STATE ENTERPRISES IN THE CONTEMPORARY ECONOMY: POLAND AGAINST A BACKGROUND OF THE WORLD

The aim of the article is a theoretical and empirical examination of the new major phenomenon of the contemporary global economy: a rise in the scope and importance of state enterprises. Special attention was given to the role of state enterprises in the Polish economy, considered against a background of world economy. The authors discuss first the methodological problems related to the definition and identification of state enterprises. They point at the fact that the property criterion traditionally used to identify state enterprises should be supplemented or replaced by the criterion of factual control over enterprise's functioning and development. Then the authors present and analyse numerical data and indicators which illustrate the place of state enterprises in the world economy and in Poland's economy. Next, they point at the three factors underlying the rising share and significance of state enterprises in the contemporary economies: changes in the relative strength of major powers within the global economy, a rising importance of energy resources, and changes in the management system of state enterprises affecting their efficiency. The paper is closed with the conclusions drawn from the analysis.