Researching Capitalism In Poland: Economic Interests As A Cultural Construction

Morawski, Witold

Abstract

Purpose: The three goals of the article are: first, to show some arguments surrounding the notion of capitalism in theoretical perspective, and also somewhat bashful connotations since it was intro-duced in Poland after the fall of communism; second, to present some historical facts about the rise of capitalism in Poland in comparative perspective, mostly European; third, to look for cultural categories necessary for analysing the peculiarities of Polish socio-economic development as the part of so-called „the second Europe”.

Methodology: I go back to the history of European patterns of capitalist formation: Anglo-Saxon, French, German, Russian in order to show the Polish trajectory as strikingly different. Before enter-ing the Polish case, I present Mary Douglas and Aaron Widavsky’s proposal – how to analyze four cultures: individualist, egalitarian, hierarchical and fatalistic (authoritarian).

Implications: The main finding is that economic interests are always socio-cultural constructions, hence all definitions of the real life decisions (on public vs private, risk, externalities etc.) that the people make, must frame them within working life of given culture as the combination of universa-lism and particularism (of above-mentioned four cultures).

Keywords

capitalism vs market-private economy (1)economic growth vs economic development (1)institutional patterns of capitalism (1)cultural theory of economic interests (1)four cultures (1)individualism (1)egalitarism (1)hierarchy (2)fatalism (1)Second Europe (1)

References

A golden opportunity (2014). The Second Jagiellonian Age. Special Report Poland. The Economist, 28 June: 1–10. [Google Scholar]
Acemoglu, D. and Robinson, J.A. (2012). Why Nations Fail. The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty. New York: Crown Business. [Google Scholar]
Arendt, H. (1951). The Origins of Totalitarianism. New York: Harcourt. [Google Scholar]
Braudel, F. (2013). Dynamika kapitalizmu. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Aletheia. [Google Scholar]
Calhoun, C. (2013). What threatens capitalism now? In: I. Wallerstein et al., Does Capitalism Have a Future? Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar]
Cieślik, J. (2016). Polskie przedsiębiorstwa wobec wyzwań przyszłości. In: W. Morawski (ed.), Wobec wyzwań jutra. Warszawa: Wolters Kluwer Polska. [Google Scholar]
Collins, R. (1986). Weberian Sociological Theory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [Google Scholar]
Collins, R. (2013). The end of middle class: no more escapes. In: I. Wallerstein et al., Does Capitalism Have a Future? Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar]
Comte-Sponville (2012). Czy kapitalizm jest moralny? O niedorzecznościach i tyranii naszych czasów. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Czarna Owca. [Google Scholar]
Desai, M. (2001). Capitalism. In: J. Krieger (ed.), The Oxford Companion to politics of the world. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar]
Fukuyama, F. (2001). The limits of liberal democracy In: J. Krieger (ed.), The Oxford Companion to politics of the world. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar]
Fulcher, J. (2015). Capitalism. A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar]
Kaletsky, A. (2010). Capitalism 4.0. The Birth of a New Economy in the Aftermath of Crisis New York: Public Affairs. [Google Scholar]
Kochanowicz, J. (2010). Polska w epoce nowoczesnego wzrostu gospodarczego. In: W. Morawski (ed.), Modernizacja Polski. Struktury. Agencje. Instytucje. Warszawa: WAiP. [Google Scholar]
Kotkin, S. (2018). Realist World. The Players Change, but the Game Remains. Foreign Affairs, July, 97(4). [Google Scholar]
Miłosz Czeslaw (2006). Pomiędzy przeszłością a przyszłością. Odczyt z okazji otrzymania nagrody nobla, 8 grudnia 1980. In: Wielkie mowy historii. Od Kennedy’ego do Ratzingera. Warszawa: Polityka. [Google Scholar]
Miłosz, Cz. (2012). Nowoczesność idylliczna. In: Charlesa Taylora wizja nowoczesności. Rekonstrukcje i interpretacje. Lublin: Oficyna Wydawnicza Łośgraf. [Google Scholar]
North, D.C. and Thomas, R.P. (1973). The Rise of the Western World. A New Economic History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511819438 [Google Scholar]
North, D.C. (1997). Institutions, Economic Growth and Freedom. An Historical Introduction. In: S. Pejovich (ed.),The Economic Foundations of Property Rights. Selected Readings. Cheltenham-Lyme, N.H.: Elgar. [Google Scholar]
Offe, C. (1996). Modernity & the State. East, West. Cambridge/Oxford: Polity Press. [Google Scholar]
Parsons, T. (1972). Culture and the Social System Revisited. Social Science Quarterly, 53. [Google Scholar]
Rae, G. (2015). Stosunek Polaków do sektora publicznego i interwencjonizmu państwowego. In: K. Zagórski et al. (eds.), Postawy ekonomiczne w czasach niepewności. Ekonomiczna wyobraźnia Polaków 201 –2014. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Scholar. [Google Scholar]
Sandoz, E. (2001). Bill of Rights. In: J. Krieger (ed.), The Oxford Companion to politics of the world. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar]
Selznick, Ph. (1960). The Organizational Weapon. New York: Free Press. [Google Scholar]
Sowa, J. (2011). Fantomowe ciało króla. Peryferyjne zmagania z nowoczesną formą. Kraków: Universitas. [Google Scholar]
Taylor, Ch. (2006). Modern Social Imaginaries. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. [Google Scholar]
Tocqueville, A. de (1970). Dawny ustrój I rewolucja (Old Regime and the Revolution). Warszawa: Czytelnik. [Google Scholar]
Tocqueville, A. de (2012). Democracy in America. Indianapolis: Liberty Fund. [Google Scholar]
Tokarczuk, O. (2018), Diabelskie poczucie bezsilności (Aleksandra Pawlicka’s interview with Olga Tokarczuk). Newsweek. Wydanie specjalne, 3. [Google Scholar]
Wallerstein, I. (1974). The Rise and Future Demise of the World Capitalist System. Concepts for comparative analysis. Comparative Studies in Society and History, 16(4): 387–415. [Google Scholar]
Wallerstein, I. (2013). Structural crisis, or why capitalists may no longer find capitalism rewarding. In: Wallerstein, I. et al., Does Capitalism Have a Future. New York: Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar]
Wildavsky, A. (1987). Choosing preferences by constructing institutions: a cultural theory of preference construction. American Political Science Review, 81(1). [Google Scholar]
Wildavsky, A. (1998). Culture and Social Theory. New Brunswick (USA) and London (UK): Transaction Publishers. [Google Scholar]
Wyczański, A. (1999). Polska w Europie XVI stulecia. Poznań: Wydawnictwo Poznańskie. [Google Scholar]
Zagórski, K. (2018). Etatism versus liberalism: Economic attitudes in Poland after their world crisis. Journal of Management and Business Administration Central Europe, 26(1). [Google Scholar]

