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Poland's Economic Paper Tiger: Growth Held Back by Regulatory Drag
Poland ranks 45th in economic freedom; cuts to property registration from 170 days could boost construction output 8% over a decade, the Mises Institute says.
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Poland's economy has grown steadily since the fall of communism three decades ago. The transition to a market system lifted living standards faster than almost any other former Soviet-bloc country. The pace has slowed. The Mises Institute, in a piece headlined "Poland: For Now It's Still a Paper Tiger," argues the country is leaving growth on the table because it has not pushed further on economic freedom.
The analysis points to specific bottlenecks. Poland ranks 45th globally on the Heritage Foundation's Index of Economic Freedom, behind Chile and the United Arab Emirates. The index gives low marks for government integrity and labor freedom. Poland's corporate tax rate is a flat 19%, one of the lowest in the EU. Property registration takes 170 days, far longer than the European average. A 2019 World Bank study found that cutting that to 30 days could lift construction sector output by 8% over a decade.