Poland’s institutional cycles. Remarks on the historical roots of the contemporary institutional matrix

Abstract

The aim of this article is to identify and evaluate institutional cycles (periods with a permanent predominance of dominant institutions that determine the entire political–economic system) in Poland’s history and assess them in terms of the predominance of inclusive or extractive political and economic institutions. The Polish lands lying at the edge of Western civilisation were in the orbit of the influence of both West and East. It adopted institutions from both sides while creating its own, original organisations. Ultimately, Western institutions prevailed. However, over the course of Poland’s more than 1,000-year history, extractive institutions predominated, making the country backward in relation to the West. The article applies theory derived from new institutional economics and historical analysis to explore Poland’s institutional cycles.