The Market For Ideas

Octavian-Dragomir Jora Dumitru Miron

At the township level, the “community spirit” is a function of knowledge, and proper action, about / towards people – as persons – and their places – or properties, either private or public. A community is defined equally by bonds and bounds, wisely informed and duly enforced, so that a neighbourly peace, not necessarily a heavenly harmony, will emerge and endure. In Robert Frost’s “Mending Wall” there is a famous line – “Good fences make good neighbours” – suggesting the common sense truth that order among humans requires, much sooner than empathy or sympathy, an order “in rem”, with respect to their belongings, which are part and parcel of their personal universes – teleological prolongations of their beings. “The Bible tells us to love our neighbours and also to love our enemies; probably because generally they are the same people”, said once G.K. Chesterton. This might be the most pessimistic view of a neighbourhood, which we are advised to treat with utmost kindness. If love is too much to ask, then the next line of defence is to understand, not understate, things. More

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Twelve Countries Cumulate 80% of the Pandemic Deaths

No. 24, Jul.-Aug. 2020

Cezar Mereuță

The “parallel world” of the pandemic has two main coordinates: contagion cases and deaths, accompanied by the very important indicator of fatality rate relative to contagion cases (Rc/d).In our previous interventions, we demonstrated that the... More

The Absorption of Uncertainty and Exiting from the Pandemic

No. 23, May.-Jun. 2020

Olga Bodrug O. Bodrug Kassandra Maduzia K. Maduzia James Snedden J. Snedden Michael Migaud M. Migaud Mohammad Ahmadi M. Ahmadi Justin Bullock J. Bullock

The individuals (and, to some extent, the groups) make decisions based on their perception regarding the future, rather than on a rigorous calculus based on accurate models of rationality (such a conclusion has long been reached by the researchers... More

A New Silk Road – Russia’s Position

No. 23, May.-Jun. 2020

Ioan Alexandru Gherasim

The first version of the Silk Road is placed by analysts at the beginning of the westward expansion of the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD). Chinese products (silk, porcelain, spices or other goods) that were highly prized began to be delivered to Europe... More

NASA & SpaceX Launch – A New Milestone in Space Exploration

No. 23, May.-Jun. 2020

Over the years, space has proven to be one of the few topics that captivated people from all around the world to follow the same TV programming or online event at the same time. Individuals with different backgrounds, ethnicities, races... More

Reading Between the Lines

No. 23, May.-Jun. 2020

The macroeconomic situation of Romania is a subject of considerable debate inside the country. The important development of the country is, nevertheless, marred by imbalances and underwhelming reforms, constantly... More

Conservatism and Spiritual and Social Recovery

No. 23, May.-Jun. 2020

Richard J. Bishirjian

As I read newspapers, popular magazines, listen to National Public Radio, watch cable television, attend Catholic Mass, and work with American academics at the deracinated institutions called colleges, I am conscious that American secular... More

Revolt of the Disdained: Sovereignty or Submission

No. 23, May.-Jun. 2020

Steven Alan Samson

The 2016 presidential election hinged on the return of overlooked or marginalized middle-class and working-class Democrats and independents – many of whom had earlier supported Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan – to reinvigorate traditional... More

Some Thoughts on COVID-19 Pandemic ShockEconomy Near Us (XXIX)

No. 23, May.-Jun. 2020

Bianca Petre Alexandra Firescu

On the nature of COVID-19 pandemic shockWe think the COVID-19 pandemic shock “verifies” the following features:the shock is atypical: it has the particularity that it bypasses the standard “path” – that is, it does not affect the nominal flows... More

Coco & Chanel: Creating Herself and a Whole Universe, from Croquis to CoutureMIND(s that filled) THE GAP(s) [XVI]

No. 23, May.-Jun. 2020

Petronela Cîrstea

Imagine the epitome of an elegant, stylish woman of modern times. Is she sporting chic suit pants and a matching blazer, or maybe a timeless black dress? Is her jewellery exquisite without overbearing opulence, perfectly assorted to her handbag... More

Will We 3D-Print Medicine at Home?MIND(s that filled) THE GAP(s) [XV]

No. 23, May.-Jun. 2020

Claudia Enache

It is around 7 AM, little Jim has just been woken up by his mom. He can distinguish clatter of softly gyrating gears from rain taping at his windowsill. There was no reason to focus more on those everyday sounds especially because he heard the same... More

