Poland - Toward a Fiscal Framework for Growth : A Public Expenditure and Institutional Review

World Bank

Washington, DC

关键词: PUBLIC EXPENDITURES;    INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK;    FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY;    SOCIAL REFORM;    STRUCTURAL REFORMS;   

RP-ID  :  25033

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

The objective of this report is toassess the status of public expenditures, and developrecommendations to promote fiscal stability and growth inPoland, towards the consolidation and restructuring of itspublic finances, strengthening its budget management, andbetter leverage in EU financing. This report examines thosesocial and structural reform issues that affect, or areaffected by the stance of public finance. First, it reviewsPoland's economic performance with a focus on itsmacroeconomic policy mix, public debt sustainability issues,and developments in public finance, and expenditurecomposition. It highlights the need to tighten fiscal policyas a means to further rebalance the macroeconomic policymix, and to reverse unfavorable debt dynamics. It alsopoints out that Poland's public sector is relativelylarge for its income level, and that social protection andassistance related expenditures have been a major source ofthis situation. In particular, investment in physicalinfrastructure has been relatively neglected during the lastdecade in favor of expenditures on social programs andconsumption. Fiscal consolidation has also been hampered byover-indexation of social expenditures. Second, the reportexamines the extent to which the current budgetary outcomesare the result of weaknesses in the incentive arrangementsfor good budgeting. The report suggests significant reformsin budget processes for sustainable improvements in publicfinances, in particular, priority areas include measures toconsolidate the budget, to ensure a comprehensive picture ofpublic finances, and effective cash management; tostrengthen budgetary processes by exercising a Medium-TermExpenditure Framework, and incentives for improved publicservice delivery; and, to strengthen ex-post internal andexternal audit systems. Third, the report examines optionsfor expenditure cuts and restructuring, necessary for fiscalsustainability, in particular, it discusses those sectoralprograms that could potentially: (i) provide significantsavings to the budget (social protection); (ii) contributeto Poland's human and physical capital; (iii) unlockthe growth potential of underutilized factors of productionin agriculture and Poland's rural areas; and, (iv)improve the country's living conditions, by upgradingits environmental standards as agreed with the EU.