폴란드 체제 전환 30년 결산

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the economic, social, and political changes in Poland over the past 30 years since the transformation in 1989, and at the same time to examine the biggest challenges that Poland has to solve in the short and medium term. In making this assessment, various indices and figures are referenced as The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal for the transformation, the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development for the transition to market economy and economic freedom, and the Gross Domestic Product(GDP) and GDP per capita for economic development. Based on the results of the basic analysis presented in this paper, including comparisons with France, Romania, Germany, the United States and the Visegrad Group countries, it was possible to conclude that the results of the Polish transformation over 30 years were positive. The achievements and success of Poland after the transformation, so-called Third Republic were even compared to ‘the glorious thirty years’ in the history of post-war Western Europe. In conclusion, it seems that the success of Poland’s economic development over the medium and short-term will depend on the quality improvement and improvement of existing system and orders, respect for democratic laws and principles, and how to avoid the middle-income country trap.