Crisis Management and the Changing Role of the State – 2nd Central European PhD Workshop in Hungary

An increasing role of state operations in the economy has been generally perceived as a response to the financial crisis. Yet, in many countries, including Poland, this phenomenon stems from rent seeking rather than economic downturn – said prof. Piotr Kozarzewski during the 2nd Central European PhD Workshop in Hungary. The event took place between 20th and 21st March 2014 in Szeged, Hungary. Researchers from Poland, Hungary and Romania participated in lectures and debates on a role of the state in the market operations, as well as crisis management.

Prof. Piotr Kozarzewski, a Member of CASE Supervisory Council, was one of three keynote speakers. In his presentation “Privatization in the shade of statism” he described recent trends in public and private ownership, and state’s share in economic operations in general. According to him a government and its entities play a significant role in many economies, including Poland. In 2012, state-controlled sector contributed to about 15-20 per cent of the Polish GDP. At the same time, 12 out of 25 largest companies were state-controlled. Moreover, dividends and revenues from privatization have been decreasing since 2009, and in 2013 they amounted to approximately 6 and 5 bn PLN respectively. Contrary to popular opinion, it is the increasingly widespread rent-seeking, and not the financial crisis that lies at the roots of this situation.  

Keynote speakers accompanying prof. Kozarzewski – prof. Katalis Botos and prof. Eva Voszka – tackled the issues of the changing role of the state and finalization, as well as nationalization in Hungary. The event was organized by the University of Szeged in collaboration with the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Regional Committee in Szeged.
 

You can download prof. Kozarzewski's presentation here.