Oligarchia w Polsce ‒ dlaczego jej nie ma?

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explain the special feature of the contemporary Polish economy which is the lack of oligarchy after 30 years of the post-communist transformation.The article consists of three parts. The first covers the theoretical and methodological framework for further analysis. We present the definitions and classifications of oligarchy and oligarchic systems in the modern world and provide a brief overview of the literature on the subject and the state of knowledge.In the second part, we explain the lack of an oligarchic system in Poland, linking this fact with specific elements of the socialist heritage and with the model of economic transformation and privatisation adopted in this country during the first years of the systemic reforms.In the third part, we present two paradoxes that are related to the oligarchisation of post-communist economies and, indirectly, to the assessment of the Polish path of economic and political transformation. We show that oligarchy and the relatively large sector of state-owned enterprises determine two different models of rent-seeking. The aim of this study is to explain the special feature of the contemporary Polish economy which is the lack of oligarchy after 30 years of the post-communist transformation.