The Conference is organised by the FREE Network – the Forum for Research on Eastern Europe and Emerging Economies – and its Polish representative the Centre for Economic Analysis, CenEA in association with SITE.

The theme of the conference emphasizes the fundamental link between research and policy and reflects the firm conviction that high quality academic research should, on the one hand, support the process of policy making and, on the other, point out weaknesses and errors of certain policy decisions. Academic researchers have been involved in the process of the socio-economic transformation in our region, while the transition process itself has provided a unique “natural experiment” for academics to identify important socio-economic relationships that inform policy making far beyond the period of transition and its geographical location.

It is no coincidence that the meeting will be held in the European Solidarity Centre (ESC), a venue dedicated to the memory of “Solidarność”, the labour union which grew into a popular movement in Poland the 1980s and eventually led to the collapse of the communist rule. While its historical focus is on role of the “Solidarity” in bringing about the change in Poland and the region, the ESC is also devoted to the meaning of solidarity in the present day.

Please feel free to review the program of the event below.