Provincial Apparatchiks as Investment Supervisors: The Polish Economic Boom of the Early 1970s

Abstract

In Poland the early 1970s were characterised by a huge number of investments in industry, infrastructure and housing. An important role in the supervision of these projects was played by the leaders of provincial party committees. This study examines the documents of four provincial party committees in the years 1971–1974. The results show that apparatchiks’ strategies differed, depending on whether the provincial party leadership was strong or weak. The study suggests that the active party supervision resulted in extra costs for enterprises (such as producing reports for committees or organisation of special meetings with party supervisors), although the support of apparatchiks could help in raising funds.