Czech Republic

Like in other Central European states, the migration crisis dominated the Czech media space since 2015. Unlike any time before, xenophobic and islamophobic attitudes have left the margins and literally dominated the Czech public space.

Josef Šíma, President of CEVRO Institute, talks with professor Michael Munger of Duke University about the economics and politics of unicorns, sharing economy, truly voluntary exchange and the PPE approach which combines rigorous policy analysis with an acceptance of ethical obligations of charity.

Apart of the geographic fact and the benefit the country derives from proximity to the German economy, and the historical traditions of the First Republic, the Czech Republic still shares more with Slovakia and Hungary than it does with France and Denmark.

The Czech government continues to do its utmost to limit the economic freedom of individuals. Nowadays, the attention of lawmakers turns to the restriction on opening hours of malls and supermarkets with the floor area larger than 200 square meters during public holidays (8 days per year including Easter or Christmas).

Since the Czech Republic is an export-based economy with one dominant trading partner (Germany), one can be very skeptical of the ability of the Czech government to actually reduce unemployment. On the other hand, there is much the government can do to make the situation worse.

Tax rates are a political decision with fiscal impacts. And despite the fact that all voters are influenced by taxes, at least voters who have a strong opinion on the issue of excise duties (e.g. alcohol, tobacco, etc.) affect the election outcome.

The Centre for Economic and Market Analyses published a study about the shadow economy in the Czech Republic. The study deals with the theoretical aspects of shadow economy, methodology and definition, it includes international comparison, determination of driven factors as well as provides a further analysis of chosen industries.

We have the pleasure the present you the third of the series of our policy papers that we will be publishing in the near future. The publication discusses the issue of Internal Market and the EU-Russia Sanctions and examines experience of Visegrad Countries one year on. Enjoy your reading!

Minister of Finance Andrej Babis suggests that adoption of the euro currency should depend more on a dialogue with citizens of the Czech Republic. Therefore, he would like to organize a referendum on adopting euro. And the referendum should be tentative.

Fiscal policy is not just about taxation. And, moreover, the ongoing debates often miss actual numbers. And what are the actual recent fiscal numbers in the Czech Republic? Let\'s look into that.