Grzegorz Węcławowicz

Contemporary Poland : space and society

Part 1 Introduction: Poland in a European context ideology and social and economic structure towards transformation - the decline and rejection of the communist system. Part 2 The regional differentiation and post-communist transformation: regional and spatial structure population urban Poland the ecological consequences of industrialization and urbanization. Part 3 The post-communist challenge: the social consequences of transformation the new political structure the emergence of new regional differentiation the security and modernization challenges.

Agricultural Reform in Post-Transition Poland

Agriculture occupies a unique position in the economy of transition Poland: largely non-collectivised during the communist regime, a large proportion of its agricultural output was, and continues to be, produced on small, private, family-run farms. In this article it is argued that the agricultural community is more at risk than many others in contemporary Polish society from the dangers inherent in the transition to a market-driven economy. If Poland is to become a fully fledged, Western-style nation, radical restructuring of the agricultural sector is essential, although to date reform has been rather marginal. Without a quickening of the pace of agricultural reform, Poland is unlikely to achieve her goal of full EU membership by the beginning of the next century. The portents that this will happen are not, however, promising.