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INESS

ABOUT INESS
INESS, the Institute of Economic and Social Studies, began its activities in January 2006. As an independent think tank, INESS monitors the functioning and financing of the public sector, evaluates the effects of legislative changes on the economy and society and comments on current economic and social issues.
Compulsory Kindergarten from Age of Three Is Wrong Public Policy
Society
Compulsory Kindergarten from Age of Three Is Wrong Public Policy
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.
How Can We Make People Understand That Healthcare Is Not Free?
Economy
How Can We Make People Understand That Healthcare Is Not Free?
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.
Elastic EU Funds
Economy
Elastic EU Funds
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.
FMRS – Targeted Energy Aid to Households
Think Tank News
FMRS – Targeted Energy Aid to Households
INESS once again organized the popular conference in cooperation with the Austrian Economics Center as part of the international conference network Free Market Road Show. On May 14, 2025 we were honoured to welcome both local and international speakers as well as almost 50 guests in the hall of the Devín Hotel in Bratislava. The topic was Targeted energy aid to households, how it should be set up and how energy poverty should be defined.
INESS Releases Updated Employee Price Calculator for 2025
Think Tank News
INESS Releases Updated Employee Price Calculator for 2025
The term “wage” and its precise definition are crucial in public debates about labor markets, taxation, and social insurance. Wages also serve as a key indicator in international comparisons, guiding investors in evaluating where to locate their operations. However, confusion often arises from the distinction between gross wages and the arbitrary separation of “employee-paid” and “employer-paid” taxes and contributions.
Closer to Consumer: Liberalization of Slovak Pharmacy Market
Society
Closer to Consumer: Liberalization of Slovak Pharmacy Market
One of the quickest and easiest ways to bring health services closer to consumers is to extend the ability to sell selected over-the-counter (OTC) medications in retail outlets while expanding the competencies of pharmacies. In terms of the openness of OTC medication sales, there are no uniform rules across Europe. About half of European countries allow OTC medicines to be sold outside pharmacies under various conditions.
Who Picks Cherries in Slovak Hospitals?
Economy
Who Picks Cherries in Slovak Hospitals?
The illusory truth effect is a psychological phenomenon describing the tendency to believe false information to be correct after repeated exposure. One example I can think of in Slovakia is the statement about \"cherry-picking\" in the hospital sector. Lower-tier hospitals cherry-pick the easy and profitable patients and send the rest to the larger state hospitals, which then make economic losses on them.
There Is No Such Thing as “Real Price”
Economy
There Is No Such Thing as “Real Price”
I often hear the phrases \'real price\' or \'justified price\', for example, in the question of ambulances or hospitals. They make my economic hair stand on end. It reminds me of how deeply embedded healthcare is in the price thinking of planned economics. Before 1989 in Slovakia, the whole economy was run on the principle of price. A manager in a company calculated the price of steel, plastic, and man-hours to produce one Škoda 120 car, for example.
Opportunity Cost of Learning: Is There Optimal Age to Graduate?
Economy
Opportunity Cost of Learning: Is There Optimal Age to Graduate?
The wonderful thing about economics is that it recognizes truths about the world that laypeople cannot intuitively grasp, based on simple statements about human action. Consider two concepts: opportunity costs and marginal decision-making based on marginal benefits and costs. If you really understand these two concepts, then it must seem normal to you that there is such a thing as optimal environmental pollution.
Bureaucracy Index 2024: Results Announced
Think Tank News
Bureaucracy Index 2024: Results Announced
Several existing competitiveness rankings assess factors like law enforcement, infrastructure, and tax law from a business perspective. However, these often lack an accessible, practical translation of how these factors impact the daily operations of small businesses. The Bureaucracy Index was launched in 2016 by the Institute of Economic and Social Studies (INESS) to address this gap.