Transition In Poland Research Articles

Global restructuring and the Polish state: transition, transformation, or transnationalization?

This article proposes that the post-communist transition in Poland can profitaby be understood through the concept of the transnationalization of the state. It argues that change in Eastern and Central Europe has predominately been explained as a domestic process with few attempts made to contextualize the changes taking place in the region as part of neoliberal globalization. Therefore it explores the restructuring of the Polish state since 1989 by connecting concrete instances of policy to broader historical ­processes, social structures and political economy through the process of the transnationalization of the state. Rather than a loss of power or withdrawal of the state, setting transition as part of a wider transnationalization process reveals the subtleties of the restructuring of state apparatuses and hier­archies in the relationship between state and capital. The article reflects this by investigating the role adopted by the Polish state in representing the interests of a nascent bourgeoisie as they are increasingly penetrated by transnational capital and the impact of administration through the trans­nationalization of the state.

Triggering communism's collapse: perceptions and power in Poland's transition

Chapter 1 Introduction: The Paradox of the Polish Transition Chapter 2 Changing Arenas, Changing Players Chapter 3 Setting the Stage for the Round Table: The Polish Context Chapter 4 A New Political Playing Field: The Negotiating Arena Chapter 5 The Players of the Round Table Chapter 6 The Negotiations and Their Outcome Chapter 7 An Unexpectedly Competitive Arena: The 1989 Elections Chapter 8 Campaign: Rulers and Opposition Confront a New Game Chapter 9 Polish Voters Speak and the Players Respond Chapter 10 Changing Power: The Legacies and Lessons of the Round Table

Triggering Communism's Collapse: Perceptions and Power in Poland's Transition. By Marjorie Castle. Harvard Cold War Studies Book Series. Lanham, Md.: Rowman and Littlefield, 2003. x, 245 pp. Notes. Bibliography. Index. $65.00, hard bound.

Triggering Communism's Collapse: Perceptions and Power in Poland's Transition. By Marjorie Castle. Harvard Cold War Studies Book Series. Lanham, Md.: Rowman and Littlefield, 2003. x, 245 pp. Notes. Bibliography. Index. $65.00, hard bound. - Volume 63 Issue 3

Gender pay differentials during the transition in Poland*

AbstractThis paper assesses the relative economic welfare of women during the transition in Poland. After providing an account of gender differences in several labour market outcomes we analyse the male‐female wage differential over the period 1993–97. We find that there is almost no change in the wage gap, that most of the explained portion of the wage gap may be attributed to industrial and occupational segregation, and that a substantial portion of the wage gap remains unexplained. We briefly discuss possible socio‐economic explanations for our findings.

The Secular and the sacred: nation, religion and politics

Religion and politics in American democracy, Horst Mewes religion and politics in the United States, Corwin Smidt, Lyman Kellstedt, John Green, James Guth religion and Laiecite in a Jacobin republic - the case of France, William Safran the significance of religion in British politics, Josephine E. Squires religion, national identity and the conflict in Northern Ireland, Adrian Guelke chutch and state after transition to democracy - the case of Spain, Victor Urrutia Abaigar Poland's transition to a democratic republic - the taming of the sacred?, Ray Taras Greece - a problematic secular state, Adamantia Pollis religion and collective identity - the ethnopolitical barriers to democratization in the Balkans, Steven Majstorovic religion, politics and democracy in Turkey, Joseph S. Szyliowicz religion and state in Israel - another round of an ancient conflict among the Jews, Ira Sharkansky secularism in India - accepted principle, contentious interpretation, Swarna Rajagopalan.

Women managers in Poland and the United States: a comparative analysis

This paper compares women managers in Poland and the United States in the context of their contrasting political and economic systems—the socialism of Central and Eastern Europe and the liberal democratic tradition of the West. We discuss the two political philosophies and their impact on gender roles and labour markets, and then compare this theory to the reality of Poland's transition. Finally, this background is used to analyse differences between Polish women managers and their American counterparts.

The 'Charge of the Right Brigade': Transnational Social Forces and the Neoliberal Configuration of Poland's Transition

(2003). The 'Charge of the Right Brigade': Transnational Social Forces and the Neoliberal Configuration of Poland's Transition. New Political Economy: Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 225-244.

