Publication: Poland: Toward a Strategic, Effective, and Accountable State
Loading...
Published
2017-07-31
ISSN
Date
2017-08-28
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
The pathway to shared prosperity in Poland is built around growth, inclusion, and sustainability objectives, but success will ultimately depend on a more strategic, effective, and accountable state. Poland has done remarkably well, boasting strong growth over three decades. Looking forward, this Systemic Country Diagnostic (SCD) argues that a new level of sophistication is required to meet the challenges of a rapidly aging population and evolving global economy. This includes developing a more strategic, effective, and accountable state that can facilitate a strong consensus around consistent policies to foster growth, inclusion, and sustainability. Continued productivity growth will depend on Poland’s ability to transition to an innovation-led growth model. This transition, in turn, will require improved consistency and commitment to sound policies, as well as improved coordination between the public and private sectors. Demographic trends make it critical for Poland to invest in its people, ensuring that everyone can participate and benefit from growth. To that end, policies must be consistent—both across sectors and between local and national government institutions—such that every person has equal opportunity, participates in the labor market, and is able to move to where they are most productive. To grow sustainably, a new social consensus will be needed to confront difficult trade-offs between the needs of an aging population and the associated fiscal costs. Similarly, Poland will need to weigh the fiscal and economic costs of transitioning to a low-emissions economy against the social and environmental costs associated with business as usual. Consensus will be needed to ensure consistency of policies around agreed-upon principles, commitment to staying the course, coordination across all stakeholders, and cooperation from the private sector based on trust in government.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank Group. 2017. Poland: Toward a Strategic, Effective, and Accountable State. Systematic Country Diagnostic;. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/27996 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Future Armenia(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2017-11)Since its independence in 1991 and until prior to the global financial crisis (GFC) in 2008-09, Armenia was considered an important success story among the transition economies. Indeed, over several years, the country displayed a record of sustained macroeconomic achievements, reflected in high growth, economic stability, low inflation, and modest deficits and external debt, as well as falling poverty rates and shrinking income disparities. This Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD) identifies four challenges for Armenia to reinvigorate inclusive growth and resilience. First, with far less supportive external circumstances, reigniting economic growth calls for asearch for new drivers and the rebalancing of growth toward the tradable sectors. Against this backdrop, the country’s low export performance and limited global multi-connectivity caused by high trade and transport facilitation costs are the first challenges to be addressed. Second, insufficient private sector productivity stands in the way of both higher growth and job creation. Firms, as the productive engines of the economy, appear constrained in their ability to lift productivity reforms, limited competition, and the need to deepen further financial development. Third, poverty reduction and shared prosperity, that is, the transmission of aggregate growth to individual wellbeing and poverty reduction, also seems constrained by labor market challenges: labor resources are shrinking, labor-force participation is low, and the country has one of the lowest employment and highest unemployment rates in the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region, whileworkers’ productivity has fallen. Learning outcomes seem to lag demand, both in terms of the level and type of skills that are sought by the market. Declining labor resources are compounded by low women participation in the labor market. Fourth, key vulnerabilities at the macroeconomic, environmental, and microeconomic levels are faced by Armenia in its quest for poverty reduction and shared prosperity. Armenia’s aging population will have a significant impact on health spending and on the pension system, and could, if not addressed, have major implications in terms of fiscal sustainability and poverty.Publication Kenya Economic Update, December 2014, No. 11(World Bank, Nairobi, 2014-12)This is the eleventh edition of the Kenya Economic Update. The special focus of this update examines the structural factors underpinning the poor performance of the manufacturing sector. Drawing on recent firm-level data from the 2010 Industrial Census and the 2013 Enterprise Survey. It investigates the extent to which the sector's lack of dynamism reflects problems in Kenya's business environment, which compares poorly to regional neighbors' on several manufacturing-relevant dimensions. The report has four main messages: First, Kenya begins 2015 in a sound economic position. After growing an estimated 5.4 percent in 2014, its economy is poised to be among the fastest growing in the region, with growth projected at 6.0 percent in 2015, 6.6 percent in 2016, and 7.0 percent in 2017. Second, the external sector remains weak and vulnerable, as import growth continue to outpace export growth and short-term flows finance the current account deficit. The large deficit points to underlying structural weaknesses in Kenya's economy, which need to be addressed. Third, Kenya needs to increase the competitiveness of the manufacturing sector so that it can grow, export, and create much-needed jobs. As a share of GDP, Kenya's manufacturing sector has been stagnant in recent years, and it has lost international market share; lastly, the weak business environmentis a key constraint for the manufacturing sector. Obstacles to doing business affect this sector more than many others because manufacturing needs access to capital for investments, infrastructure to import inputs and export and distribute finished products, affordable and reliable electricity to produce, labor to man operations, and fair and streamlined regulations and trade policies that allow firms to compete.Publication Islamic Republic of Pakistan(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-09-16)This Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD)—the first to be conducted in Pakistan—is aimed at informing Pakistan’s ongoing structural reform process