Three Paradoxes of the Territorial Distributions of Contaminations with COVID-19

No. 23, May.-Jun. 2020

Cezar Mereuță

A month ago, in the first episode regarding the pandemic, we identified the fact that the structural distribution of the spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus throughout the countries and autonomous territories of the world fulfils all the standards of the... More

Power Through Play: Thinking Energy Outside the BoxMIND(s that filled) THE GAP(s) [XIV]

No. 23, May.-Jun. 2020

Iulia Mărginean

According to the World Bank (2019), roughly 1 billion people have no access to electricity whatsoever, but a Nigerian-American entrepreneur thinks football might be the solution. How is it possible? The story begins with Harvard graduate Jessica... More

The Million Dollar Pixels: How a Student’s Idea Changed the Internet for the BetterMIND(s that filled) THE GAP(s) [XIII]

No. 23, May.-Jun. 2020

Mihai Răzvan Nedelcu

The internet. A place where (almost) everybody can see (almost) everything (almost) for free. An incredible technological asset of humanity as a whole. But how can we find everything? Do we pay these people? How many people would agree to make the... More

Bringing Lasting Positive Change for Women

No. 23, May.-Jun. 2020

Olga Bodrug

Any change brings both positive and negative consequences. Therefore, a development planner should respect various principles to promote change that minimizes negative effects. Also, certain priorities or values should be reflected. This... More

Making History While Snacking: Microwave Meets MarketplaceMIND(s that filled) THE GAP(s) [XII]

No. 23, May.-Jun. 2020

World War II, going on between 1939 and 1945, was one of the bloodiest confrontations in the world. It cannot be overstated how much this conflict changed the course of history, for better (if anything good can be related to wars) or worse. For... More

Think Fast: Interactive Filmmaking Puts Consumers in the Spotlight (Or Is It Just an Illusion?)MIND(s that filled) THE GAP(s) [XI]

No. 23, May.-Jun. 2020

Andrei-Gabriel Gheorghe A.G. Gheorghe Mădălina Bianca Moldovan M.B. Moldovan Alexandra Vuțescu A. Vuțescu

In 1967, the cinephiles attending that year’s edition of Expo Montreal were left with the experience of a lifetime, having been submerged into a new dimension of film-making. Radúz Činčera’s vision brought the audiences a new perspective, as his... More

The Risk of Poverty by Age-Groups in RomaniaHistory, on the verge of repeating itself after ten years

No. 23, May.-Jun. 2020

Ștefania Popescu Eliza Ignat

The risk of poverty recorded in Romania for the entire population was higher in 2019 than in 2008, according to data published by Eurostat. Almost one in four Romanians (23.8%) had an equivalent level of disposable income less than 60%... More

Centuries of “Concrete”-Solid Discoveries of the Humankind: From Building the Roman Empire Towards Contemporary BuildingsMIND(s that filled) THE GAP(s) [X]

No. 23, May.-Jun. 2020

Have you ever questioned what lies at the basis of the so-called highly-developed cities, at the foundation of the tallest buildings worldwide or how the infrastructure came to life? The answer is directed towards… concrete. It built the modern world... More

WaitSafe in the Pandemic: How to Fluently Reconcile Social Distancing with Personal MobilityMIND(s that filled) THE GAP(s) [IX]

No. 23, May.-Jun. 2020

The easing of the lockdown ignited with the advent of COVID-19 pandemic is still subject to strict conditions, as communities need to accommodate sanitary safety concerns with solutions for the freedom of movement for individuals, as the latter is a... More

The Press – Social “Mediator” or “Instigator”?

