Poland’s economic and social transformation 1989-2014, and contemporary challenges

The article has two objectives. One is to identify the distinctive features of the Polish transformation which may explain why the initial, transformational recession was smaller than elsewhere and why the subsequent economic growth has been relatively high. Both positive and negative effects of the transition to a market-based economy are discussed. Some popular extremely negative evaluations of the transition are noted to be at variance with data. The other objective is to discuss the reforms and policies needed for Poland to continue the process of catching up with the most advanced countries, so that the civilization gap is further eroded, possibly eliminated.