Articles
The Reduction of Social Security Contributions: How Much Would It “Cost” the Budget?
In the European Union’s fiscal map, Romania can still be considered competitive when it comes to taxes, at least when it comes to taxing profits, through its 16% flat tax rate. Yet when it comes to taxing labour, things are different. Through social contributions and the payment ceiling – established in a strong redistributive way at 5 times the average gross wage – wage
Structural Reforms and Property: Back to the Origins
We should admit that, even if it is a European state through institutional adoption, nowadays Romania does not truly demonstrate that it made the decisive step towards the principles of a market economy, which would bring Romanians the so-longed good life and prosperity. Currently, the Romanian economy is almost entirely built through and around the state
The Myth of “the Efficiency Criterion” in Economic Science
“Efficiency” is the marvellous concept based on which almost all economists build their judgements and theories since forever. But the way in which the efficiency argument has been used explains many of today’s bad aspects. Using “the efficiency criterion” on state policies has insurmountable scientific limitations. Ignoring them, due to lack of knowledge or rather out of interest, easily led
“The Epic” of Oltchim: Finding the Alternative?
After more than two decades of transition, formal reform cycles (of a capitalist nature?), transplantation of policies unanimously declared à la Washington Consensus, European and Atlantic accessions, here we are, back to our origins, meaning back to the socialist industry that fed, apparently not a long time ago, economic nationalisms and patriotic egos. “The epic” of Oltchim,
Institutions and Prosperity (I)
Against mainstream considerations, the history of modern economic development does not identify itself with the history of technological progress, but with the history of “rights”, conceived as a (economical and juridical) “technology” that structures human interaction within society. This evolution is inseparable from the genesis of capitalism and of the modern system of