No. 23, May.-Jun. 2020

On the 3rd of May we celebrate World Press Freedom Day. The power of the Press (hereinafter deliberately written with capital P, in speaking precisely of its societal vocation) and its impact on the average citizen and on the wider masses of the people is... More

More than a Fifth of Romanians Are Employed by MultinationalsFrance Took over from Germany

No. 23, May.-Jun. 2020

Germany (16.6%), France (12.4%) and Italy (9.2%) are the countries that hold the largest share in the Romanian economy by the number of employees operating in 80,591 groups of enterprises, according to the data processed and... More

COVID-19’s Distributions and Balances of PowerProfessor CEZAR MEREUȚĂ: “Understanding this is the new challenge the most powerful leaders in the world have to face”

No. 23, May.-Jun. 2020

Adelina Mihai

Who would have thought that precisely the most powerful countries on the planet, which invested the most in their health systems, registered the most cases of contamination with the new coronavirus? Well, an analysis by Professor Cezar... More

The Romanian Government’s Underwhelming Response to the COVID-19 Crisis

No. 23, May.-Jun. 2020

Bogdan C. Enache

The Romanian Government’s response to the COVID-19 crisis has nothing exceptional, no original idea, no single individualized policy, no special or particular focus. If Sweden, no matter how controversial, dared to pursue an individualized strategy... More

European (Dis)Integration During PandemicsLessons for EU members about the convergence of interests

No. 23, May.-Jun. 2020

Ana-Maria Osipov

The big aspirations of “Unity in diversity” within European speeches seem to fade, as the supranational gathering around connection and cooperation is now, in the context of the pandemic, an ideal with less commitment than before... More

Romania – the Fourth EU Economy in the Share of Foreign Capital EnterprisesAnd an Interesting Paradox

No. 23, May.-Jun. 2020

Romania ranks fourth among EU Member States in terms of the share in gross value added (GVA) of enterprises with foreign capital (controlled from abroad) – FCE –, according to a study published by Eurostat, based on data from 2017... More

Pandemic: How to Avoid What Is Worse

No. 23, May.-Jun. 2020

Lucian Croitoru

In addition to major health issues, COVID-19 creates major economic problems. The risk of a deep global recession is very high. It is a shock that reduces supply, especially through the shock on the labour force, through illness or social... More

A Primer on Political Economy

No. 23, May.-Jun. 2020

Steven Alan Samson

Economist Walter E. Williams learned a principle of success by missing lunch. “At 13, I was a typical barbarian growing up in the slums of Philadelphia”, he recalls. “My mother supported us by working as a maid. Frivolous consumption often meant... More

Exploring the Transformation of Human Work in Relation to the Shock of the Novel Coronavirus PandemicEconomy Near Us (XXVIII)

No. 22, Mar.-Apr. 2020

Monica-Florica Dutcaș

Work is one of the concerns of our daily lives. Permanent, but often on very short-term, concerns about work issues are at the forefront of public debates specific to the economic or other fields of social sciences. Countless scientific studies and... More

No Way In, No Way Out

No. 22, Mar.-Apr. 2020

Scratching beneath the surface of socio-political matters results in a multitude of findings and novelties. It is time that enough answers were given to the everlasting questions which naturally follow the inquiry into the reasonableness of dominating... More

Mutating Mindsets and Contagious Behaviours (Part III): Diagnosing the Geopolitical and Geoeconomic Risks of the Coronavirus Outbreak

No. 22, Mar.-Apr. 2020

In the previous parts, we argued why behavioural economics does a better job of explaining consumer and supplier behaviour in the time of the coronavirus outbreak than the neoclassical paradigm. Both approaches were discussed at a... More

Coronavirus: Commission Hosts a European Hackathon to Develop Innovative Solutions to Fight the Outbreak

No. 22, Mar.-Apr. 2020

As of 24 April and throughout the weekend, the Commission will host the pan-European #EUvsVirus Hackathon, under the patronage of Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth. The hackathon... More

Mutating Mindsets and Contagious Behaviours (Part II): Zooming in on Economic Decision-Making in the Time of the Coronavirus

No. 22, Mar.-Apr. 2020

As we have reemphasized, neoclassical economics, with all its shortcomings, is still considered to be the mainstream wisdom and the reconciliating synthesis of ages-old advances in economic science. Behavioural economics, for its part, is a rather... More

The COVID Crisis and the 2nd Pillar of the Romanian Pension System

No. 22, Mar.-Apr. 2020

Far from the public attention, the value of the assets held in the seven private funds that manage the pension money in Pillar II for seven and a half million future pensioners decreased dramatically in the second part of February and continued to decline... More

Mutating Mindsets and Contagious Behaviours (Part I): An Overview of the Coronavirus Outbreak and Its Insights for Economic Theory

No. 22, Mar.-Apr. 2020

It is no longer a secret that the new coronavirus outbreak is the most significant issue troubling mankind at the moment, generating a level of panic and uncertainty with powerful effects on all level of society, politics and the economy. What... More

Was the Islamic State a Real State?

