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 evelopment 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?