Labor market transition in Poland

The economic reforms and privatization in the wake of political changes in Poland after 1989 have led to rapid growth in the private sector. Although many new companies have been established, there has been a sharp increase in unemployment. Compared to the public sector, employees in the private sector tended to be less educated, younger and predominantly male. The private sector is also more dynamic, with higher rates of labor turnover, recruitment and separation, and average monthly wages were lower but, in recent years, have become close to those in the public sector. The Gini coefficient is higher in the private than in the public sector, showing that earnings are less equally distributed in this sector.

Re-evaluation of Welfare Changes during the Transition in Poland

The costs of shortages/rationing are not captured by standard consumer price indices. Thus the change in real GDP per capita is an over-estimate of welfare losses in transition economies. In this study virtual prices are used to calculate new cost of living indices, making it possible to construct more accurate pre-reform and post-reform welfare comparisons. The results for Poland using virtual prices show 62-84% decline in welfare over the transition 1987-92. This welfare loss is approximately one-third of the value obtained using actual prices.

Changes in the Structure of Earnings During the Polish Transition

This paper documents that inequality in labor earnings increased substantially during the economic transition in Poland. One surprising result is that earnings inequality increased markedly in both the private and public sectors, indicating that even state-owned enterprises in Poland moved toward competitive wage setting during the transition. Education premia increased sharply, while experience premia declined. Increases in within-group inequality account for about 60 percent of the increase in overall wage inequality. But, contrary to the experience of countries like the United States, increases in within-group inequality in Poland were very different across skill groups, with much larger increases for highly educated workers.

Changes in the Structure of Earnings During the Polish Transition

We document changes in the structure of earnings during the economic transition in Poland. We find that inequality in labor earnings increased substantially from 1988 to 1996. A common view is that the reallocation of workers from a public sector with a compressed wage distribution, to a private sector with much higher wage inequality, accounts for the bulk of increased earnings inequality during transition. However, our decomposition of the sources of the increase in inequality suggests that this compositional effect accounts for only 39% of the increase. Fully 52% of the increase is due to the increase in the variance of wages within sectors. That is, earnings inequality within both the private and public sectors grew substantially, and by similar amounts. This illustrates how even state-owned enterprises in Poland moved towards competitive wage setting as they restructured. A substantial part of the increase in earnings inequality was between group, due largely to increased education premia. However, changes in inequality within education-experience gender groups account for about 60 percent of the increase in overall wage inequality--similar to the patterns observed in the U.S. and U.K. in the 1980s. But, in contrast to the U.S. and U.K. experiences, increases in within-group inequality in Poland were very different across skill groups, with much larger increases for highly educated workers. These patterns hold in both the private and public sectors, although increases in education premia were somewhat greater in the private sector.

Social Patterns of Being Political: The Initial Phase of the Post- Communist Transition in Poland. Ed. Kazimierz M. Slomczynski. Warszaw: IFiS Publishers, 2000. 256 pp. Notes. Bibliography. Index. Figures. Tables. $22.25, paper.

Social Patterns of Being Political: The Initial Phase of the Post- Communist Transition in Poland. Ed. Kazimierz M. Slomczynski. Warszaw: IFiS Publishers, 2000. 256 pp. Notes. Bibliography. Index. Figures. Tables. $22.25, paper. - Volume 61 Issue 2

Changes in the Structure of Earnings During the Polish Transition

We document changes in the structure of earnings during the economic transition in Poland. We find that inequality in labor earnings increased substantially from 1988 to 1996. A common view is that the reallocation of workers from a public sector with a compressed wage distribution, to a private sector with much higher wage inequality, accounts for the bulk of increased earnings inequality during transition. However, our decomposition of the sources of the increase in inequality suggests that this compositional effect accounts for only 39% of the increase. Fully 52% of the increase is due to the increase in the variance of wages within sectors. That is, earnings inequality within both the private and public sectors grew substantially, and by similar amounts. This illustrates how even state-owned enterprises in Poland moved towards competitive wage setting as they restructured. A substantial part of the increase in earnings inequality was between group, due largely to increased education premia. However, changes in inequality within education-experiencegender groups account for about 60 percent of the increase in overall wage inequality--similar to the patterns observed in the U.S. and U.K. in the 1980s. But, in contrast to the U.S. and U.K. experiences, increases in within-group inequality in Poland were very different across skill groups, with much larger increases for highly educated workers. These patterns hold in both the private and public sectors, although increases in education premia were somewhat greater in the private sector.

