We invite you to read the book “Brexit and the Consequences for International Competitiveness”, recently published by the Palgrave Macmillan, co-authored by managing partner of SEENDICO, prof. M-J. Radło who presents the potential effects of Brexit for Poland.

The book

The book provides a study on the impact of Brexit on international competitiveness and in doing so, presents a theoretical account of regional disintegration. In recent decades, the theory of regional economic integration has expanded following growing integration processes taking place not only in Europe, but in other continents too. The result of the EU Referendum in the United Kingdom on 23 June 2016 revealed that regional integration does not have to be a one-way process as was perceived for many years. Despite well-developed models of economic integration within economic theory, there still lacks an analytical explanation of the mechanics of disintegration. For many years, integration was commonly perceived as a beneficial process, and while disintegration is not desirable, this led to normative bias in the research on regional integration. This book, therefore, makes an important contribution to theoretical and empirical developments of regional economic disintegration.

Brexit and Poland

In his chapter Prof. Radlo argues that Brexit may have diverse consequences for the Polish economy depending on the exact shape of economic relations between the EU and the UK after Brexit. Most macroeconomic analyses point to the negative effects of Brexit on GDP growth, but its actual impact on the Polish economy is expected to be negligible. In terms of migration, Brexit can have a positive impact on the Polish economy. Nevertheless, a key goal from the point of view of the interests of the Polish economy should be to use Brexit to reverse migration trends and to bring the labor force back to Poland. Tus, Brexit may positively influence Poland’s labor market and its long-term economic growth. The impact of Brexit on trade and foreign investment, meanwhile, may be negative, though its actual influence may vary depending on the Brexit scenario. Interestingly, Brexit should improve the position of Poland and its regional Visegrad Group in the Council of the European Union and the European Council. It will also change the bargaining power of different coalitions of member states in terms of voting or blocking decisions within the EU.