Economic freedom in the world has declined to a record low, shows the Economic Freedom Index published by the Fraser Institute. The recent World Economic Freedom Index is based on data for 2020 but it shows a clear trend: as the government sector grows, it is becoming harder for citizens and businesses to breathe. The Fraser Institute analysts say this is largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some time ago, the Lithuanian Ministry of Energy issued recommendations for the public sector, households, and businesses on how to save energy. The recommendation was to disconnect hot water in administrative premises and reduce heating to 19 degrees and cooling to 27 degrees. They also advised public officials to work from home.
The Liberalni Institute calculated that with an average wage of CZK 40,086, the total cost per employee is 63% higher, i.e. CZK 65,376. This is the second year of the Cost of an Employee project, which the Liberalni Institut publishes in cooperation with the Slovak think tank INESS and the German FNF Foundation. The aim of the project is to calculate the total cost of a job for different types of employees.
In an interview with Seznam Zprávy, the head of Madeta (a Czech dairy company) Milan Teplý stated several facts that contradict basic financial knowledge. He began the interview by saying that Madeta will be profitable this year. However, he immediately added: “It’s a sin to be in profit, we won’t get subsidies.” We do not understand this. Why should a company that is making profit seek subsidies and ask the state for support?
In the past years, illiberal political regimes emerged in Poland and Hungary. One of the victims to these regimes are media. Freedom and independence of media in those countries are now under pressure from various angles, such as legal regulations and outright political pressure. The joint research of Project: Polska (PL) and 21 Research Centre (HU) is focused on small, rural media outlets and rural society in general.
Russia. The word still evokes images of conspiracy behind gray concrete blocks, while a strong military marches through the streets in a tour de force of the iron hand that rules the harsh country. The Kremlin was working hard to ensure that this stereotype, of influential and ruthless Soviet toughness, is exaggerated. Disinformation, ostentatious secret service operations and bellicose rhetoric all served this illusion.
Europe. It is an area. It is an idea. It is a culture. It is a collection of diverse people and countries. It is a work in progress. It is ever-changing, ever-twisting, shaped by its people. Europe is a complex idea. The latest edition of Poems of Liberty, a publication by The Friedrich Naumann Foundation, European Dialogue and the Free Market Foundation aims to encapsulate it through poems.
In accordance with the ordinance of the Minister of the Interior form 2009 on uniforms, Polish police officers are required to wear an identification patch with the first letter of their first name and their surname or service number on their uniform when on duty. There are exceptions to this rule. One of them, which raises reasonable doubts, are officers operating within riot units.
Along with the increase of inflation in Poland and in the whole world, the discussion about its causes intensifies. There are many voices that the main reason is an external supply shock – the prices of energy and food. It is useful, in the analysis, to distinguish within CPI inflation, a core inflation and the rest of it. Core inflation is an inflation rate that is devoid of the most unstable components such as food and energy prices.
In this episode of the Liberal Europe Podcast, Leszek Jażdżewski (Fundacja Liberté!) welcomes Cecilia Gebara Zahran and Vitor Tomaz of the Blevatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford. They talk about the 2022 Brazilian elections, their political and ecological context and importance, and implications for Europe and the world.
