184th mBank-CASE Seminar Proceedings: Why Do We Still Need Privatisation?

Publications

13 Jan 2026

Fiscal Policies and Growth

mBank – CASE Seminar Proceedings

Piotr Kozarzewski

Maciej Bałtowski

Ewa Balcerowicz

Małgorzata Krzysztoszek-Starczewska

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Piotr Kozarzewski

Member of the CASE Supervisory Council
Member of the Association of Polish Economists, Member of the European Association for Comparative Economic Studies, Member of the Editorial Board of the Romanian Economic Journal.

Articles from this author:
- The evolution of Belarusian public sector: From command economy to state capitalism?
  Belarus was among the few post-communist countries to resign from comprehensive market reforms and attempt to improve the efficiency of the economy through administrative means, leaving market mechanisms only an auxiliary role. Since its inception, the ‘Belarusian economic model’ has undergone several revisions of a de-statisation and de-regulation kind, but still the Belarusian economy remains … Continued
- The Impact of the State on the Quality of an Economic System: A Cross-Country Analysis
  The paper discusses the role of the state in shaping an economic system which is, in line with the welfare economics approach, capable of performing socially important functions and achieving socially desirable results. We describe this system through a set of indexes: the IHDI, the World Happiness Index, and the Satisfaction of Life index. The … Continued
- Change in Economic Policy Paradigm: Privatization and State Capture in Poland
  CASE prezentuje nową publikację: “Change in Economic Policy Paradigm: Privatization and State Capture in Poland”. Piotr Kozarzewski i Maciej Bałtowski analizują przyczyny i przejawy zwrotu w polskiej polityce ekonomicznej w kierunku bardziej aktywnej roli państwa, jako przykład wykorzystując politykę prywatyzacyjną. Autorzy analizują jej skutki i wskazują na wielkie i niedokończone obszary w dziedzinie transformacji struktury własnościowej, które mają niekorzystny wpływ … Continued
Author’s articles
Maciej Bałtowski
Articles from this author:
- Change in Economic Policy Paradigm: Privatization and State Capture in Poland
  CASE prezentuje nową publikację: “Change in Economic Policy Paradigm: Privatization and State Capture in Poland”. Piotr Kozarzewski i Maciej Bałtowski analizują przyczyny i przejawy zwrotu w polskiej polityce ekonomicznej w kierunku bardziej aktywnej roli państwa, jako przykład wykorzystując politykę prywatyzacyjną. Autorzy analizują jej skutki i wskazują na wielkie i niedokończone obszary w dziedzinie transformacji struktury własnościowej, które mają niekorzystny wpływ … Continued
Ewa Balcerowicz

Chairwoman of the CASE Supervisory Council
Chairwoman of CASE Supervisory Council (July 2008-present) and mBank-CASE Seminars Project Manager

Articles from this author:
- 186th mBank-CASE Seminar Proceedings: Why will the free market save the world?
- 185th mBank-CASE Seminar Proceedings: AI as a Tool for the Sustainable Transformation of Agriculture
  The study contributes to the ongoing discourse on the future of Agriculture 4.0 and underscores the need for cross-sectoral cooperation, digital competence development, and responsible innovation in the agri-food sector. The publication also calls for an integrated approach combining engineering, ecological awareness, and public policy to ensure that AI becomes a tool for the common good.
- 182nd mBank-CASE Seminar Proceedings: Polish and Ukrainian Agriculture in a Common Europe
Author’s articles
Małgorzata Krzysztoszek-Starczewska

The role of privatisation in Poland remains a key issue in debates on the state’s role in the economy. This question is the focus of this publication which brings together analyses presented at the 184th mBank-CASE seminar on 20th March 2025.

The volume includes contributions by Piotr Kozarzewski, Maciej Bałtowski, and Małgorzata Krzysztoszek-Starczewska, with an introduction by Ewa Balcerowicz. The authors examine the evolution of privatisation in Poland since the start of the economic transformation, with particular attention to the 1990s and the long-term consequences of ownership changes.

The publication discusses the growth of the private sector and the parallel shrinkage of state-owned enterprises, showing how market reforms, liberalisation, and competitive pressure reshaped Poland’s enterprise structure. The authors analyse both quantitative outcomes and institutional aspects, including corporate governance, ownership oversight, and the persistence of state ownership in selected sectors.

Special attention is given to the political and economic factors that slowed or distorted privatisation, as well as to the costs of maintaining an extensive state-owned sector. The volume also places Poland’s experience in an international context and considers proposals for further privatisation, including deregulation-based approaches.

Overall, the publication argues that privatisation remains relevant, not as a past reform, but as an ongoing challenge linked to efficiency, accountability, and the quality of economic governance.

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184th mBank-CASE Seminar Proceedings: Why Do We Still Need Privatisation?

Piotr Kozarzewski

Articles from this author:

Maciej Bałtowski

Articles from this author:

Ewa Balcerowicz

Articles from this author:

Małgorzata Krzysztoszek-Starczewska

Related publications

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184th mBank-CASE Seminar Proceedings: Why Do We Still Need Privatisation?

Piotr Kozarzewski

Articles from this author:

Maciej Bałtowski

Articles from this author:

Ewa Balcerowicz

Articles from this author:

Małgorzata Krzysztoszek-Starczewska

Related publications

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