Full metadata record

Cite this record

APA style

Morawski, Witold (2019). Researching Capitalism In Poland: Economic Interests As A Cultural Construction. (2019). Researching Capitalism In Poland: Economic Interests As A Cultural Construction. Central European Management Journal, 27(1), 84-107. https://doi.org/10.7206/jmba.ce.2450-7814.248 (Original work published 2019)

MLA style

Morawski, Witold. “Researching Capitalism In Poland: Economic Interests As A Cultural Construction”. 2019. Central European Management Journal, vol. 27, no. 1, 2019, pp. 84-107.

Chicago style

Morawski, Witold. “Researching Capitalism In Poland: Economic Interests As A Cultural Construction”. Central European Management Journal, Central European Management Journal, 27, no. 1 (2019): 84-107. doi:10.7206/jmba.ce.2450-7814.248.

Copyright info

CC-BY-NC-ND

[1] A golden opportunity (2014). The Second Jagiellonian Age. Special Report Poland. The Economist, 28 June: 1–10. [Google Scholar]

[2] Acemoglu, D. and Robinson, J.A. (2012). Why Nations Fail. The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty. New York: Crown Business. [Google Scholar]

[3] Arendt, H. (1951). The Origins of Totalitarianism. New York: Harcourt. [Google Scholar]

[4] Braudel, F. (2013). Dynamika kapitalizmu. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Aletheia. [Google Scholar]

[5] Calhoun, C. (2013). What threatens capitalism now? In: I. Wallerstein et al., Does Capitalism Have a Future? Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar]

[6] Cieślik, J. (2016). Polskie przedsiębiorstwa wobec wyzwań przyszłości. In: W. Morawski (ed.), Wobec wyzwań jutra. Warszawa: Wolters Kluwer Polska. [Google Scholar]

[7] Collins, R. (1986). Weberian Sociological Theory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [Google Scholar]

[8] Collins, R. (2013). The end of middle class: no more escapes. In: I. Wallerstein et al., Does Capitalism Have a Future? Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar]

[9] Comte-Sponville (2012). Czy kapitalizm jest moralny? O niedorzecznościach i tyranii naszych czasów. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Czarna Owca. [Google Scholar]

