A comparative analysis of developmental progression: The case of Poland and South Africa

The growth and development of the economy of any country is dependent on many factors, but theory indicates that good governance with quality institutions, which provides leadership and coordination, are important in this process. Over the last decade, South Africa as a developing country, has experienced low levels of growth and development. The country has also lost ground in terms of its global standing and competitiveness. Contrary to this, Poland has experienced impressive growth and development levels over the last two decades. This study, therefore, has the objective to analyse and compare the two countries, taking into account a number of global indicators. The methodology included a quantitative and comparative approach in the achievement of the main objective. Both countries were analysed over 17 years (2000 to 2017) based on global indicators within the groupings of economics; social, health and education; business and innovation; and politics and governance. Results indicate that for all the categories, Poland outperformed South Africa for the said period. This could be especially due to South Africa’s poor management and governance, policy uncertainty, structural economic problems, growing corruption, and crime. South Africa can learn from countries such as Poland to ensure clear policy formulation and effective implementation by means of quality institutions.