a contemptuous treatment of the academic science of liberal-market economics. The article also presents two forecast scenarios of future changes of the political system.
Tomasz G. Grosse, Polish Membership in the European Union Balance – Between Europeanization and the Influence of Political Culture
The article is aimed at analyzing some selected features of Polish political culture and the impact of Europeanization processes on the development of democracy. Polish political culture is not exclusively a product of recent years, thus it has not been developed since the introduction of democratic institutions after 1989. It is an outcome of the former historical experiences to a greater extent than it is commonly assumed. In the present article, I am going to present mutual influence of local political culture (and administrative tradition) and Europeanization due to which the Polish membership in the European Union balance must be treated in a less enthusiastic way than it is commonly believed. I am especially going to present examples referring to three areas: 1) the development of a vision of strategic actions; 2) implementation difficulties within the European policy; 3) difficulties in undertaking network co-operation in the European Union. In those areas, the positive influence of Europeanization is blocked by cultural phenomena connected with the experience of a lack of a sovereign state and the treatment of a state as a common good of all the Poles. Moreover, Europeanization strengthened particular ideas and political organizations which contributed to the development of the Polish political arena.
Józef M. Fiszer, Polish Foreign Policy towards Small East-Central European Countries (1989 – 2009)
The present article is a thorough politological analysis of the contemporary international relations. It is aimed at presenting and attempting to assess Polish foreign policy in the years 1989 – 2009, giving special consideration to the policy towards small East-Central European countries, i.e. closer and further neighbors of Poland. Showing successes and failures of Polish foreign policy in the years 1989 – 2009, the author tries to answer the question about the new Polish foreign policy strategy after 2004, i.e. after its accession to the European Union. He proposes many interesting theses, including one that Poland, as a medium size country with its demographic, economic and military potential, could successfully play a role of a leader in East-Central Europe, or even function as a regional superpower gathering around it such countries as Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and even Hungary, Slovenia, Romania and Bulgaria, as well as Scandinavian countries.
Taking into account the changing power order at the international arena at the beginning of the 21st century and the development of a new, multi-polarized international order, the author suggests that apart from the co-operation with the small countries of the region, Polish foreign policy should be based on the following assumptions: firstly, the European Union must be a foundation stone of Polish foreign policy; secondly, NATO must be the foundation for Polish security policy; thirdly, Poland should develop co-operation and versatile relations with the United States but it should not support those aspects of American foreign and security policy which do not serve the interests of the West, nor international stability, and question UN’s credibility and are aimed at creating divisions in Europe and the world.
The author used such research methods as an analysis of documents and international processes and a diagnostic comparative method.
Eliza Bujnowska, Poland’s Co-operation with Non-European Union Countries in the Field of Environment Protection
The article is aimed at analyzing the level of advancement of the co-operation of Poland with individual non-European Union countries in the field of environment protection and its influence on the improvement of environmental standards and pro-ecological modernization of the Polish economy.
The resources are unpublished materials of the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Economy referring to bilateral agreements between Poland and its foreign partners in the above-mentioned field and the results of that co-operation, as well as information made available by the Polish National Energy Conservation Agency.
The conducted analysis shows that thanks to the substantial financial and technological support provided by such countries as Norway, Switzerland and Japan our country was given a unique chance to modernize the economy and maintain high environmental standards not only as a beneficiary of that aid but also as a country deepening neighborhood co-operation with Russia and Ukraine, and sharing its experiences with other partners, especially Moldova and Iran.
Paweł Olszewski, Western Balkans in the European Union Policy
In the present article, the author analyzes the position of the West Balkans in the European Union policy, wondering about the directions of its development, and presenting and analyzing the methods of its implementation as well as the planned and achieved objectives. At the same time he attempts to present attitudes of individual countries’ societies of the region towards the European Union, highlighting the specific aspect of development of functional regional co-operation.