Inequality, Transfers and Growth: New Evidence from the Economic Transition in Poland

This paper challenges the conventional wisdom that inequality in Poland increased markedly during the economic transition that began in 1989-90. Using micro data from the Household Budget Surveys, we find that, after a brief spike in 1989, income and consumption inequality actually declined to below pre-transition levels during 1990-92 and then increased gradually, rising only moderately above pre-transition levels by 1997. In sharp contrast, inequality in labor earnings increased markedly and consistently throughout the 1990-97 period. We find that social transfer mechanisms, including pensions, played an important role in mitigating increases in both overall inequality and poverty. We argue that, from a political economy perspective, transfer mechanisms were well-designed to reduce political resistance to market-oriented reforms in the early years of transition, paving the way for rapid growth. Finally, we provide cross-country evidence from the transition economies that is consistent with our interpretation of the Polish experience and is also consistent with recent work in growth theory which suggests that redistribution that reduces inequality can enhance growth.

I, You, He, We, They: Some Nostalgic Reflections on MALTA

THE MALTA FESTIVAL was born at a very specific moment of transition in Poland and for Poles. At the beginning of the 1990s we were still hungrily swallowing our newly acquired freedom. We were impassioned by the television coverage of parliament (where members expressed exactly what they thought in grammatically correct Polish), we read papers from front to back (a world, formerly known to us only through autopsy, but now related without resort to the official mumbo-jumbo of our former epoch). We strongly believed that life could be beautiful, truly ours.

Economic Efficiency in Polish Peasant Farming: An International Perspective

One decade following the market transition in Poland, the agricultural sector still exhibits low productivity. Policy makers often describe the sector as fragmented and inefficient. To understand why small-scale farming in Poland is inefficient despite longstanding secure property rights, a survey of economic efficiency in Southern agriculture was conducted and compared with limited studies of efficiency in Poland. The most important issues, particularly related to farm size and efficiency, are price risk, uncertainty and low rural development. Comparative studies across regions with varying institutional arrangements and economic organization are powerful, but must be made carefully and critically.

Economic Efficiency in Polish Peasant Farming: An International Perspective

One decade following the market transition in Poland, the agricultural sector still exhibits low productivity. Policy makers often describe the sector as fragmented and inefficient. To understand why small-scale farming in Poland is inefficient despite longstanding secure property rights, a survey of economic efficiency in Southern agriculture was conducted and compared with limited studies of efficiency in Poland. The most important issues, particularly related to farm size and efficiency, are price risk, uncertainty and low rural development. Comparative studies across regions with varying institutional arrangements and economic organization are powerful, but must be made carefully and critically.

Inequality, Transfers, and Growth: New Evidence from the Economic Transition in Poland

This paper analyzes the evolution of inequality in Poland during the economic transition that began in 1989-1990. Using microdata from the Household Budget Surveys, we find that, after a brief spik...

Fiscal Reform, Policy, and Constraints during Transition in Poland

Two specialists on the Polish economy examine the process whereby the fiscal system of Poland's centrally planned economy was replaced during the 1990s by a system designed for a market economy. Changes in the structure of both revenues and expenditures are described. The authors demonstrate that fiscal authorities in Poland heretofore have maintained budget control despite radical changes in fiscal systems and institutions. However, they identify and assess emerging concerns regarding the ability of fiscal authorities to manage the economy in the face of external shocks, potential mismanagement of extra-budget expenditures such as social security, and increased debt-financing requirements. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: E50, E60, H50, H60. 6 figures, 5 tables, 27 references.

The myth of large farm superiority: Lessons from agricultural transition in poland*

In Poland, larger farms are often actively promoted over small farms. This policy is based on the perception that there are economies of scale that favor large farms; however, this is contrary to international evidence, which generally indicates that larger farms are less efficient and use less labor than smallscale family farms. Using both total factor productivity measures and data envelopment analysis, empirical findings from Poland suggest that larger farms are no more efficient than smaller farms, and smaller farms are relatively more labor-intensive. These results have important policy implications for farm restructuring in Poland and other transition economies.