Fenomen bazarów

Abstract

The return of political and economic freedom to Poland has resulted - among others - in unexpectively dynamic of the commercial tourism and the bazaars. In the 1990s they has grown to a position of very important economic institutions in Poland: - the space occupied by the bazaars adds up to some 40% of all commercially used space in Poland; - the bazaars have enriched the supply of foreign goods on the Polish market and have helped to diminish inflationary tensins in our economy in late 1980s and early 1990s; - they influenced the size of our export and have had very positive result on our current account in the balance of payments; - they have been very important for the development of the small and medium-size enterprises sector (SMEs) in Poland; - they created - directly and indirectly - some hundred thousands jobs. At the same time the bazaars have been well known sites of many social pathologies. However, one should not treat them as a "natural component" of these institutions and of the commercial activities present there. It seems that the bazaars have already passed the peak of their activity and importance since the reasons that had given them the dynamics in the first half of 1990s are much less strong to-day. Nevertheless they probably still will be with us even if they will transform in character and size.