Polish Economic Transformation: From Recession to Recovery and the Challenges Ahead

The Polish path from planning to markets was dramatic and risky but the benefits are already beginning to show. The Solidarity-led government introduced simultaneous macroeconomic stabilization and microeconomic liberalization programmes in January 1990. Inflation was successfully brought under control and free markets were rapidly established, but at the same time the country went into a deep recession. However the economy has been experiencing a strong recovery for more than a year, and Poland will probably be the fastest growing economy in Europe in 1993. There has also been major progress in restructuring and, to a lesser extent, privatization. Overall, Poland has made substantial progress towards a West European-type economy.