What influence the Catholic Church has on the Irish national identity? What was growing up in Catholic Ireland like? And how has the self-image of the Irish transformed over the years?
In recent years, the quality of law-making in Poland has significantly deteriorated. Practices such as ignoring procedures, bypassing public consultations, using the deputies’ initiative route for government projects, and last-minute insertions in the final stage of the legislative process have been a constant element of the political landscape.
In the face of the energy crisis, politicians’ neglect of the development and modernization of the Polish energy sector is becoming increasingly visible. Freezing electricity prices is a costly and short-term solution, resulting from neglect in this area. The Polish energy mix, overly dependent on coal, requires decisive modernization actions, which, however, because of current policies, are systematically delayed.
The tax system has a profound impact on a country’s economic growth for two reasons. Firstly, in developed countries, taxes typically amount to the equivalent of one-third to even half of the GDP. Such a high level of taxation affects taxpayers’ economic activity. Secondly, for the state to collect taxes, it must maintain appropriate regulations defining the tax base and rates.
Over the last eight years, the Law and Justice (PiS) government in Poland redefined the boundaries of regulations governing the lifestyle of citizens, introducing a series of laws and regulations aimed at promoting desired or healthy habits and behaviors, while limiting access to products and services deemed harmful.
Can financial markets put pressure on a powerful country like France, the world’s eighth-largest economy? It is better not to test it. The UK has found that out several times. An analysis by Institut Montaigne found that promises made before the election by the leftist New Popular Front would increase France’s annual budget spending by €95 billion and the state finance deficit by 3.6 percent of GDP.
The documentary “How Sweden Quit Smoking” by Tomasz Agencki shows the remarkable synthesis of human creativity, innovation and personal responsibility that not only launched Sweden’s success in smoking-related harm reduction, but also points the way for other countries around the world. Sweden’s experience shows that alternative products that allow people to use nicotine in a safer way play a key role in this process.
In July, the Polish Political Science Yearbook published an article “Liberals Among Us”, which examines the structure and determinants of liberal attitudes in Poland. The article is based on research supported by the Economic Freedom Foundation. Why do some people support liberal ideas, while others are their fierce opponents?
The June 2024 EU elections had a tremendous influence on the political landscape throughout Europe. That was especially the case for Polish liberals, since after the Civic Coalition secured new European Parliament seats, the Nowoczesna Party obtained four new MPs in the Polish Sejm, including Aleksandra Kot, the youngest member of the Polish Parliament.
In June 2024, the European Commission assessed that it was justified to open the excessive deficit procedure, among others, for Poland. In the EC’s assessment, the published report justifies the initiation of the excessive deficit procedure for seven countries: Belgium, France, Italy, Hungary, Malta, Poland, and Slovakia.
