The Civilizational Determinants of Poland’s Development

Prospects for the further civilizational development and success of Polandhave their source in the characteristics, quality, and dimensions of Poland's socio-economic potential, which still remains inadequately used. The progress made during the over twenty-year long transformation of the economic system and the implementation and strengthening of the market economy clearly shows Poland's great capacities in terms of the economy and the intellectual base. This is clearly reflected by statistics. The recent global recession, which Poland managed to avoid as the only country in the European Union, has paradoxically emphasized Poland's economic advantages. Unfortunately, this situation is often perceived as an outlier rather than a manifestation of the growing power of Poland's economy, which is evidenced by many comments on the topic published, among others by international research centres. Of late, however, more and more opinions have been appreciative of the deeper foundations of Poland's success. One example is a recent comparative study carried out by IHS Global Insight, which shows that Poland did not give in to the global recession and, being the largest country among the new EU members, represents a relatively strong economic potential. The strength of Poland's economy is not, however, popularly acknowledged, especially since the term "polnische Wirtschaft" was historically used in a pejorative sense, implying Polish mismanagement. However, this term is gradually growing obsolete for many reasons, mostly related to the characteristics, quality, and size of Poland's socio-economic potential. To date, this potential has not been properly used, which also testifies to the substantial scale of the untapped reserves.