The Economic Geography of Poland: The Prospects for Successful Change.
What geographical data should be used to determine where Europe begins and ends? Are a sense of shared sense of identity, history, and ideology more or less important than arbitrary geographical boundaries? Does the geography of Europe depend in any way on who is a member of the EU and who is not? This paper will apply an array of these questions to the country of Poland, the most successful breakaway state in the post-communist bloc. The primary issue that will be addressed is Poland's emerging relationship with the European Union. In the final analysis it will be shown that ideology, history, social cleavages, comparative advantage, international relations, and especially politics, are among the important determinants. These are the factors that the European Union is considering when evaluating Poland's future participation in the European project. 23.5 pgs. 29 f/c. 11b.
