Poland Poised to Drive Advancement in the Global Economy

Brown, Shelia A., Harris, Marilyn E., International Journal of Business Research

ABSTRACT

Historically, Poland has proven to be a nation with tremendous tenacity, and a nation that has shown tremendous courage to fight against dominators, rulers, and oppressors. Today this nation operates as a viable player in the global economy and is a heralded example for democracy. This paper examines Poland's position in the global economy and it synthesizes the political, cultural, and economic factors relevant to Poland's advancement in the global economy by driving co-created value through global networks in the new age of innovation.

Keywords: Synthesis, Global Economy, Innovation, Poland

1. INTRODUCTION

For centuries Poland was a nation of victories and defeat. While its culture and economy flourished, its political and military might succumbed to ruling factions from its neighboring nations (Morrison, Conaway, & Borden, 1994, p. 297). In 1386, Poland opted for unification with Lithuania but political decline set in and the country was partitioned three times between Germany, Russia, and Austro-Hungarian Empires until Poland completely disappeared. In 1815, the Congress of Vienna decreed the Kingdom of Poland existence. However, Poland's return as a nation was within the confines of the Russian Empire. It was the result of World War I that Poland reemerged as an independent state with the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in 1918. But World War II and the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany returned this country to an occupied land until the Soviet army pushed the Germans out in 1945. But this did not mean freedom for the Polish people; instead they were ruled by Russian overlords until 1981. It was at this time the organization of the Solidarity labor union helped to unify Poland's people (Morrison, Conaway, & Borden, 1994, p. 298). Today, Poland is a multi-party democracy with a president and two legislative houses.

However, since the end of Communism, Poland has been in a state of flux shifting within ideologies of Communism to nationalism and democracy. While post-Communist democracy is a welcome change for many, inequalities and insecurities are prevalent for others (Morrison, Conaway, & Borden, 1994, p. 299).

2. POLAND AND THE GLOBAL ECONOMY

Since 1981 Poland has experienced tremendous change including accession to the European Union (EU) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Once dubbed the "soaring eagle of Europe" (Koen, 2006), Poland has managed to pay down its fiscal deficit faster than expected, dramatically reducing unemployment, and increasing industry privatization. In fact, "Poland graduated from the U.S. Agency for International Development assistance in 2000 and paid the balance of its U.S. held Paris Club debt in 2005" (ECONOMY, 2007). …

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Publication information: Article title: Poland Poised to Drive Advancement in the Global Economy. Contributors: Brown, Shelia A. - Author, Harris, Marilyn E. - Author. Journal title: International Journal of Business Research. Volume: 8. Issue: 5 Publication date: December 2008. Page number: 96+. © 2007 International Academy of Business and Economics. COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale Group.

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