English
Obserwator Finansowy features views and analysis of economy in Poland and other countries, written by some of the best journalists, economists and analysts. Our mission is to share knowledge of economics and financial markets in the world.
Obserwator Finansowy is a project under aegis of the Poland’s central bank, Narodowy Bank Polski. We have published thousands of articles about the Polish and global economy. Our journalists have conducted hundreds of interviews with Nobel laureates, distinguished economists, business leaders and politicians with views across the political spectrum.
In this section you can find selected articles in English.
Can Poland overtake Germany?
Jo HarperLast August, a report by the Warsaw School of Economics (SGH) argued that if Poland maintains the economic growth rate it enjoyed in 1990-2018, it will catch up with Germany in 21 years' time. Poland’s fast, stable growth...
Washington threatens Prague with tariffs over digital tax plans
Jo HarperThe US government has threatened the Czech Republic with tariffs on the country’s goods if its parliament adopts a 7 per cent digital tax. According to Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek, the Czech Republic could face...
Behavioural economics will strengthen pension savings
Jarosław JaneckiYear by year, redistributive pension schemes (pay-as-you-go, PAYG) operate in more difficult conditions. As a result of the lengthening of life expectancy and the ageing of the population, successive generations of...
The European economy: no trouble on the horizon
Obserwator FinansowyThe growth rate of the European economies slowed down in 2019, but mechanisms adopted by the European Union after the recent financial crisis do not indicate a build-up of macroeconomic imbalances. The situation in 13 EU...
Poland fights its corner in the EU budget spat
Jo HarperThe debate on the next EU budget becomes heated. The northern countries want to limit the cohesion funds, while Central and Southeast countries insist on the same level as previously. Germany, the EU’s biggest contributor,...
We know too little about Polish inequality
Sebastian Stodolak“We still know too little about the scale of income and wealth inequality in Poland. Not enough Polish academics are interested in or research the subject,” argues Michał Brzeziński, PhD, an economist from the Warsaw...
Three decades of inflation targeting strategy
Joanna NiedźwiedzińskaThe inflation targeting strategy has been pursued worldwide for 30 years, and has become one of the most widely used monetary policy regimes. According to this strategy the inflation target communicated to the public is the...
The real wealth of EU nations
Filip BrokešIn late December 2019, Eurostat released the latest data on household consumption across the European Union. Luxembourg remains the country with the highest household spending. Among member states in Central and Southeast...
Consumers’ inflationary mirage
Jarosław JaneckiAt a time when many central banks conduct a monetary policy based on near-zero or negative policy rates, expectations — not only of future interest rates, but also inflation — are playing an increasingly significant...
In the EU government debt increases as its share in the GDP lowers
Jan MuśMost of the Southeast European member states show decrease in the government debt as a share of GDP, as shown in a report published by the Eurostat. The EU debt as a share of GDP declined slightly in the Q3’19 q/q. In the...