A remarkable event took place at Lviv Polytechnic: the academic community, students and guests gathered for an open lecture by Professor Leszek Balcerowicz, one of the key architects of the Polish transformations of the 1990s, founder and chairman of the Board of the Civil Development Forum Foundation (FOR), as well as a member of the international organisation of financiers and scientists J30, a prominent economist, reformer and honorary doctor of Lviv Polytechnic. He arrived here together with his wife Ewa Balcerowicz, Jakub Karnowski, President of Kredobank, and Jarosław Beldowski, First Vice President of the Management Board of Kredobank.
The meeting was moderated by Nataliia Chukhrai, Vice-Rector for Education and International Relations.
Acting Rector of Lviv Polytechnic, Professor Yurii Bobalo, introduced the Professor Balcerowicz to the audience:
– This is a man who, through his work and his vision, has brought about profound changes in his country and has become a symbol of successful reforms for the whole world. His experience and analytical insights are extremely valuable today, when Ukraine is going through a difficult but irreversible path of reform and modernisation.
Professor Nataliia Shakhovska, who had recently been elected Rector, also addressed the distinguished guest:
– It is a great honour for me to be part of this event. Mr. Balcerowicz, you show an example how to combine science, strategic thinking and a deep understanding of state-building. Your lecture is not just an academic event, but an opportunity to understand more deeply the transformations that not only Poland, but also Ukraine is going through.
The topic of the lecture – Post-Socialist Changes in Comparative Perspective- attracted special attention of the academic community, students and representatives of the economic sector.
In his lecture, Professor Balcerowicz discussed the lessons of Polish reforms, the principles of effective transformation, and the role of democracy and institutions in transformation.
One of the main topics of the speech was the comparison of socialist and capitalist systems. Balcerowicz stressed that state ownership, which was a defining feature of socialism, «has never been an effective form of economic organization». Property managed by the state, and therefore by officials and politicians, is not capable of stimulating initiative, competition and innovation.
