Socio-cultural reasons for the development gap between Central-Eastern and North- Western Europe and the reasons for overcoming it 4208-SKPLR-OG
The development gap between Eastern and Western Europe emerged in the 16th century as a result of cultural conditions in England and the Netherlands that were conducive to the development of capitalism. The resulting cultural and developmental differences are still evident today. Two theories will be used to explain contemporary economic differences. Institutional theory focuses on identifying internal factors that either promote or hinder the development of a given society. The core-periphery theory focuses on analyzing external factors that hinder the development of a given society, such as the structure of international relations. Narrowing the development gap depends on increasing innovative potential and fostering rational personalities—that is, pro-development intellectual potential.
Lecture topics
1. The Origins of Modern Economic Organizations. The Emergence of Capitalism as a Result of Cultural Change.
2. The Eastern European Economic Complex. Origins and the Present Day.
3. The Middle-Income Trap or a Universal Barrier to Development?
4. Contemporary Diversities in European Culture
5. An outline of institutional theory. Exclusionary and inclusive institutions.
6. Exclusive and inclusive institutions and their relationship to inequality, democracy, and economic development.
7. Quality of governance. Differences between the West and the East in the European Union.
8. Cultural determinants of the quality of governance
9. Corruption in the Eastern and Western countries of the European Union and its political determinants
10. Global economic relations and the center-periphery theory. Empirical verification
11. Does the European center of economic development reduce the development potential of the Visegrad Group countries?
12. Were the economic reforms after 1990 accompanied by changes in the cultural potential for development in the Visegrad Group countries?
13. The Intellectual Foundations of the Market Economy and Democracy. An Analysis of Irrationality and Intellectual Closed-Mindedness in European Union Countries.
14. What are Poland’s chances of joining the group of leading countries in the development of an innovative economy?
Course coordinators
Mode
Learning outcomes
In terms of knowledge, the student:
Understands the influence of culture on the level of economic development and the influence of the economy on culture.
Knows the historical foundations of the current state of the economy, culture, and social awareness in Poland and EU countries.
Knows the basic indicators of economic development and their socio-cultural context in EU countries and can interpret them from the perspective of the "middle income trap" and the
requirements of a knowledge-based economy.
Assess the importance of domestic and international factors for the development of Poland and Central and Eastern Europe based on theories of institutional development, dependent development, and long-term processes.
Understands the positive and negative impact of income inequality on economic development and democracy.
Assess the similarities and differences between the imitative development model and the identity strategy.
Knows the quality of governance and how it influences economic development and people's attitudes towards the market and democracy.
In terms of skills, the student…
Interprets and analyzes the causes and course of processes and phenomena in economic and political organizations, as well as the interrelationships between these phenomena in the context
of development.
In terms of social competences…
Applies acquired knowledge in an interdisciplinary manner to various aspects of organizational knowledge to continuously develop their skills.
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