No. 22, Mar.-Apr. 2020

Răzvan Munteanu

The self-proclaimed Islamic State, known to the international press under the ISIS moniker, became a true center of power in the Middle East in the period 2014-2017. Its success came with a background of instability generated by the Arab Spring... More

The CORONAtion of Equality, the Abdication of InequalityOr viceversa?

No. 22, Mar.-Apr. 2020

Octavian-Dragomir Jora

We all are equal in front of death, but we are living lives in unequal ways, because of our deeply uneven endowments and unsimilar chances that Gods or odds reserve for us. We are (supposedly) alike in front of laws, while some... More

Communicative Action, Subjective Perception and the Hermeneutics of Capital Structure

No. 22, Mar.-Apr. 2020

Alexandru-Ștefan Goghie

This article highlights the implications of the subjective communication and interaction between economic agents in the process of expanding individual and implicitly social knowledge. Each economic actor goes through a set of unique... More

Free vs. Fair Trade – Pandemic Edition

No. 22, Mar.-Apr. 2020

Victor Hebert

At the beginning of studying economics, the two basic ideas every undergrad learns about are the theories of absolute and of comparative advantage, respectively. Ricardo, one of the most influential classical economists, claims that countries... More

A Treatise to Challenge the World of Tweets“Information may be abundant, but knowledge remains scarce”. This is the message of a collective of scholars from the Bucharest University of Economic Studies, the Faculty of International Business and Economics

No. 22, Mar.-Apr. 2020

Nicolae Istudor

One may reasonably question any new… old-style opus, in times of “fast and furious” facts and figures, expressions of international economic relations (scientific literature markets here included): Isn’t it enough that we are now part of an... More

Smith, Hayek and the Virus: Entrepreneurial Responses in Times of Crisis

No. 22, Mar.-Apr. 2020

Vlad I. Roșca

The world is struggling with despair in the face of an uncaring threat at the moment of writing these ideas: that word is not even worth mentioning any longer, since it is probably on the lips (and in the ears) of the majority of people worldwide.... More

Taxation of Wage Earnings for Pension Purposes in Romania, since 1950Some implications at present

No. 22, Mar.-Apr. 2020

Georgiana Constantin-Parke

The income tax has increased about four times in Romania since 1950, according to data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INS). The evolution of gross and net earnings shows that we have reached a doubling compared to the period.... More

Pandemic: Of Words, Beasts, and the Gates of Peace

No. 22, Mar.-Apr. 2020

The world is facing a pandemic. People are looking for ways in which to minimize its effects and defeat the virus. Some are taking all the necessary precautions. Some are treating the situation lightly. Some are panicking. And some… are.... More

On the Self-Testability of the Minimum WageEconomy Near Us (XXVII)

No. 22, Mar.-Apr. 2020

Gabriela-Mariana Ionescu

As I have shown, in a previous intervention, in which I explained the conceptual difference between the minimum salary (the actual minimum wage, with the particularity that is generated by the market, rigorously called “minimum nominal salary”).... More

Corona-Economy: From Crisis to Rebuilding Trust

No. 22, Mar.-Apr. 2020

Cosmin Marinescu

The Corona-Economy is already the grand economic challenge of the year 2020, but also of the political establishment. The latest developments are very serious, quite worrying for many sectors, which demand a coordinated response in terms of.... More

The Race to the Bottom in Oil

No. 22, Mar.-Apr. 2020

With the developed world in transition towards a short and medium-term economic self-flagellation as a means of reducing the impact of the SARS-COV-2 virus spread, there is little room for economic news that is not related to markets tumbling.... More

Will the Coronavirus Amplify the Role of the Government in the Economy?

No. 22, Mar.-Apr. 2020

Lucian Croitoru

A defining phenomenon for virtually the last hundred years is the expansion of state influence in all areas. The extreme was reached in the communist and fascist countries, where, under dictatorship, all freedoms were altered. In Western.... More

Brâncuși’s Endlessness and the Scarcity of Some MeansTo whom does his work belong?