and providing an analytical base for the World Bank Group’s (WBG) engagement moving forward. It presents a timely and evidence-based assessment of the constraints that the country needs to address, and the opportunities that it can embrace, to sustainably accelerate progress toward the goals of ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity. The SCD, while focusing on developments in the past two decades, builds on the extensive analytical work conducted under the “Pakistan@100 – Shaping the Future” study and reflects inputs from the WBG’s previous and ongoing stakeholder consultations. This SCD was completed before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and the analysis presented in the report primarily uses data released up until end-February 2020.Publication Lessons from Poland, Insights for Poland(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2017)This report discusses Poland’s experience along five dimensions. These five dimensions - a pentagon of policies and institutions are governing, sustaining, connecting, growing, and including. The main lessons from Poland and the key insights for its future, based on this pentagon, are presented in the lessons and insights summarized in this report. Poland’s experience underlines the importance of a shared vision to sustain continuing reforms. Poland’s rapid economic ascent created new challenges: the creative destruction on which the growth process was based, successfully, caused massive social change. The report addresses two sets of questions. First, what are the lessons from Poland’s remarkable transition to high income?; what policies were behind Poland’s economic achievements?; why was Poland able to achieve high-income per capita so fast, while many other countries remained in the upper-middle-income range for decades - trapped middle-income countries (MICs)?; what policies were similar to those pursued by other new high income countries (HICs) and what were specific to Poland?, and second, what are the insights for Poland going forward? Given international experience and Poland’s characteristics, what policies can it adopt to continue its ascent and reach the much higher incomes of countries that have been high income for a considerable period - the established HICs?Publication Madagascar : Back to the Future on the Road to Sustained and Balanced Growth, Country Economic Memorandum, Volume 2, Annexes(Washington, DC, 2008-12)The objective of this study is to accompany Malagasy authorities in their transition towards economic emergence. If the contribution of foreign capital and the abundance of natural resources should help the Malagasy economy escape from the poverty trap by increasing its domestic savings and investment capacities, as well as its technological capacities. International experience reminds us that this transition is far from being automatic. Indeed, there are more examples of countries that have failed than of those who have succeeded. The successes of Chile, Tunisia, Malaysia, Mauritius, and Botswana can inspire the Malagasy policy makers while showing them which economic policy choices become imperative. This study is divided into four parts. The first part begins with an analysis of Madagascar's economic performance, trying to recall its fragility in spite of the good results recorded over these last few years. This fragility will be highlighted through the relatively narrow basis of the economic growth that has greatly relied on foreign capital inflows, putting the need to follow an adequate foreign exchange management policy at the center of the agenda and, thus, minimize its possible negative impact on exports. The second part will focus on the issue of private sector promotion. Recent diagnoses of Madagascar's economy and the strategy adopted by Malagasy authorities (with the support of its development partners) have shown that to be sustained and shared out over time, economic growth will have to rely on a dynamic and competitive private sector. The third part is dedicated to sharing the fruits of economic growth by giving a special emphasis to the distribution of the benefits related to the large mining and tourism investment projects within the population. These large projects represent a unique opportunity for Madagascar's development but also undoubtedly a danger if they do not allow the emergence of spillover effects among the local businesses and labor force. Finally, the fourth and final part proposes an agenda of economic reforms. Ambition is not to formulate a patchy list of proposals, but rather to propose a series of options that will help address the issues of competitiveness and shared growth that are central to the success of the current strategy followed by the Malagasy authorities.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication Digital Progress and Trends Report 2023(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-03-05)Digitalization is the transformational opportunity of our time. The digital sector has become a powerhouse of innovation, economic growth, and job creation. Value added in the IT services sector grew at 8 percent annually during 2000–22, nearly twice as fast as the global economy. Employment growth in IT services reached 7 percent annually, six times higher than total employment growth. The diffusion and adoption of digital technologies are just as critical as their invention. Digital uptake has accelerated since the COVID-19 pandemic, with 1.5 billion new internet users added from 2018 to 2022. The share of firms investing in digital solutions around the world has more than doubled from 2020 to 2022. Low-income countries, vulnerable populations, and small firms, however, have been falling behind, while transformative digital innovations such as artificial intelligence (AI) have been accelerating in higher-income countries. Although more than 90 percent of the population in high-income countries was online in 2022, only one in four people in low-income countries used the internet, and the speed of their connection was typically only a small fraction of that in wealthier countries. As businesses in technologically advanced countries integrate generative AI into their products and services, less than half of the businesses in many low- and middle-income countries have an internet connection. The growing digital divide is exacerbating the poverty and productivity gaps between richer and poorer economies. The Digital Progress and Trends Report series will track global digitalization progress and highlight policy trends, debates, and implications for low- and middle-income countries. The series adds to the global efforts to study the progress and trends of digitalization in two main ways: · By compiling, curating, and analyzing data from diverse sources to present a comprehensive