Grzegorz_, you might find these publications quite interesting, the same source:
Economic Survey of the United States 2010
The United States is slowly recovering from a severe recession and, with economic growth projected to remain low for some time, unemployment is likely to stay elevated for a relatively long period. Monetary policy will need to continue to support economic activity, particularly as fiscal stimulus measures unwind. Continuation of targeted support for the labour market may also be necessary until private sector employment picks up more strongly.
The financial crisis revealed weaknesses in financial market regulation and supervision.
Economic Survey of Germany 2010
After a sharp fall during the recession, real GDP growth has picked up, but the recovery is expected to be relatively slow. The global crisis has hit the economy mainly through the collapse of world trade, the driving force behind the boom period before the crisis. The challenge going forward is to tackle the damage done by the crisis on the labour market and to public finances. Growth prior to the crisis was mainly export driven and characterized by the build up of a large current account surplus. Factors behind this surplus were a rise in corporate and government net lending amid continued high and increasing saving by households.
oecd.org/document/48/0,3746,en_2649_34111_44791728_1_1_1_1,00.html
Economic Survey of Poland 2010
Poland recorded the best real GDP growth performance among OECD countries in 2009. The economic crisis curbed the imbalances that had been growing since 2006. In the midst of the crisis, a sharp depreciation of the zloty provided a powerful underpinning to the economy, foreign parent banks supported their Polish affiliates and capital outflows seem to have been contained. Swift monetary policy reaction, macro-prudential measures, a small fiscal package, absorption of EU funds, government involvement to defend the zloty and IMF support all helped to restore confidence. Nevertheless, Poland was not spared from a significant slowdown and fiscal discipline has to be restored. Public-finance reforms should cover pension, tax and public-sector efficiency, while creating fiscal space for the absorption of unprecedented transfers from the European Union at the same time. The withdrawal of monetary stimulus should begin soon, to avoid the early re-appearance of demand pressure, if fiscal policy is not tightened significantly in the immediate future.
oecd.org/document/61/0,3746,en_2649_34111_44904829_1_1_1_1,00.html
I would say, Grzegorz_, no, I do not think Poles are poor in general. There are some riches, there are some poor, however the distribution is not dramatic. By no means Poland could be described as a poor county. It is enough to travel around Poland, talk with many many people, and I do both. Just use your own eyes instead expressing opinions from an armchair.
The grave mistake in the whole discussion is creating the contrast between "rich" and "poor". By analogy (my feet in basins analogy was not understood at all!), I could say Saudi Arabia were a
warm country and Iceland were a
cold country. How would you describe Poland then? Warm? Cold? And perhaps simply "moderate"? The same with "rich" and "poor". Poland is neither "rich" nor "poor". Poland is a moderate, decent country to live.
What country could be described as poor? India, for instance. It does not matter there are some top riches in India. The country is simply poor. It's enough to fly there and see. Same with Poland, it is enough to open eyes and see. Of course, Havok would immediately go to one of "familok" houses and show everybody the Polish slums. Because you see what you want to see.
Germany, oh yes, it is a pretty rich country. Things are relative however. When bad times come, German people feel they have been deprived of what they deserved for, making them relatively poorer than they had been. I see constant growth in Poland and it makes me feel good, although Poland is decidedly not as rich as Germany.