No. 22, Mar.-Apr. 2020

Octavian-Dragomir Jora

The public subscription for Brâncuși’s “The Wisdom of the Earth”, to get it from private hands “back” to the Romanian state, failed not so long ago. In markets, big money is paid for his works, more than “all” Romanians managed to gather. The moral? Art.... More

COVID-19: Counting the Cost

No. 22, Mar.-Apr. 2020

Emmanuel Olusegun Stober

Fighting epidemics, or stopping them from spreading, has a cost. The direct costs of the COVID-19 pandemic are, of course, deaths and the sickness that prevents people from working. However, the indirect effect or Economic Cost include the labor.... More

How the Evolution of ITC Shaped the Field of Diplomacy

No. 22, Mar.-Apr. 2020

Alexandru Manoliu

When looking at the historical evolution of diplomacy and foreign policy, for centuries they have ended up relying on the traditional establishment of delegations or ambassadors, formalizing bilateral and multilateral agreements regarding various.... More

The COVID-19 Pandemic – Changing the ParadigmSir William Osler: “Medicine is a science of uncertainty and the art of probability”

No. 22, Mar.-Apr. 2020

Florin Paul

For almost three months now the entire world is in the midst of a very aggressive and rapidly evolving outbreak with new Coronavirus, that today is known as COVID-19. The origin of the outbreak is in China, the province of Hubei (Wuhan) and.... More

A Strategy of Subversion

No. 22, Mar.-Apr. 2020

Steven Samson

Half a century ago the German sociologist Helmut Schelsky succinctly dissected the political strategy of left-wing radicals in West Germany and the West generally. His essay, “The New Strategy of Revolution,” remains one of the best.... More

(Corpo)Rational Person(ality)

No. 22, Mar.-Apr. 2020

It is perhaps characteristic of modern times to gather large groups of people who share the same perpetual quest for what is called freedom of expression and action within a free world, to make use of it with every single opportunity they might.... More

Interstellar RightsProviding more legal support to companies to explore outer space brings benefits to all mankind

No. 22, Mar.-Apr. 2020

Olga Bodrug

The exploration of space is now shifting the paradigm as recent innovations put in light incredible discoveries. The space economy is undoubtedly the most captivating industry of the future. As it develops, dependence on satellite-based.... More

From Energetics to EconomicsStarting from the nodal analysis concept, engineer Cezar Mereuță opens up a new domain of inter-disciplinary research for economists

No. 21, Jan.-Feb. 2020

Alin Th. Ciocârlie

The fine connoisseurs say that statistics are perfectly comparable with the beach attire of an attractive young woman: reveals what everyone is allowed to see, but hides from the public eye the most appealing details. Because statistics is a science.... More

The Efficient Wage and Its ChallengesEconomy Near Us (XXVI)

No. 21, Jan.-Feb. 2020

Georgiana Constantin-Parke

The standard Economics states that the gross nominal wage which is consistent (that is, non-contradictory) with the criterion of economic behaviour of the employer – the gross profit maximization – must be at most at the level of monetary.... More

Technology and Ethics: Of Man and Wisdom

No. 21, Jan.-Feb. 2020

In Isaac Asimov’s Bicentennial Man, the fictional robot character of Andrew Martin spends centuries suffering many modifications in order to be accepted by humanity as one of their own.The story shows Andrew, whose name comes from the Greek.... More

Romania: A New Energy PowerAfter a slowly diminishing status, brighter days to come?

No. 21, Jan.-Feb. 2020

Stephen R. Bowers Ana Mihaela Istrate

While contemporary interest in energy questions focus on the Middle East, Romania has an impressive record in petroleum production which can be traced to 1517. Romania has a history of more than 150 years in oil extraction and in 1838 became.... More

A Leaflet for Economics?