picture of digitalization in low- and middle-income countries, including in-depth analyses on understudied topics. · By developing insights on policy opportunities, challenges, and debates and reflecting the perspectives of various stakeholders and the World Bank’s operational experiences. This report, the first in the series, aims to inform evidence-based policy making and motivate action among internal and external audiences and stakeholders. The report will bring global attention to high-performing countries that have valuable experience to share as well as to areas where efforts will need to be redoubled.Publication Business Ready 2024(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-03)Business Ready (B-READY) is a new World Bank Group corporate flagship report that evaluates the business and investment climate worldwide. It replaces and improves upon the Doing Business project. B-READY provides a comprehensive data set and description of the factors that strengthen the private sector, not only by advancing the interests of individual firms but also by elevating the interests of workers, consumers, potential new enterprises, and the natural environment. This 2024 report introduces a new analytical framework that benchmarks economies based on three pillars: Regulatory Framework, Public Services, and Operational Efficiency. The analysis centers on 10 topics essential for private sector development that correspond to various stages of the life cycle of a firm. The report also offers insights into three cross-cutting themes that are relevant for modern economies: digital adoption, environmental sustainability, and gender. B-READY draws on a robust data collection process that includes specially tailored expert questionnaires and firm-level surveys. The 2024 report, which covers 50 economies, serves as the first in a series that will expand in geographical coverage and refine its methodology over time, supporting reform advocacy, policy guidance, and further analysis and research.Publication Global Economic Prospects, June 2025(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-06-10)The global economy is facing another substantial headwind, emanating largely from an increase in trade tensions and heightened global policy uncertainty. For emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs), the ability to boost job creation and reduce extreme poverty has declined. Key downside risks include a further escalation of trade barriers and continued policy uncertainty. These challenges are exacerbated by subdued foreign direct investment into EMDEs. Global cooperation is needed to restore a more stable international trade environment and scale up support for vulnerable countries grappling with conflict, debt burdens, and climate change. Domestic policy action is also critical to contain inflation risks and strengthen fiscal resilience. To accelerate job creation and long-term growth, structural reforms must focus on raising institutional quality, attracting private investment, and strengthening human capital and labor markets. Countries in fragile and conflict situations face daunting development challenges that will require tailored domestic policy reforms and well-coordinated multilateral support.Publication Global Economic Prospects, January 2025(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-01-16)Global growth is expected to hold steady at 2.7 percent in 2025-26. However, the global economy appears to be settling at a low growth rate that will be insufficient to foster sustained economic development—with the possibility of further headwinds from heightened policy uncertainty and adverse trade policy shifts, geopolitical tensions, persistent inflation, and climate-related natural disasters. Against this backdrop, emerging market and developing economies are set to enter the second quarter of the twenty-first century with per capita incomes on a trajectory that implies substantially slower catch-up toward advanced-economy living standards than they previously experienced. Without course corrections, most low-income countries are unlikely to graduate to middle-income status by the middle of the century. Policy action at both global and national levels is needed to foster a more favorable external environment, enhance macroeconomic stability, reduce structural constraints, address the effects of climate change, and thus accelerate long-term growth and development.Publication The Container Port Performance Index 2023(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-07-18)The Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) measures the time container ships spend in port, making it an important point of reference for stakeholders in the global economy. These stakeholders include port authorities and operators, national governments, supranational organizations, development agencies, and other public and private players in trade and logistics. The index highlights where vessel time in container ports could be improved. Streamlining these processes would benefit all parties involved, including shipping lines, national governments, and consumers. This fourth edition of the CPPI relies on data from 405 container ports with at least 24 container ship port calls in the calendar year 2023. As in earlier editions of the CPPI, the ranking employs two different methodological approaches: an administrative (technical) approach and a statistical approach (using matrix factorization). Combining these two approaches ensures that the overall ranking of container ports reflects actual port performance as closely as possible while also being statistically robust. The CPPI methodology assesses the sequential steps of a container ship port call. ‘Total port hours’ refers to the total time elapsed from the moment a ship arrives at the port until the vessel leaves the berth after completing its cargo operations. The CPPI uses time as an indicator because time is very important to shipping lines, ports, and the entire logistics chain. However, time, as captured by the CPPI, is not the only way to measure port efficiency, so it does not tell the entire story of a port’s performance. Factors that can influence the time vessels spend in ports can be location-specific and under the port’s control (endogenous) or external and beyond the control of the port (exogenous). The CPPI measures time spent in container ports, strictly based on quantitative data only, which do not reveal the underlying factors or root causes of extended port times. A detailed port-specific diagnostic would be required to assess the contribution of underlying factors to the time a vessel spends in port. A very low ranking or a significant change in ranking may warrant special attention, for which the World Bank generally recommends a detailed diagnostic.