"Security, Inc." : privatising internal security in post-Communist Poland

The question of how and when authority diminishes in states has been a persistent feature of international relations and the political sciences for several decades. The issue is often referred to as ‘governance without a government’ and tries to understand systems of thick and thin sovereignty. This work adds to the literature – pertaining to Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), and Poland more specifically – by providing some basic definition-rooted problems such as the public-private distinction and the modes of privatisation in various sectors in post-communist countries. Also, respective legislative activities and oversight procedures are focused on in order to understand the liberalisation of the security market in Poland. Finally, the empirical analysis conducted here reveals some reasons for private security sector’s success. This work highlights the following: the massive expansion of private ownership and the inability of state authorities to secure it effectively, technological advancements and the availability of critical resources (people and information). In conclusion, it is assumed that the post-communist environment is especially favourable to the private security industry. This work seeks to explain how via the Poland case