No. 21, Jan.-Feb. 2020

It may be rightfully supposed that the first few months of higher education represent a turning point for most people. It is undoubtedly of a great importance that people take the decision of wholeheartedly stepping into a new environment and.... More

Europe after Brexit: Isolating the Continent

No. 21, Jan.-Feb. 2020

Cezar Teclean

The exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union remains undoubtedly the event of the year 2020. From a technical, procedural and institutional point of view, it was an impeccable, flawless process, according to the provisions... More

With Regards to Government Charity for the Private SectorEconomy Near Us (XXV)

No. 21, Jan.-Feb. 2020

Mariana Nicolae M. Nicolae Elena E. Nicolae E. E. Nicolae Andreea Paul A. Paul

In a market economy, which is also presumed to function within a free society, generally, the goods and services needed for individuals are acquired through economic transactions (regularly through work and the processes around it – saving... More

Relations with East Asia – A View from Romania

No. 21, Jan.-Feb. 2020

The situation of the world today makes it difficult to even agree on whether we, as humanity, are going towards the right or the wrong direction. This is indeed a time of increasing fluidity, fake news, rapidly rising populism, which all makes vision and... More

The Future of Cars: Reinventing Transportation

No. 21, Jan.-Feb. 2020

Emmanuel Olusegun Stober

The automobile industry’s cycle-race to embrace electric and autonomous vehicles did not include all its factories and workers. Neither did softening global auto sales help the market situation. And a change in the downward slope of the number of... More

On Brexit and Other Exits(Praxeo)Logical insights regarding economic and political integration

No. 21, Jan.-Feb. 2020

Andreas Stamate-Ștefan

The United Kingdom has just spent its first days out of the European Union. The exit, completed by the Prime Minister Boris Johnson (the third British PM in a row, since Brexit began, four years ago) together with his political counterparts from... More

A Perspective by and for the Youth

No. 21, Jan.-Feb. 2020

To most of us, it goes without saying that today’s youth will be tomorrow’s helmsmen amidst the tumultuous sea that life is. For “the little ones had become big, and the big ones had become almost men during the two years they were adrift in the... More

My Mauser Is Bigger than YoursThe arms race in the South Caucasus

No. 21, Jan.-Feb. 2020

Heydar Mirza

The arrival of four recently acquired Russian Su-30SM heavy multifunctional jet fighters in Armenia is far from being defined as ‘turning the chessboard on one’s opponent’, but it definitely triggers a new stage in the arms race between Armenia... More

Political and Economic Fallacies: A Tribute to Sir Roger Scruton

No. 21, Jan.-Feb. 2020

Steven Samson

Adam Smith’s invisible hand, Frederic Bastiat’s essay “What Is Seen and What Is Unseen,” Michael Polanyi’s Tacit Dimension, Friedrich Hayek’s “spontaneous order,” and the Christian doctrines of subsidiarity and sphere sovereignty – these... More

Leadership à la CEE: Values & Approaches

No. 21, Jan.-Feb. 2020

Mariana Nicolae

Another book review? Of yet another leadership book? There are and continue to appear so many books on leadership from so many angles, including innovation, creativity and artificial intelligence. And yet, what makes this particular book... More

Russia’s Trump Card Against China and Reshaping Power DynamicsWhat Russia stands to gain from the US - China rivalry

No. 21, Jan.-Feb. 2020

Stephen R. Bowers Kelli M. Nab

On 18 December 2019, Donald Trump, the current President of the United States of America, was impeached by the House Judiciary Committee following allegations of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, the third US President to be... More

Russian Relations with North Korea

No. 21, Jan.-Feb. 2020

The changing relationship between Russia and North Korea has its beginnings when the Soviet Union and China became rivals for influence within the Communist world. In the contemporary context, there is a triangle of complicated relations... More

The Market Liberalization of Space Odysseys

No. 21, Jan.-Feb. 2020

Vlad I. Roșca

Towards the end of 2019, a software issue during launch meant that Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft was unable to perform its first mission to supply the International Space Station as intended. It might by counted as merely one of the many problems... More

The Anthropocene-Fallacy: Learning from Wrong Ideas

No. 21, Jan.-Feb. 2020

Henrique Schneider

The Anthropocene is a proposed geological epoch dating from the commencement of significant human impact on Earth’s geology and ecosystems, including, but not limited to, anthropogenic climate change. While it is not an... More

The “Avenger” from SpaceX and TeslaMIND(s that filled) THE GAP(s) [VIII]

No. 21, Jan.-Feb. 2020

Maria Mincu

The main purpose of this essay is to highlight the life and the entrepreneurial journey of one the most influential people of the moment and how he permanently changed the world with his abilities and perception of things. Elon Reeve Musk... More

BTS – The Freedom of Musical Expression Remains UnlimitedMIND(s that filled) THE GAP(s) [VII]

