This thesis analyses the economic response of the Polish agricultural sector to the post 1989 political and economic reforms. The research adopts a two tiered spatial structure that utilises the Polish economic responsefrom both the national and regional perspectives. At the national level, the overriding concern is the economic performance of the Polish farming sector and its affiliated industries during the country's transition from a centrally planned to a more marketorientated economy. The thesis includes an evaluation of a number of inter-related variables including ownership rights, the role of research, technology and development, the availability of private andpublic sources of investment and rural infrastructure, the implications of current EU-Poland trade agreements and increasing trade competitiveness. The centrepiece of this research is an econometric analysis of Poland's primary sector using the Cobb Douglas prcxiuctionfunction. In short, the model is a production-based, supplyside analysis of the relationship between agricultural output and inputs, evaluating econometrically the determinants of Polish national and regional arable supply (1989-1993). The empirical component of the research programme uses published and unpublished Polish secondary agricultural and meteorological data; interview material gathered from European Union officials, Polish central and local government representatives, academics.farmers and state sector managers. Localised information gathered in two study areas in Poland during 1993 and 1994 provides further useful insights into the local impact of economic reforms. These theoretical and empirical inputs allow a two tier analysis of the response of Polish farming to the transition process. Thefirst focuses upon issues surrounding economic transition and itsfuture implications for Polish agricultural production. The second considers the general role of the primary sector in socio-economic development. This empirical research, therefore, synthesises various aspects of agricultural development theory within the present climate of Central and Eastern European economic change.

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