The Market For Ideas

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has made his yearly pilgrimages to Băile Tușnad (Tusnádfürdő in Hungarian) in Romania into opportunities for oracular speeches on the fate of the Hungarian nation and for the West. This is part of... More

CAPITOL LETTERS (Ep. 4): The Smithsonian Republic of KnowledgeAn old world in the New World

No. 36, Jul.-Aug. 2022

Patronage is living proof that exceptional public goods can be produced, at least in part, privately. And this goes against the emphatical treatises on economics that theorize and preach the contrary. And when the theory seems far too dry for a... More

Today We Are Paying the Bill for Rapid Economic Growth

No. 36, Jul.-Aug. 2022

Małgorzata Porada-Rochoń

Rapid economic growth brings a lot of good things. If it also improves people's quality of life then we can talk solely about the benefits themselves. Except that something makes a difference. This rapid prosperity has to be paid for, sometimes long... More

Political Uncertainty and Inflation

No. 36, Jul.-Aug. 2022

Silviu Cerna

Recent political events in Romania (the removal of some ministers, the dissolution of the ruling coalition, the dismissal of the government by a motion of no confidence etc.) created a great deal of uncertainty regarding fiscal, monetary and... More

CAPITOL LETTERS (Ep. 3): The Price of Pricing the PricelessBeauty is also in the eye of the money-holder

No. 36, Jul.-Aug. 2022

The intensifying dialogue among social sciences is one of the most insightful contemporary academic advancements. Promising gains stem from interdisciplinarity, by connecting themes and concepts from a variety of fields, engaging... More

The Three Seas Initiative – Much Ado about SomethingA useful initiative hobbled by structural issues

No. 36, Jul.-Aug. 2022

When Art Is Becoming Digital, Should Everyone Get a Piece?

No. 36, Jul.-Aug. 2022

Alexandru Preda

Contrary to other types of commodities that went through a process of digitalization before becoming more accessible to the general public, the art world is not getting there yet. Until now, the digitalization of art seems to enhance the hyper... More

CAPITOL LETTERS (Ep. 2): “Enlightenment” and “Environment”Europe vs. Edison

No. 36, Jul.-Aug. 2022

Romania, Last in the EU Regarding the Expected Duration of Working Life

No. 36, Jul.-Aug. 2022

Romania was placed last among the EU Member States regarding the expected duration of working life, according to data provided by Eurostat for 2021. The duration of 31.3 years was lower than in Italy (31.6 years), Greece (32.9 years), Bulgaria (33.1 years)... More

Ersatz Liberals (Part II)Economy Near Us (LV)

No. 36, Jul.-Aug. 2022

Emil Dinga

Industrial Revolutions (IR) are manifestations of the delightful concept of “creative destruction” (J. Schumpeter). This means destroying the useless as a force of creation for the useful, not vice versa, that is being creative in destroying. Destruction... More

CAPITOL LETTERS (Ep. 1): Industrial RevolutionsHerald and hubris

No. 36, Jul.-Aug. 2022

The Economic Consequences of the Russian-Ukrainian War

No. 35, May.-Jun. 2022

Silviu Cerna

The Russian invasion in Ukraine marked a new war in Europe, which started four months ago and whose end is not yet in sight. The longer the conflict lasts, the larger the threats to world peace will become. The Western world’s reaction was to apply... More

CAPITOL LETTERS (Ep. 0): New World OrdersAll is old and new indeed

No. 35, May.-Jun. 2022

When we speak of “order” where the international system is concerned (international relations, to be precise), the discussion gives the impression of value-neutrality, in the same vein as the scientific approach to a problem. However, the minute we... More

The Future of the Cultural Economy: Ideological Assumptions, Technological Breakthroughs and Ecological ConstraintsCall for articles

No. 35, May.-Jun. 2022

The “economic” and “cultural” traits of human existence are brought together by the objective fact of subjective values (that incite our sought ends) and valuations (that inform our chosen means). While “cultural economy” is that interplay of... More

Fostering Recovery through Metaverse Business ModellingThe 5th International Conference on Economics and Social Sciences (icESS), June 16-17, 2022

No. 35, May.-Jun. 2022

The past years’ uncertainties and pressures resulted from the pandemic, alongside new developments in social technology, 5G, cloud computing, augmented and virtual reality, generated the perfect setting for the Metaverse to gain traction. Several... More

Ersatz Liberals (Part I)Economy Near Us (LIV)

No. 35, May.-Jun. 2022

Emil Dinga

(Too) many of today’s politicians in Romania claim an intellectual and/or moral affiliation to different political ideologies or schools. Ignoring the fact that such a claim resonates with the voters if and only if the population reaches an average level of... More