No. 21, Jan.-Feb. 2020

Alexandra Dobre

In the past, there was The Beatles. In the second half of the 20th century, The Beatles became the most popular band in the entire world. Time passed and the 21st century brought new legends to the music industry. Most likely the biggest boy band in... More

Foundation: The Very Basis in MakeupMIND(s that filled) THE GAP(s) [VI]

No. 21, Jan.-Feb. 2020

Andreea Cheleșu

Perhaps everyone who uses makeup has wondered at least once about its origins? Every little thing has its own past but not a lot of people know the history of foundation. Surprisingly, its antecedents are not as pretty.Foundation traces its... More

Mr. Sam’s Walmart Empire in Uncle Sam’s American RepublicMIND(s that filled) THE GAP(s) [V]

No. 21, Jan.-Feb. 2020

Andreea Maria Mănescu

Samuel Moore (or how people liked to call him later on, “Mr. Sam”) was born in 1918 in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, and lived there until 1923 with his parents, Thomas Gibson Walton and Nancy Lee Lawrence Walton. He had a brother, James... More

Innovation in the Eye of the Beholder: Optical BreakthroughsMIND(s that filled) THE GAP(s) [IV]

No. 21, Jan.-Feb. 2020

Stelian-Gabriel Voicu Georgiana Denisa Oae

he commonplace objects that we surround ourselves with are just as indispensable for our everyday businesses as they are, individually and collectively, piecemeal retellings of different parts of our civilization and the progressive attempts by... More

ADI DASsler’s “Impossible is Nothing” and “The Miracle of Bern”MIND(s that filled) THE GAP(s) [III]

No. 21, Jan.-Feb. 2020

Alexandra Ispas Cosmina Stroinea

“It’s over! Over! Over! Germany are the World Champions!”, Radio reporter Herbert Zimmermann’s jubilant words still resound in the hearts of many Germans, as a newly-created West Germany conquered the most coveted trophy in international... More

Apple’s Handheld Evolution: From the Newton MessagePad to the iPhoneMIND(s that filled) THE GAP(s) [II]

No. 21, Jan.-Feb. 2020

Ever wonder how some things came to be? Just look at your phone. We cannot even imagine life without it anymore, but it is not always that we think of how much sweat and tears were put into achieving this particular invention. To be more... More

Make Education Relevant Again!MIND(s that filled) THE GAP(s) [I]

No. 21, Jan.-Feb. 2020

Cătălin Ionel

“The times they are a-changin’” and, along with them, the people’s needs and desires are changing as well. This is reflected in many ways throughout the economy, but perhaps the most interesting example we can ponder are the transformations that... More

The Market for Ideas: Supplying and Demanding ThoughtfulnessRuminations that inspired the creation, three years ago, of a wilfully free-speech and free-access, hopefully critical and creative, magazine

No. 21, Jan.-Feb. 2020

Octavian-Dragomir Jora Alexandru Georgescu

It has been three years since our project – The Market for Ideas – took shape. We have tried to present our readers with interesting ideas from a wide variety of fields and penned by a wide variety of others. To the best of our abilities, we have tried not to... More

Crossroad YearsSensing 2019, with a tint of 1989 and a glow of 2020+

No. 21, Jan.-Feb. 2020

The Market for Ideas

Human beings are obsessed with identifying trends and motifs in the passage of historical ages and to personalize, even deify, their geographical cradles. From the very sages of cultures and civilization(s) to the common folk, it seems that every turn... More

KNOWlegacy

Shakespeare & Eminescu – Measure for Measure

Adrian George Săhlean

Eminescu – widely celebrated by Romanians worldwide – may well be the most unknown great national poet to the English-speaking world.Without a doubt, Shakespeare is the most universally celebrated national poet. Eminescu, widely celebrated in Romania and by Romanians the world over, may well be the most unknown great national poet to the English speaking world.While excellent and varied renditions of the Bard’s plays in Romanian abound, Eminescu translations into English are not only scarce, but, to a large extent, unconvincing. Language competency plays its part, since Romanian translators have traditionally been scholars with a thorough understanding of the English language, literature and Shakespeare. Conversely, one can hardly find a native English translator with more than a superficial understanding of ‘folkloric’ Romanian. More

AntiSinTHESES

On the “Awakening of Civic Consciousness”

