Long abstract

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Poland has a large window of opportunity to conduct an ambitious regional
development policy. It has managed to maintain high growth levels since the
mid 1990s, with the second-best performance in the OECD in 2006-07; however,
territorial disparities are persistent and rising, especially between large urban
areas and rural ones.
Poland has one of the greatest territorial disparities in terms of gross domestic
product (GDP) per capita in the OECD, and the gap between regions has increased since the mid-1990s.
Three types of disparity are visible: a persistent gap between eastern and western
Poland; a gap between Warsaw and the rest of the country; and rising disparities
between large urban areas and rural ones, in particular in the regions of Warsaw
(Mazowieckie), Poznan (Wielkopolskie) and Cracow (Malopolskie).
Regional development policies are currently high on the political agenda in
Poland, owing to the strong support from EU funds and the increased role of the
16 regions. Poland is the largest recipient of EU structural funds in 2007-2013,
being allocated EUR 67 billion under EU cohesion policy. This external support is
complemented by a significant national co-financing effort.
Like many OECD countries, Poland must seek to achieve an appropriate balance
between support for poles of growth and the development of lagging regions,
particularly its eastern peripheral regions.
This Policy Brief presents the various challenges and opportunities for Polish
regional development policy, and provides recommendations on the best way to
implement the policy mix, looking in particular at governance challenges.