FDI Inflow to Special Economic Zones in Poland Regional Approach

One of the ways to convince investors, in particular foreign ones, to participate in the pursuit of host country’s economic policies leads through the development of Special Economic Zones (SEZs), which are designed to offer business environment more favourable than in other locations. The SEZs, which have been established and developed in Poland, play a positive role in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) or creating new jobs but they may also have negative consequences, such as deepening regional disproportions in the country. This paper aims at examining whether location in a particular region (understood as a unit of administrative division of the country at the level of a voivodship) could be a factor determining the inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) to the SEZs. The study uses statistical methods (Spearman’s rank correlation and Pearson correlation). Our calculations have shown statistically significant positive relationships between FDI inflow to SEZs and coefficients that describe the attractiveness (collective and partial) and economic advancement of voivodships. However, it seems that against hopes vested in them, SEZs do not reduce regional economic differentiation in Poland. The results may suggest the need to reconsider the so far applied policy designed to support investors. At the same time, they prove that State interference intended to mitigate market imperfections may itself become the source thereof.