Prof. Marcin Piątkowski highlights Poland’s economic success at Davos, noting the world still fails to recognize the country’s rapid growth compared to global benchmarks.
Poland’s Economic Success Goes Unnoticed
Prof. Marcin Piątkowski points out that one of the topics of conversation in Davos is Poland’s economic success, which paradoxically is still not obvious to international public opinion. Not everyone knows that Poland is one of the fastest-growing countries in Europe, he emphasizes. The pace of growth of the Polish economy is sometimes higher than in countries often considered development models, such as South Korea, Taiwan or Singapore.
Poland as Inspiration for Developing Nations
According to the economist, it is worth talking about this louder because Poland’s experience can be an inspiration for countries still trying to escape the middle-income trap. We have shown that we know how to catch up with richer countries, notes Prof. Marcin Piątkowski. At the same time, he emphasizes that Poland does not yet have experience in playing the role of an economic leader.
Requirements for Economic Leadership
To advance to the “economic Champions League,” not only high growth rates but also sustainable foundations are needed. We should have appropriate resources, qualifications, ideas and innovations, says the professor. He assesses that Poland is moving in this direction, but the process is too slow.
Warning About Future Slowdown
Prof. Marcin Piątkowski warns that although for the next decade the Polish economy will probably still grow faster than the economies of Western European countries, a significant slowdown may occur later. I fear that after this time growth may slow down because we won’t develop appropriate skills and technologies in time, he emphasizes.
Human Capital and Innovation Potential
One proof of Poland’s potential, in his opinion, is its human resources. The professor reminds that among the founders of OpenAI there are six Poles, some of whom received their education in Poland. We have many technical universities at world level, he notes. The problem remains the scale and too weak cooperation between science and business. We have a few companies that represent a similar level, but there are too few of them, evaluates Piątkowski. In his opinion, it is crucial to increase spending on innovation, research and development and building stronger cooperation ecosystems.
Importance of Higher Education
Higher education is also an important element of this puzzle, he emphasizes. We should take care to have at least two universities among the top hundred best universities in the world, the professor points out. It is these that can become the intellectual base for firms and technologies that will determine Poland’s position in the global economy.