Inflation: Old Wine in New Bottles

No. 35, May.-Jun. 2022

Inflation is rapidly rising at present across most of the world. This happens in the aftermath of a first pandemic year during in which the fears of deflation that have characterised the decade following the 2008 financial crisis resurfaced in earnest... More

How Many Healthy Life Years for Romanians in EU Context

No. 35, May.-Jun. 2022

In 2020, the number of healthy life years at birth in the EU was 64.5 years for women and 63.5 years for men. Romanians had a significantly shorter healthy life span, four years less for women and 4.2 years less for men. Nevertheless, we ranked at 17... More

Economic Sovereignty: Between Slogans and Realities

No. 35, May.-Jun. 2022

Silviu Cerna

In the speeches of some politicians and in the writings of some Romanian journalists and economists, the slogan of economic sovereignty is often present. The economic conception expressed by this phrase is obviously inspired by the xenophobic... More

The Post-Cold War Hybridization of Geopolitical Concepts

No. 35, May.-Jun. 2022

Marius-Cristian Neacșu

On November 9, 1989, humanity registered an event whose concrete, yet symbolic value continues to echo to the present day: the wall that had split not only Berlin, but Europe and the whole world as well, started to crumble… Was the Cold War... More

Europe’s Self-Inflicted Energy Disaster

No. 35, May.-Jun. 2022

The European Union has many inherent advantages and a number of good policy decisions made over the years, to promote convergence and take advantage of its size for economies of scale. However, there are a few sore spots as regards... More

The Grapes of Parnassos: Is the West Withering on the Vine?

No. 35, May.-Jun. 2022

Steven Alan Samson

The West – what Philip Rieff called “church civilization” – is succumbing to the false fruits of cultural revolutions succeed in part because the passing of a single generation is all it takes to which wipe the slate and in part because its custodians... More

Faux Treaty on Witch-HuntingOn the ethics of economic sanctions

No. 35, May.-Jun. 2022

“Russia has invaded Ukraine! Russia must be punished!” Thus goes the most commonly expressed sentiment these days, postulating an imperative that seems, however, by far easier said than done. “Economically, politically”, the speech then... More

The European Significance of the War in Ukraine

No. 35, May.-Jun. 2022

The all-out war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine in February 2022, after months of Sitzkrieg (a play on words between blitzkrieg – lightning war – and sitting around) on its North-Eastern borders, is obviously of primordial concern for... More

Mayday, May 9!The art of(fsets) war

No. 35, May.-Jun. 2022

Marius Tița

Europeans believe that on a day like May 9 the European Union was made. In fact, it was on the 9th of May 1950 that the idea was launched, in the form of a public declaration that was assured of its impact. It is the famous “Schuman Declaration”, not... More

Some Aspects on Complexity Economics in the Actual ContextEconomy Near Us (LIII)

No. 35, May.-Jun. 2022

Mihai-Cristian Trandafir

In Stephen Hawking’s terms, the 21st century will be regarded as “the century of complexity”, implying the ability to unify accepted definitions of complexity from mixed fields, under the auspices of an exhaustive theory which is built under the... More

Why Columbus Was Not ChineseAn argument for decentralised rule

No. 35, May.-Jun. 2022

Mihai Răzvan Nedelcu

Christopher Columbus, the world’s most famous explorer, represents a unique case study in world history and innovation. He is regarded as being a (very) controversial figure, his story being filled with mass murders and enslavement... More

The US Supreme Court – Kritarchy and Compartmentalizing Manias

No. 34, Mar.-Apr. 2022

A recent leak from the Supreme Court of the United States (a very serious breach of trust, probably with political aims) is whipping up a severe political disturbance, right before the mid-term elections, which the Party in the White House traditionally... More

Complicity and Complacency: American Liberalism’s Radical Turn

No. 34, Mar.-Apr. 2022

Steven Alan Samson

What will it take to bring politics back down to earth? We must stop lifting it to heaven! In this age of political religions, all ideologies are best seen as Christian heresies. Since man is made in the image of God, all imitate, covet, even worship this.... More

Romania, Second Lowest Hourly Labour Cost in EU

No. 34, Mar.-Apr. 2022

Romania had the second lowest hourly labour cost in the EU in 2021, according to data published by Eurostat. The recorded value (€8.5) was higher than in Bulgaria (€7.0), but under the levels for Latvia (€ 11.1), Croatia (€ 11.2), Lithuania... More

The Boomerang Effect of the Russia - Ukraine Conflict on the Wheat Supply Chain

No. 34, Mar.-Apr. 2022

Emmanuel Olusegun Stober

One of the most significant shockwaves to be felt outside of Ukraine since the Russian invasion is not in Europe, but in Africa. With an export of $14.75 billion, Russia stood in 8th position of total export to Africa in 2021. Even though the import... More

The Triad Nature - Nurture - Culture and the Social Justice in the Context of the Current CrisesEconomy Near Us (LII)

No. 34, Mar.-Apr. 2022

Gabriela-Mariana Ionescu

Discussions about the trinomial nature - nurture - culture back in topically in situations where our living conditions are threatened. Whenever our minimal comfort is threatened, we turn to values such as personal identity, self-respect, ethics, morality... More

The War Economy: Of Bits and BobsWith your shield or on it?!

