ABSTRACT

The comparative analysis of Poland and Hungary permits us to conclude that the claim of some economists and sociologists that market reforms always mean an increase in the inequality of earnings is not justified. People observe, rather, the lack of an automatic correlation between economic reforms and the dispersion of earnings. The level of inequalities depends on many factors, and the degree of decentralization is only one of them. Inequality in the distribution of earnings in the socialist countries is a complex phenomenon. Although it is premature to fully assess the legacy of the Solidarity movement, one thing is clear: it has left a great imprint on Polish society in particular and probably on other Eastern European countries as well. The ideas formulated by this movement remain an important source for the debate on how to transform "existing socialism" into "socialism with a human face".