The presented case study provides a review of the rationales behind state ownership and the decisions to establish SOEs and delineates specific implications of these policies. Its main focus are SOEs in Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, and Slovakia.
In 2017, INESS launched a series of informal economic discussions called Ekonomické reči (Econtalks). Seven events were organized so far and more than 420 guests altogether visited the evening forum. First Econtalks were held by Radovan Ďurana in March.
The Respect for Taxpayers Day becomes an official commemorative day in Lithuania to be celebrated on May 11. A recently adopted law is a result of a petition submitted by the Lithuanian Free Market Institute.
After three years of decline, illegal trade in alcohol is on the increase, shows a research by the Lithuanian Free Market Institute (LFMI). According to LFMI, this year the shadow economy occupied 24% of the spirits market in Lithuania, representing an increase by two-percentage points since 2015.
Bitcoin reached a new record height as its market price is now more than USD 7000. Despite the fact that hard times are awaiting Bitcoin in the following weeks, it is going to divide again. Technically speaking, the so-called “hard fork” phenomenon is about to happen.
Last Saturday, the Nowoczesna party has elected a new leader: Katarzyna Lubnauer replaced Ryszard Petru at the helm of the Polish opposition party, the most liberal one in the country there is. It was high time Nowoczesna stopped being associated chiefly with Petru.
In the Czech Republic, we have gone through four decades of central planning of prices of practically everything. And the result? Either the price has been set too high and surpluses have been accumulated, or too low, and the television in the evening informed the audience about shortages of underwear and toilet paper.
A golden era for Bitcoin. Its value overcame the margin of USD 6000 per Bitcoin. The reason is once again the cleavage of the cryptocurrency, as this week is expected to witness the dawn of the new Bitcoin Gold. The principle of Bitcoin Gold is very similar to that of Bitcoin Cash, but the philosophy beyond these two cryptocurrencies is different.
Energy transformation, Germany’s plan to transform the energy industry into a greenhouse gas-neutral energy supply, is no longer solely a federal government project. Local authorities are beginning to push ahead with energy transition focused on decentralized municipal energy concepts.
Huge levels of state ownership in the Polish economy negatively affects its productivity and growth prospects. Although the employment share of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in total employment of the Polish economy might seem limited (about 5%), their share among the largest, most important companies is much more significant.