No. 34, Mar.-Apr. 2022

There are some key assertions which are axiomatic for the pureblood moralists and demonstrable for utilitarians, such as – “war means defeat even for the victors”, “war is the health of the state”, “peace between nations is inconceivable without... More

The New Liliput’s WarlordThe Arts of Diplomacy [III]

No. 34, Mar.-Apr. 2022

Mădălina Creciun

The Munich Conference of 1938 marked a turning point in World War II. Leading European politicians in Britain and France then succumbed to the demands of the Nazi regime in Germany, while offering them resources to engage in a possible war. After... More

Semiconductors – the “Future Currency” for Development

No. 34, Mar.-Apr. 2022

Mihnea Alexandru Ciocan

“Semiconductors became as scarce as gold”. As weird this phrase it may look at first glance, it is actually a reality. And it may be a very grim reality if the demand rate will continue to be way higher than supply. These small electronic components are vital... More

The “Czar” and the Sankt…ionsCan wars be won just by a stroke of the pen?

No. 34, Mar.-Apr. 2022

Mihai Răzvan Nedelcu

Dear Friends, On February, 24, 2022, Ukraine and its people faced an act of the aggression by the Russian Federation. For mostly a month Ukraine is suffering from brutal, open and large-scale aggression and terror by the Russian Federation in our... More

Address of the Scientific Community of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv to the Partners and Friends in the World Scientific Community

No. 34, Mar.-Apr. 2022

The Increase in Energy Prices Puts Romania in the Middle of EU Member States

No. 34, Mar.-Apr. 2022

Romania ranked in the 13-14th place among EU Member States regarding the increase of prices for energy in January 2022, compared to the same month of the previous year. With a level of 24.1%, our country is below the European average of 27%... More

American Foreign Policy toward Eastern Europe

No. 34, Mar.-Apr. 2022

Richard J. Bishirjian

In the election for the American President in 2024, foreign policy and national security in America will become a political football in the wake of President Biden’s bungling of American policy toward Russia. Much of this is self-inflicted due to the Democrat... More

We Still Have Paris!The Arts of Diplomacy [II]

No. 34, Mar.-Apr. 2022

Roxana-Ionela Cristea

The Germans occupied Paris on June 14th, 1940 without a fight. The event came one month after the Germans entered France and just a few months after the war started. Everyone expected France to intervene against Hitler’s attack on Poland on... More

The Highest Proportion of Young People Who Were Severely Materially and Socially Deprived, Recorded in Romania

No. 34, Mar.-Apr. 2022

Among the EU Member States in 2020, the highest proportion of young people who were severely materially and socially deprived in 2020 was recorded in Romania (24%), followed by Bulgaria (21%) and Greece (16%). On the other hand, the... More

A Possible Relationship Between the Inclusive Nature of the Modern Labour Market and Technological ProgressEconomy Near Us (LI)

No. 34, Mar.-Apr. 2022

Monica-Florica Dutcaș

The article aims to bring to the attention or debate a possible relationship between the inclusive nature of the modern labour market and technological progress. From this relationship, labour market policy options arise that would favour inclusion... More

The Coronavirus Epidemic in Romania: A Government Failure All-Along (II)

No. 34, Mar.-Apr. 2022

When vaccination began simultaneously in all 27 EU states, in late December 2020, Romania reported for a short while some of the highest figures in the bloc, but it quickly became the second least vaccinated member country. It is now customary to... More

A Far-Reaching BookThe Sustainable Development Theory: A Critical Approach: Vol. 1. The Discourse of the Founders; Vol. 2. When Certainties Become Doubts, Palgrave, London, 2020; 2021. Authors: Ion Pohoață, Delia Elena Diaconașu, Vladimir Crupenschi

No. 33, Jan.-Feb. 2022

Erudition and research stand to gain from the publishing of this outstanding two-volume study. Sailing against the winds, three scholars from Iași set out to write not just a mere scientific paper – to keep up with the times – but a book. And it turned... More

The Coronavirus Epidemic in Romania: A Government Failure All-Along (I)

No. 33, Jan.-Feb. 2022

More than two years after the start of the coronavirus epidemic, the real magnitude of the disaster it has wrought in Romania is plain for everyone to see. Although it entered into lockdown as one of the least affected countries, at least according to... More

Canvassing the Freedom of a NationThe Arts of Diplomacy [I]

No. 33, Jan.-Feb. 2022

Ioana Ioniță

Among the four paintings created by John Trumbull that adorn the walls of the Capitol Rotunda to commemorate the greatest events of the American Revolution, one in particular makes reference to a salient part of the history of the United... More

Did the Pandemic Reverse Pasokification?Are the left-wing parties in Europe ready for a comeback?

