On 4 December 2025, we celebrated a special milestone – 20 years since the establishment of our economic think tank.
Twenty years ago, the story of three founders began – brothers Richard and Radovan Ďurana and Juraj Karpiš, who decided to create a project focused on analytical, policy, and educational activities, emphasizing the principles of the free market, individual freedom, and property rights and their application in the Slovak economy. This small initiative has gradually grown into an institution that has been systematically monitoring the functioning and financing of the public sector for two decades, actively participating in public debate, defining many topics, and proposing improvements to the country’s policies and functioning. These proposals concern not only taxes, social security contributions, the social system, and the business environment, but also healthcare, education, and energy.
Throughout our history, we have launched several successful educational projects. Among the best known is the internationally acclaimed The Price of the State, which is also celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and is familiar to virtually every student. Now in its ninth year, the Economics Olympiad has grown from a secondary school project to include primary schools, with over 22,000 students participating this year alone. Other notable projects include the Bureaucracy Index, which now operates on two continents, The Employee Prize, and many others. During this time, we have published hundreds of books and professional publications, recorded tens of thousands of media appearances, organized hundreds of events, and participated in numerous public discussions and conferences. We currently send out four different newsletters, publish several podcast formats, and have been the most cited economic think tank in Slovakia for almost 20 years. INESS is a proud member of the EPICENTER Network, an exclusive group of the best European think tanks. We are regularly invited to participate in domestic and international projects. What started as a small think tank has become a functional and renowned organization with a pan-European reach.
We celebrated our anniversary with our supporters, partners, and collaborators – both past and present. The evening was filled with memories and reflection: we revisited our beginnings, evaluated INESS’s journey, and discussed the changes that Slovak economics, politics, and we ourselves have undergone over the past two decades. The program was complemented by speeches from distinguished guests, a discussion among the founding fathers, and a musical performance by the band Space Recorder, a band in which our director plays.
Another special moment of the evening was the launch of a new book by our colleague Róbert Chovanculiak, O pôvode prosperity (On the Origin of Prosperity), which was launched by former Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister Ivan Mikloš.
The celebration of INESS’s 20th anniversary was not only an opportunity to look back, but also a reminder of our commitment to continue the work we have begun. Not only to improve the quality of public policies, but also to continue to carry the torch of freedom, the market, and the rule of law, and to continue the tradition of the giants of the Austrian school of economics.
Finally, we would like to sincerely thank everyone who has been and continues to be part of the INESS story – the founders, analysts, colleagues, interns, volunteers, partners, supporters, journalists, experts, academics, students, teachers, and fans of our work. Your trust, cooperation, and support have enabled us to bring data, analysis, and arguments to the public debate for 20 years. We look forward to many more years together!
