Marta Postuła

Impact of the Council Directive on Requirements for Budgetary Frameworks of the Member States on the Polish Public Finance System

Abstract Purpose: The paper discusses the validity of the thesis according to which Polish budgetary framework in place in 2011 required only minor adjustments in order to be consistent with the principles set forth in the EU Council Directive on requirements for budgetary frameworks of Member States adopted in November 2011. Basic elements of the budgetary framework laid down in the Directive had already been provided for in Polish law. Methodology: A comparative analysis of the provisions of the Directive with relevant acts of Polish legislation, including the Public Finance Act, was carried out. The author outlines the Polish budgetary framework before 2011 and the most important adjustments introduced by the end of 2013 on the basis of the budgetary framework structure set forth in the Directive. Findings: The assessment of the convergence of provisions encompassed definitions, accounting, statistics, forecasts, numerical fiscal rules, medium-term budgetary frameworks, transparency and consistency. Its results demonstrate that Polish regulations complied with the provisions of the Directive. In order to confirm their correctness, an assessment of the practical application of recent adjustments, which entered into force in 2014, must be carried out. Constraints to research: The analysis addresses the main concepts and their most important characteristics, and therefore a synthetic approach to the subject required omitting a number of specific issues. Originality: The paper analyses the convergence of the Polish budgetary framework in 2011 and its subsequent adjustments to the provisions of the Directive of the EU Council requiring Member States to amend their legislation by the end of 2013.

The Impact of Standardised fiscal rules index on the Yield on Ten-Year Government Bonds in the Visegrád Group Countries in 2005–2016

Abstract Purpose: The article analyzes the possible methods of public debt management, which not only aim to meet regulatory requirements but also obtain a market premium in the form of an optimal level of the yield on government bond yields that will be profitable for the issuer. The study analyzes the situation in the public finance sector in the countries that form the Visegrád Group (V4). The authors evaluate the main regulatory requirements of EU law in the area of numerical fiscal rules and their impact on the yield on basic securities such as ten-year government bonds, which directly influences the cost of servicing long-term public debt. Methodology: The study uses desk research method for theoretical reasoning to verify the research hypothesis. The study seeks to answer the question of whether the application of national and EU fiscal rules in V4 budgetary frameworks contributes to lower yields on ten-year bonds and thereby reduces the cost of public debt. The authors utilize time series and cause-effect analysis as well as quantitative research for the systematization of statistical information and regression analysis for the examination of statistical dependencies. Findings: The basic parameters subject to financial assessment within the fiscal rules index are (1) the deficit of public finance sector and (2) public debt with its servicing costs. In 2005–2016, the ratio of the public finance sector deficit to GDP was shaped in such a way that most V4 countries required the institution of excessive deficit procedures and further disciplinary regulations. The assessment of the situation in the public finance sector in the area of budget deficit and public debt does not translate into the yield on government bonds of non-Eurozone countries. Model-based testing indicates that the financial markets – when deciding to evaluate or purchase government bonds of non-Eurozone countries – failed to acknowledge the implementation of fiscal rules in these countries and its possible effects. Originality: The study focuses on a unique comprehensive analysis of national fiscal rules employed in individual V4 countries and their impact on the yield on government bonds throughout the entire EU membership of the V4. What holds the greatest cognitive value in this article is the answer to the question of whether Eurozone membership impacts the valuation of a country’s public debt.

Risk Analysis as an Instrument of Public Management

The catalogue of financial risks identified by researchers and defined in relation to the business sector indicates that, at the micro level, almost all of them may also relate to particular entities in the public finances sector. However, there are fairly significant differences when it comes to objectives set for public entities, which frequently provide public goods, and the manner by which their operations are financed. The public sector, accordingly, does not view financial risk in the same way as private enterprise and because less exposed to financial damage manages risk differently. Moreover, it should be noted that the impact of particular types of financial risk on the financial standing of the whole sector, and on that of individual entities across the sector is different. Additionally, failure to assess and mitigate risk decisively on the part of public administrators in the medium and long term may have a huge influence on socio-economic growth globally.

Spending Reviews – a Tool to Support the Effcient Management of Public Funds

Abstract Purpose: Respective European Union member states′ interest in using spending reviews varies as there are no international mandatory regulations. The EU legislation contains general indications as to maintaining a rational fiscal policy, from the provisions of the TFUE, expanded in the Pact for Stability and Growth, and elaborated in 2011. Methodology: Adopting an interpretative research approach, this article elaborates a multiple explanatory case study design to discover how existing theories about public spending reviews are conceptualized by practitioners in their natural contexts. Findings: The deteriorated state of many countries′ public finances, as a result of the global financial crisis, has increased the interest in advanced innovative consolidation and fiscal stabilization methods. Spending reviews are among the most developed and advanced methods. Such reviews were conducted both by countries that had applied this instrument before (Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, United Kingdom, Australia), and by those that introduced them for the first time (Ireland, Canada, France). However, reviews are applied in countries characterized by significant economic advancement and mature public management systems. Originality: This article analyses and draws conclusions from several selected countries′ experience to date in using spending reviews. The budget functions are compared using information from the implementation of the spending reviews. This article contributes to filling two main gaps identified in the literature review.

Long-Term Programs as Instruments for the Effective Management of Public Finances: Fact or Myth?

Long-term planning is recognized by modern science as an indispensable tool for the modern management of broadly understood finances, both private and public. It has been present for years in the financial management of many countries throughout the world. Therefore, it is reasonable to strive to adopt a similar system in relation to public finances in Poland. The sudden importance of long-term financial planning (budgeting) occurred in Poland along with its accession to the European Union. This is borne out by not only the need for social, economic, and financial national plans to take into account the common objectives of the European Union, but also the methods for preparing the plans, establishing priorities, strategic areas, etc. Poland, in becoming a member of the European Union, has also, to some extent, become the subject of planning. Current considerations lead to the conclusion that the strongest and most direct link of long-term planning with annual planning is long-term programs. Thus, the objective of this paper is to undertake analysis of this instrument of public finance management, with special emphasis on the pros and cons of such a solution. The author also proposed specific changes in relation to the multiannual programs that, in her opinion, will increase the effectiveness of the management of public funds allocated for their implementation.

Dylematy dotyczące polityki fiskalnej w latach 1995–2012 na przykładzie transformujących się krajów Europy Środkowej

The article discusses the effects of fiscal policy in five countries: Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary. The analysis compares the rates of economic growth, including changes in per capita GDP expressed in terms of PPS, against the background of the overall level of economic activity, the country’s position on the Doing Business global ranking of economic freedom and the size of public revenue and expenditure. Obtaining optimal conditions for development requires the use in suitable proportions of state intervention and liberal principles. The countries that actively guide the processes of transformation and reform while pursuing a fiscal policy matched to the current level of development are the ones that achieve above average growth levels over a 15–20 year period.