SPOŁECZNA GOSPODARKA RYNKOWA - PLEONAZM CZY UŻYTECZNA W PRAKTYCE KONCEPCJA?
SOCIAL MARKET ECONOMY: A PLEONASM OR USEFUL CONCEPT?

Summary/Abstract: The concept of the social market economy is not only an important one in Poland (and certainly not only in this country) but at the same time it is hardly recognizable and made popular. This concept is frequently misunderstood and identified with the socialist social policy of redistribution. Even in encyclopaedias this term is wrongly defined as a synonym of state interventionism. This concept is identified with a well developed welfare state and associated with huge social expenditures. Misunderstandings in the interpretation of the term take place and persist in spite of the fact that the Polish Constitution has recognised the model of the social market economy. If we recognise that the penetration of economic models in times of globalisation is unavoidable, it is legitimate not just to contrast the models but to find ways how to streamline this penetration to optimise the economic and social usefulness, i.e. how to promote continuous and sustainable development, on the local and global scale; and this in turn requires an adequate harmony of economic and social goals. Only future will show to what extent the ideas of the social market economy may facilitate reaching such harmony. It still is an open question. However, one may definitely claim that in the conditions of the knowledge-based society the usefulness of these ideas increases along with the necessity of sustainable development and of strengthening the idea of humano-centrism.

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