186th mBank-CASE Seminar Proceedings: Why will the free market save the world?

Publications

29 Dec 2025

Trade & Macro

mBank – CASE Seminar Proceedings

Ewa Balcerowicz

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

This publication addresses the condition of the free market and capitalism in the modern world, in the face of growing social pessimism, economic crises, and increasing expectations for state intervention. The author, Johan Norberg, a Swedish journalist and historian of ideas, refers to the theses contained in his book “The Capitalist Manifesto: How the Free Market Will Save the World,” first published in 2023 and published in Polish in 2024.

In his publication, Norberg argues that the free market, based on private property, voluntary contracts, and competition, remains the most effective mechanism for dealing with crises, stimulating innovation, and improving living standards. Using empirical data, historical examples, and contemporary case studies, the author shows that despite the global shocks of recent decades such as pandemics, armed conflicts, and supply chain disruptions, it is the more open and liberal economies that have achieved better results in terms of growth, poverty reduction, health, and life expectancy. The publication provides answers to the questions: what is capitalism, has free-market capitalism failed, and why, in the author’s opinion, can we observe the triumph of the free market in the face of difficult conditions.

The publication contributes to the debate on the limits of state intervention, the role of industrial policy, and the importance of economic freedom for long-term development.

The publication is the result of the 186th mBank–CASE seminar, which took place on September 11, 2025, in Warsaw.

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186th mBank-CASE Seminar Proceedings: Why will the free market save the world?

Ewa Balcerowicz

Articles from this author:

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