Family Policy: Facts, Myths, Solutions
There is a great wave of discussion on pension reform being implemented by the government in Poland. The essential reform, forced by sad demographic factors.
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The Euro: A Community of Shared Destiny?
In March 2010, when the Greek debt crisis was heating up, then-ECB president Jean Claude Trichet declared to the EU parliament that the “monetary Union in Europe is far more than a monetary arrangement. It is a union of shared destiny”. Less than two months later the ECB reversed its refusal to monetize debt and openly started buying government bonds in violation of its own charta. Germany also gave up its reservations about bailing out…
Constitutional Set-Back?
The current Fundamental Law of of Hungary was adopted over a year ago, in April 2011. Due to this anniversary the recent research of Republikon Institution has looked how the so called ’National Avowal ’preamble fits the constitution’s introductions of Central and Eastern European and wider European countries. Preambles in general Preambles are usually can be found in the beginning of the text of laws. They could function as a foreword: the legislators mainly mark…
Tax Freedom Day 2012 in the Czech Republic 6 Days Earlier Than in 2011
Tax Freedom Day that is calculated and promoted by Liberalni Institut every year in the Czech Republic, was celebrated on Saturday, 9th June 2012. This result indicates six-day improvement compared to the last year, i.e. the Czech taxpayers must work 160 days to cover expenditures of the general government. In 2011, the obligation was 165 days (one day difference is due to leap-year). Tax Freedom Day is an indicator that divides the year into two…
The “Sofia” Criteria for the Eurozone
The European Central Bank (ECB) published its Convergence Report(2012), in which it evaluates the progress of the members states that have committed themselves to joining the euro by following the convergence criteria, better known as the “Maastricht” criteria. At this point in time, Bulgaria has passed the requirements for deficit, debt, inflation and long-term interest rates, but this does not mean automatically that the road to the euro is open. What is more important, the…
We Need Real Choices: Interview with Jiří Schneider
Two years ago, here in Wrocław [at Wrocław Global Forum], you called United States and Europe “G2 of the world” and today you referred to them as “catamaran on stormy waters”, so I was wondering if you think that we can observe serious, permanent shift of power in contemporary world or just this storm that is going to pass? Well, I hope it’s a storm that is going to pass and I hope that we…
People With Disabilities in Bulgaria: A New Approach to Social Inclusion
On April 16th 2012 the Institute for Market Economics (IME) released a report, analyzing the current regulatory framework and policies for the integration of people with disabilities. The report also proposes positive reform measures that, we believe, will better serve the purpose of full-fledged inclusion of such individuals. The full text (in Bulgarian) is available here. According to the National Social Security Institute (NSSI), annual expenditure on disability pensions financed by the National Social Security…
Lithuanian Think Tank Proposes a Stable Money and Euro Exit Plan
In response to the on-going financial crisis in the euro zone, LFMI, a leading economic policy think-tank in Lithuania, has worked out and submitted to responsible institutions a plan which would help countries exiting the euro zone to build stable and sound money. LFMI‘s proposal can be also used by the euro zone when attempting to strengthen the euro and to restore people‘s confidence in the single currency. The persisting crisis of euro zone state…
What Can and What Can’t the State Do?
An answer to this rather broad question is one of the issues that formed the subject of Alexander Fink´s presentation during the discussion forum on the topic of “East German Transformation and German Public Finance” organised by Liberalni Institut on Wednesday, March 14, 2012. Before we are able to even tackle this question, it is necessary to put it in to proper context. The first issue that Mr. Fink discussed was the method of evaluation…
Drama and Chaos
As finance ministers sat together at the Ecofin meeting last week, the future of the Eurozone was at stake, with Greek political deadlock casting a shadow of darkness over its own euro existence. Greek President Karolos Papoulias was going to ask politicians last Tuesday to stand aside and let a technocratic government be formed to avoid bankruptcy of the heavily indebted Balkan country even though radical leftists from Syriza party have already rejected the proposal…
