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.
