Warsaw School of Economics
Contributor to WP 1, 3 and 5
Szkola Glowna Handlowa w Warszawie
Department of Local Government and Development
Al. Niepoldleglosci 02554 Warszawa, Poland
tel.: +48 22 564 60 00
Contact person:
Maciej Borsa
maciej.borsa@xl.wp.pl
Tel.: +48 692 385 364, +48 22 564 86 77
Fax: +48 32 252 30 41
The Warsaw School of Economics (SGH) is the oldest public school of economics and management in Poland. It proudly belongs to the leading economic universities in Central and Eastern Europe. Throughout the 20th century, on average every third economist in Poland was a graduate of the Warsaw School of Economics. Warsaw School of Economics (SGH) was founded in 1906. It underwent numerous changes in its structure and teaching programme. It changed its name a few times, too. The present name Warsaw School of Economics (Szkoła Główna Handlowa) emerged for the first time in 1933. The outbreak of World War II did not stop the School's activity, which, under conspiracy, continued with its pre-war programme.
After WW2, under the pressure of the new political system the School Senate approved its nationalisation, trying, however, to maintain the independent teaching programme. In 1949 Polish authorities changed the name into Central School of Planning and Statistics which was due till the political change in 1989. Since then SGH implemented the new programme and organisational reforms in order to comply with market economy requirements. The milestone of this process was the return to the traditional name of the School – Warsaw School of Economics (SGH) in 1991. Today Warsaw School of Economics offers educational programmes aimed at obtaining degrees of B.A., M.A. and Ph.D., both on full-time and part-time basis. Also offers post-graduate studies and vocational trainings for people interested in life-long learning and the post-graduate and PhD programmes as well – candidates can choose from over 90 programmes in Polish and English.
Traditionally, the Warsaw School of Economics has always been a centre for scientific research in economics, thanks to highly skilled staff and well developed research facilities. Nowadays the students and researchers proudly continue with this tradition. Interactions between research and economic life not only stimulate the development of the Warsaw School of Economics (SGH), but also help to develop links between the science and different business sectors. For years Warsaw School of Economics has been engaged in independent analyses of the Polish economy.
Research at the Warsaw School of Economics SGH is carried out by five collegia. A part of the Collegium of Socio-Economic Policy is Chair of Local Government and Economy. The political transformation of Poland in 1989 raised the importance of the problems of the development at the newly established regional and local levels of public governance. It called out the need of the establishment of the research team in the form of separate chair, what was done in 1992. After essential personnel changes in 2001 the Chair widened considerably its activities under the management of professor Zbigniew Strzelecki. The main spheres of activity concern the territorial governance, the municipal economy, the housing- and municipal policies, the local economics.
On new leadership the Chair stretched its research on the spatial policy and planning as well. Spatial issues covers the measures of national and regional scale, concentrating on the issues of economic units and the public administration in the principles of the sustainable development. Warsaw School of Economics has traditionally been open to exchange of knowledge, educational and research experience with foreign academic centres. The School maintains international contacts co-operating with over 150 foreign universities, and takes part in research activities conducted in co-operation with foreign centres.
