Polish universities, their regions and their impact on economic growth
Polish universities, their regions and their impact on economic growth

Summary/Abstract: This paper explores the regional engagement of Polish universities and shows that the assumptionsabout the linkages between universities, their regions, and economic competitiveness that are takenfor granted in the knowledge-economy policy discourse in advanced Western European economiesmay not fit Poland today. Universities in Poland contribute to economic development, but numerousother features that are known to contribute to economic growth are non-existent, and numerousinhibitors of economic growth, already addressed in knowledge-intensive economies, are still in force.Two decades of social and economic transformations are not long enough to bridge the gap betweentwo parts of Europe. Expectations from universities to boost regional economies and contribute moredirectly to regional economic growth and new jobs may be unrealistic in the Polish case, due toa multitude of other relevant factors not linked either directly or indirectly to universities.

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