An Interview with Andrzej Arendarski on Poland’s Transition to Democracy

The fall of the Berlin Wall marked the end of the bipolar international order that had dominated since the Second World War. In 1989 Eastern European countries gained the freedom to chart their own future and adopt political and economic institutions based on democratic governance and the free market economic system. In the twenty five years of transition, most states in the region have become full-fledged members of the European Union and achieved significant development milestones in their integration in Western institutions.

Reflecting on the transitional experience of Poland, Dr. Andrzej Arendarski, co-founder and president of the Polish Chamber of Commerce, was invited by the Free Enterprise and Democracy Network to share his recollections in the latest issue of CIPE’s Economic Reform Feature Service article.

Dr. Arendarksi explains the important role the Solidarity trade union played during the Polish transition to democracy and reflects on the significance of reducing barriers and regulations to promote the operation of business and encourage entrepreneurship. He describes democracy as more than a political system, “as a process in which nationals learn to be responsible for their choices,” a set of institutions and a state with free media.

To learn more about lessons emerging from the Polish transition to democracy applicable to reforms in other countries, read the article here.

Teodora Mihaylova is a Research Assistant at CIPE.

Published Date: March 19, 2014