Poland still developing strong economy despite red tape

According to reputable world media, Poland is still hamstrung by excessvie bureacracy... (but)... a strong doemerstic market has protected against recession. Agree, disagree, don't care?

Wall Street Journal:
blogs.wsj.com/new-europe/2010/06/29/why-poland-cant-build-fast-enough/

Why Poland Cant Build Fast Enough
...Its been 21 years since the collapse of communism and despite several attempts at cutting
red tape, building in Poland still means a bureaucratic ordeal that blocks the economys
potential. Because of inept public administration and inefficient courts, it takes years to get a
building permit, whether for a public road or a private skyscraper, and permits can get
canceled during construction...

CNN: cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/06/29/poland.economy.recession

How Poland became only EU nation to avoid recession
...Rafal Szajewski, Project Manager of the Polish Foreign Investment Agency, said: "Many of
our neighbors suffered in the global downturn because they rely heavily on exports, but we
have large demand from our domestic market. For many years, Poland didn't have a middle
class, but in the last 10 years that has changed and there's a strong internal market."...

I think it's also because a sizeable proportion of Polish private money remains,literally and metaphorically, under the mattress.

If the Polish population was as leveraged up on consumer debt as the average UK credit card jockey, then the $h!t would have hit the fan.

There's a lot to be said for NOT integrating fully into global capital markets at times like this.

So in effect you are saying that blindly aping the West is not always the best policy?
Sometimes time-honoured common sense such as not living beyond one's means (or high on the hog - in the American vernacular) is a better solution.

bureacracy is still going strong in poland, in my mind, for one very big reason: it gives underqualified Poles jobs. 5 people to do one person's job, but at least they're all employed. lots of people pushing paper around for their 1400 PLN per month, but they have a job, their company pays for their medical insurance and social security......socialism pushes along.

consolidate all the BS paperwork that Poland drowns in every day, and watch the unemployment rate double.

i think the bureaucracy definitely doesn't help but i think the PL economy has only staid in the black because of the influx of EU funds for upgrades to the infrastructure.. i think that is what is saving PL's butt right now..


definitely helps.. part of this "help" is the tightness of the credit market in PL..


of course.. i don't beleive in owing up to the eyeballs.. that's just crazy.. it alwyas astounds me how deep most of americans are stuck.. it's incredible to me to see 10k or more in CC debt.. insane..


you probably are spot on with this.. sad..

It's probably the same in other countries.

;)

In other countries there's more private sector bussiness and less public - hence more people actually caring about their jobs.

wow, got me fooled. the whole "middle class boom" is from credit. All that domestic spending? Maybe it has something to do with all those financing companies that actually have little offices in all the malls and larger shops...

Exports? It helps when you devalue your currency by nearly 30%. Investments tend to pick up when you can get the work done in Poland cheap.