[10] Desai, M. (2001). Capitalism. In: J. Krieger (ed.), The Oxford Companion to politics of the world. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar]

[11] Fukuyama, F. (2001). The limits of liberal democracy In: J. Krieger (ed.), The Oxford Companion to politics of the world. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar]

[12] Fulcher, J. (2015). Capitalism. A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar]

[13] Kaletsky, A. (2010). Capitalism 4.0. The Birth of a New Economy in the Aftermath of Crisis New York: Public Affairs. [Google Scholar]

[14] Kochanowicz, J. (2010). Polska w epoce nowoczesnego wzrostu gospodarczego. In: W. Morawski (ed.), Modernizacja Polski. Struktury. Agencje. Instytucje. Warszawa: WAiP. [Google Scholar]

[15] Kotkin, S. (2018). Realist World. The Players Change, but the Game Remains. Foreign Affairs, July, 97(4). [Google Scholar]

[16] Miłosz Czeslaw (2006). Pomiędzy przeszłością a przyszłością. Odczyt z okazji otrzymania nagrody nobla, 8 grudnia 1980. In: Wielkie mowy historii. Od Kennedy’ego do Ratzingera. Warszawa: Polityka. [Google Scholar]

[17] Miłosz, Cz. (2012). Nowoczesność idylliczna. In: Charlesa Taylora wizja nowoczesności. Rekonstrukcje i interpretacje. Lublin: Oficyna Wydawnicza Łośgraf. [Google Scholar]

[18] North, D.C. and Thomas, R.P. (1973). The Rise of the Western World. A New Economic History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511819438 [Google Scholar]

[19] North, D.C. (1997). Institutions, Economic Growth and Freedom. An Historical Introduction. In: S. Pejovich (ed.),The Economic Foundations of Property Rights. Selected Readings. Cheltenham-Lyme, N.H.: Elgar. [Google Scholar]

[20] Offe, C. (1996). Modernity & the State. East, West. Cambridge/Oxford: Polity Press. [Google Scholar]

[21] Parsons, T. (1972). Culture and the Social System Revisited. Social Science Quarterly, 53. [Google Scholar]

[22] Rae, G. (2015). Stosunek Polaków do sektora publicznego i interwencjonizmu państwowego. In: K. Zagórski et al. (eds.), Postawy ekonomiczne w czasach niepewności. Ekonomiczna wyobraźnia Polaków 201 –2014. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Scholar. [Google Scholar]

[23] Sandoz, E. (2001). Bill of Rights. In: J. Krieger (ed.), The Oxford Companion to politics of the world. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar]

[24] Selznick, Ph. (1960). The Organizational Weapon. New York: Free Press. [Google Scholar]

[25] Sowa, J. (2011). Fantomowe ciało króla. Peryferyjne zmagania z nowoczesną formą. Kraków: Universitas. [Google Scholar]

[26] Taylor, Ch. (2006). Modern Social Imaginaries. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. [Google Scholar]

[27] Tocqueville, A. de (1970). Dawny ustrój I rewolucja (Old Regime and the Revolution). Warszawa: Czytelnik. [Google Scholar]

[28] Tocqueville, A. de (2012). Democracy in America. Indianapolis: Liberty Fund. [Google Scholar]

[29] Tokarczuk, O. (2018), Diabelskie poczucie bezsilności (Aleksandra Pawlicka’s interview with Olga Tokarczuk). Newsweek. Wydanie specjalne, 3. [Google Scholar]

[30] Wallerstein, I. (1974). The Rise and Future Demise of the World Capitalist System. Concepts for comparative analysis. Comparative Studies in Society and History, 16(4): 387–415. [Google Scholar]

[31] Wallerstein, I. (2013). Structural crisis, or why capitalists may no longer find capitalism rewarding. In: Wallerstein, I. et al., Does Capitalism Have a Future. New York: Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar]

[32] Wildavsky, A. (1987). Choosing preferences by constructing institutions: a cultural theory of preference construction. American Political Science Review, 81(1). [Google Scholar]

[33] Wildavsky, A. (1998). Culture and Social Theory. New Brunswick (USA) and London (UK): Transaction Publishers. [Google Scholar]

[34] Wyczański, A. (1999). Polska w Europie XVI stulecia. Poznań: Wydawnictwo Poznańskie. [Google Scholar]

[35] Zagórski, K. (2018). Etatism versus liberalism: Economic attitudes in Poland after their world crisis. Journal of Management and Business Administration Central Europe, 26(1). [Google Scholar]

Central European Management Journal