INSTITUTE OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL STUDIES

Who is the Oracle of Omaha? Warren Buffet, of course. Without any doubt, the name of this investor can easily be included among world celebrities such as Lionel Messi or Arnold Schwarzenegger. The former has a nose for football, the latter for breath-taking action movies – and Buffet has a good nose for investing.

In 2016, Slovakia’s Institute of Economic and Social Studies (INESS) introduced the Bureaucracy Index, which draws attention to the amount of red tape a small entrepreneur has to navigate on a daily basis. The Index is based on a straightforward methodology, using the analysis of a model micro company and all of its bureaucratic obligations—such as taxes, worktime planning, health safety measures, and even waste management, among others—which are assigned a specific time cost.

When it comes to real life problems, adults usually start reminiscing about their school days with a bit of bitterness. Sometimes, they blame teachers that had failed at teaching, and on other occasions they blame themselves for not paying more attention. The skills that are missing the most often are usually those related to Economics and Financial literacy.

When you look closely into the part of the Programme statement of the Slovak government devoted to Education, you will find many well-meant objectives and ambitious measures. The first approach encompasses optimization of the network of schools, opening the textbook market, unification and equalization of financing, de-bureaucratization, or simplification of rules guiding establishment of primary schools.

Slovak government is celebrating. A lawsuit between the state and private health insurers that has been with us for two decades now, is finally over. What does it mean for Slovak citizens?

Let us close our eyes and put citizens under house arrest for a few weeks. Then we open the eyes again and the virus is gone? This is not how it works. Yes, I have seen Chinese figures and I do not believe them either – gigantic continental China is supposed to have a similar number of new positive cases as the tiny Chinese Hong Kong?

The contest for who is more generous is on. Slovak large-scale employers want the highest possible wage compensation, looking up to the German or Austrian Kurzarbeit system, which covers up to 85% of wage costs. Journalists and some economists argue that we should borrow as much as we can. They claim that it is to save the economy, especially in terms of employment.

The ongoing epidemic requires an adequate response. In terms of the upcoming weeks, Slovakia should proceed in an organized and responsible manner.

In the process of writing the pre-election commentary, I received the second of two crowdfunded polls concerning preferences of political parties. The outlook was not that similar to the actual result – there was one distinct exception. Nobody had anticipated that the coalition PS/Spolu would not make the cut by 926 votes.