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.
Economic Slump Sends Hungarians Abroad
Kester EddyLast summer, having pondered his professional opportunities for some months, Istvan Kozari upped sticks, leaving his native Budapest for a new life in London. Mr Kozari, then just 35, had worked as a sales and marketing...
The Polish economy needs immigrant workers. Who should we invite?
Marcin JendrzejczakLow population growth and economic emigration may lead to a sharp crisis in Poland's pension system and public finances. This can be prevented by a conscious family policy and economic immigration to Poland, especially from...
The Poles are leaders in emigration; someone has to replace them here
Jan CipiurPoland is one of the leading OECD countries, but not in spending on research and development or pre capita income – instead, Poland is a leader in supplying foreign countries with emigrants with higher vocational and...
Pressed by War and Economic Collapse, Ukraine Again Tries to Reform
Annabelle ChapmanReform is on the agenda in Kiev. After over twenty years deformed by corruption and incomplete reforms, the demand for “European standards” – an umbrella term for values such as greater transparency and rule-of-law –...
The Baltic States, A Model of Austerity or a One-Off?
Annabelle ChapmanEstonia, Latvia and Lithuania experienced the global financial crisis in a dramatic fashion, enduring the world’s worst recessions, followed by drastic austerity measures and then a return to growth – prompting some to...
Belarus: Reliance on Russia Puts Off Reforms
Sergei KuznetsovBelarus’s economy remains one of the least reformed in the region – largely because it has been able to rely on help from Russia to avoid a politically risky restructuring which could endanger the authoritarian rule of...
A Transition Looks at 25 – Taking Stock of Transformation in Central and Eastern Europe
SzymonAs 2014 draws to a close, so too do the celebrations of the annus mirabilis of 1989 and the quarter-century of transition that followed in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). While the retrospectives across the region and in...
Poland’s New Golden Age
Marcin PiątkowskiNapoleon Bonaparte once reportedly complained that history was a set of lies everyone agreed upon. While such a view may be too cynical, it is nonetheless true that nations tend to idealize their past. Poland is no...
Hungary Forges its Own Path
Kester EddySurrounded by fairy lights and fir trees, and with strains of 'White Christmas' crooning in the background, the crowd at Arena Plaza, a modern, Budapest shopping mall, makes for brisk trade just a fortnight before the big...
Unfinished Revolutions
Andrew MacDowallThe path taken by Romania and Bulgaria over the past 25 years differs from that of both Central Europe, which embraced free-market capitalism more enthusiastically, and the Western Balkans, much of which was set back by...