Meanwhile, In Poland . . .
By Pejman Yousefzadeh Posted in Capitalism | Foreign Affairs | Free Markets | Poland — Comments (0) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Friedmanesque policies are gaining momentum:
Deregulation, privatisation, and an end to mistrust between government and business will top the new Polish administration's economic agenda, says Donald Tusk, the prime minister.
"We have to recognise that an economy freed of unnecessary regulations is more effective ... You have to take a machete and cut, cut, cut. Determination is needed, because there is a regulation fetish," Mr Tusk told the Financial Times in his first foreign media interview since his surprise election victory last month."The word deregulation is not an empty motto."
Mr Tusk pledged to pull the state back from economic life and break with the approach of the outgoing conservative government of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, which saw much of Polish business as a corrupt conspiracy run by former communists.
Mr Tusk said: "Most of the activities of the past government were motivated by a lack of trust and a will to control as much economic and public life as possible. We want to be an alternative to that type of thinking."
Mr Tusk's words will come as a relief to business people, particularly those dealing with state agencies on matters including tax investigations, planning regulations and public sector contracts. Under Mr Kaczynski many officials were reluctant to make decisions for fear of being accused of bribe-taking.
The more economic liberalization we have, the better things are, in my view. Economic liberalization in places like Poland is especially welcome given the protectionist nature of the Sarkozy government in France. Perhaps Poland can work to recruit other countries to act as a counterweight as well.