INESS

Bureaucracy Index is a simple and transparent way to quantify the proverbial \"red tape\" — discussed daily in the media, yet rarely measured in concrete terms. It was introduced in 2016 in Slovakia by the Institute of Economic and Social Studies (INESS), with the goal of comprehensively mapping the bureaucratic burden facing SMEs and its real cost in time and money.

On April 22, 2026, INESS organized an international conference “The 2026 Free Market Road Show” at the Pálffy Palace in Bratislava in cooperaction with the Austrian Economics Center. The title of the conference was “Regulatory Detox – Awakening Dormant Growth.”

In nature, it is common for organisms to adapt to their environment through evolutionary processes. Giraffes in the savannah have long necks, and camels in the desert have humps with fat. However, humans are the only species that have gradually adapted their environment to their needs. We have built cities and developed sanitary and energy infrastructure. We have created our own niche.

The EU began negotiations with South America\'s Mercosur on a trade agreement in 1999. It is therefore easy to overlook how much progress has been made. In early January, the European Council authorized the signing of a partnership agreement with this South American trade bloc, whose members include Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay.

Economists have been fascinated by the question of the origins of prosperity since the very beginning of their discipline. Today, we know much more about it than Adam Smith did 250 years ago when he wrote The Wealth of Nations. In the mid-20th century, economist Robert Solow developed a model explaining economic growth through capital accumulation and population growth.

I recently attended a discussion on Europe’s competitiveness. There was unanimous agreement that we are lagging behind in all applied technologies—perhaps with the sole exception of the pharmaceutical industry. The reflexive response from the participants was: “We’ve created a fund for that.” Too few startups? Create a startup fund.Weak AI performance? An AI innovation fund!

“Competition is a discovery procedure that enables us to adapt to new circumstances. It is through further competition, not through agreement, that we gradually increase our efficiency.” This statement by economist F.A. Hayek best captures the essence of competition. Competition constantly separates the efficient from the inefficient. The invisible hand of the market is, in fact, the visible hand of the customer.

The Minister of Education has announced his intention to introduce compulsory pre-school education for children aged three in Slovakia. The Ministry has published only one press release to defend this blanket and mandatory measure. It contains a number of inaccurate claims that do not stand up to critical debate. In this text, I will describe three reasons why the proposed expansion of compulsory school attendance is the wrong public policy.

The answer is Solomonic – we should be asking a different question. Most people have a correct, rough idea that healthcare is not free and that someone, somewhere, somehow pays for it. Some people are even aware of health insurance contributions, and the most knowledgeable among them even know how much these contributions are in relation to their salary.

Slovakia’s response to the tariff threat? The Prime Minister and the Minister of Economy have begun saying they want to redirect EU funds to help companies affected by US tariffs. We do not yet know exactly what this crisis will look like—but we already know the solution: European money. Journalists are asking us whether this is a good or a bad decision. You might be surprised, but I do not have an answer.