Ogólnogospodarcze znaczenie militarne zorientowanych prac badawczo-rozwojowych w gospodarce kapitalistycznej

The article describes an attempt at finding an answer to a question puzzling the theoreticians of economy, practitioners of economic policy and finally the whole societies whether research and development projects serving military goals are a factor exerting a positive impact on general economic processes or whether they are a factor having a negative influence. The author presents the зса1е of the phenomenon of military research and development projects, history of their development and the present potential of such projects against the background of the entire research and development effort in highly developed Western states. On the basis of an extensive literature of the subject there are shown extreme views on benefits flowing for the entire economy from military research and development projects, and an attempt has been made to find a possibly objectivized answer.