No. 33, Jan.-Feb. 2022

Mihai Răzvan Nedelcu

Most of us probably do not remember the Greek political former hegemon PASOK. Instead, some of us may be inclined to skip over the letter “S” and think of another kind of Greek hegemon, the football team PAOK. However, PASOK (Panhellenic... More

Some Aspects of Today’s Economic GrowthEconomy Near Us (L)

No. 33, Jan.-Feb. 2022

Gabriela-Mariana Ionescu

We include in the conceptual framework of economic growth, in a broader sense, the individual, the society, the institutional performance, the investment, geopolitical situation, but also issues of natural resource management and the current... More

Pieces of a Puzzling 2050As seen from the present of 2022

No. 33, Jan.-Feb. 2022

Georgiana Constantin-Parke

Imagining the future is frequently a delightful pastime, as evidenced by the numerous science-fiction works that have been published over the last century. The various authors pondered how humanity and the role of human beings (both... More

The Russia-Ukraine Crisis: A Deceptive Geopolitical Jigsaw

No. 33, Jan.-Feb. 2022

Narciz Bălășoiu

Seven years after the Crimean annexation and the events in Eastern Ukraine, there has been talk again of a possible Russian attack on the Ukrainian state, scheduled for early 2022. One should remember that these speculations were not... More

The Rise of the Administrative State

No. 33, Jan.-Feb. 2022

Steven Alan Samson

Before the Great Depression, President Calvin Coolidge restated an earlier vision of America which had been memorialized at Independence Day celebrations for 150 years. In his sesquicentennial address entitled “The Inspiration of the... More

Pirouettes and Profits: Pointe Shoes UpdatedMIND(s that filled) THE GAP(s) [XVII]

No. 33, Jan.-Feb. 2022

Gabriela-Aura Durleci

Have you ever wondered how ballerinas make executing such delicate movements look so effortless? From the 19th century, when Maria Taglioni was the first ballerina to ever perform a full-length ballet on pointes, this specific footwear was never... More

Of Sand and Time – Life, Dignity and Age in a World of the Self

No. 33, Jan.-Feb. 2022

For the first 18 years of life, people are dependent on others. Their productive years are perhaps from 18 to 60, or more, if they are lucky. Then, they become reliant on others again. After having gotten used to independence, they revert to a childlike... More

On Normative ViolenceEconomy Near Us (XLIX)

No. 33, Jan.-Feb. 2022

Emil Dinga

The social contract (no matter its type: contractarian – John Rawls, of capability – Martha Nussbaum, or of resilience – Robert Nozick) was born precisely to eliminate or avoid the private violence or, at least, to guarantee protection against it, with the state as... More

The Year 2050, the Imaginary and the UnimaginableWe do not know what tomorrow will bring, but we are getting ready for the day after

No. 33, Jan.-Feb. 2022

Octavian-Dragomir Jora Alexandru Georgescu

Both “imaginariums” and “histories”, while differing on essential ingredients, visions and vestiges respectively, share an essential imperfection – incomplete information and/or bounded rationality. We compose mosaics (using also our... More

Bridging News

CAPITOL LETTERS (Ep. 2): “Enlightenment” and “Environment” Europe vs. Edison

The Smithsonian Museums in Washington, DC are, par excellence, propitious places for memory. Universal, and also personal. Walking through the National Museum of American History, I made the acquaintance, in sculptural form, of a certain Mr. Thomas Alva Edison, and was reminded of what I had written about him a decade ago, when the EU was starting up its eco-crusade against its beloved baby, the incandescent lightbulb. I said back then: “Mr. Edison, a lightbulb went on in our good European heads and made us turn off your bloody wasteful invention, once and forever!” Mr. Edison is a grown-up, no doubt, and he knows how to cash in this historical punch. In his time, the brilliant guy is said to have “first” invented the lightbulb only after other gentlemen did the same before, but none had flashed the exquisite ideas to “fill in” a brighter-burning filament, to immerse it in a “more void” vacuum, while having a “more enduring” electrical resistance. Having gorged himself on patents and being the 4th most well-protected “luminary” in the history of technology, he became known for eagle-eyeing others’ ideas, while draping his own in government paperwork, for none could be allowed to think up similar ideas to him and independently of him. He then played God, despite being a free-thinking atheist, and libeled the alternative current of rival George Westinghouse by cunningly associating it with the electric chair, in whose creation Edison had had a hand in. More

Bridging News

The Three Seas Initiative – Much Ado about Something A useful initiative hobbled by structural issues