Ninel Ganea

“A few revolutionists walk from house to house and knock at each door: “everybody in the street / it is outrageous to stay in the house!” And every conscience, the gimp, the blind, the crippled went to the market; none of them remained in the house! For half a century they ravaged, wailing and fighting. At home is misery, poverty and disorder, but the master is not interested in this. He went to the market to save his people – and this is easier and much more exciting that the unpleasant work from home.” More

AntiSinTHESES

A Colchoneric Tragedy

Vlad I. Roșca

Santiago Roncagliolo did not do anything out of the usual. A young Peruvian writer, playwright, producer and journalist – a man of arts and letter, in a nutshell – emigrated to Spain at the turn of the century in search for a better life, in search of a career that he seemed to have been banned from in native Lima. This is the sort of brain-drain you get all over the world, sourced mainly underdeveloped countries. Santiago was only 27 when he settled in Madrid, aspiring to follow in the footsteps of García Márquez and Vargas Llosa, the ‘corps d’elite’ of Latin American erudite triumph on European soil. Full of ardor, he descended to Barajas ready to mesmerize with pen on paper. More

BUSINESSance

Ethnogenesis in Davos

The Davos World Economic Forum, established in 1971, is emblematic of our era for its courtship of notoriety, as opposed to the old Bilderberg Group’s more discrete operation, along with a calculated transparency regarding the power of those attending and the topics of high interest on a global level that are discussed (among some trivial diversions). If you are rich and affluent, then you will be present at Davos, and if you are present at Davos, then it is confirmed that you are rich and affluent. The fact that Davos is a phenomenon in itself, which transcends its components, is confirmed by the emergence of numerous events that imitate the Davos style or that take place simultaneously, just three streets away, in the ghetto of the millionaires in the alpine resort, so that the striving classes can also experience a counterfeit Davos for signalling their social status. When the famous Francis Fukuyama and Samuel Huntington were silently confronting each other, the former with the theory of “the end of history” and the latter arguing for “an end of the beginning” (in Winston Churchill’s words) through the clash of civilizations, Huntington was the one proven right by history, not only through the rise of militant Islamism, but also after inventing the atavistic formula of the “Davos Man”. This subspecies of Homo sapiens sapiens has no national loyalties; he is able to consider himself a citizen of the world and to be inclined towards thinking globally and acting in this direction. More

BUSINESSance

Opportunities for Romania

Dragoș Preda

Just a couple of months ago, after I met an old friend, I came across a paper called ”100 opportunities for Finland and the World”; since then, after reading the pragmatic document, I began promoting it, hoping it would go viral and underscore that Romania has a similar need to the one the Finnish document addresses.. More

BUSINESSance

Changing for Success

Oana-Lorena Țeposu

Changes in business can either simply occur, or it can be implemented by people through knowledge, resources and strategy. Waiting for the “perfect” knowledge to make decisions might lead to missing opportunities, as there is no such thing as flawlessness. For each and every instance, one should assess what can be done best and make a decision to empower fellow colleagues or the project team to deal with a particular issue. More

Striving Towards a Consensus

Olsi Bakalli

Almost a century ago today, Winston Churchill said that the Balkans produce more history than they can consume. It seems like this has remained unchanged over the years and Albania is no exception. Along with political events and conflicts in Macedonia, Kosovo and Serbia, recent and momentous political developments are taking place in one of the most important countries for the stability of the Western Balkans. More

Bulgaria – Geopolitical Near Future Outlook

Zlatogor Minchev

Rapid progress in today’s modern world is also generating a significant speed-up of the rate with which social and technological challenges rise up to hinder the peoples of the 21st century. Bulgaria, through its position on the crossroads of the Balkans, has a rather complex geopolitical profile, influenced by neighbouring countries, by EU and NATO and by global and regional powers like Russia, the USA and Turkey. In this context, a multicriteria approach has to be outlined for social, economic and security facets, in order to achieve a more concrete future analysis. More

The Big Misunderstanding with Bulgaria. Why Not Cross The Danube?

George Scarlat

It seemed that this motto would best reflect the attitude of many Romanians, diplomats, experts, politicians, regarding the bilateral relations of Romania with her neighbour from across the Danube. For the Romanians, Bulgaria, located so closely, remains a distant land, a great unknown and a mysterious and even exotic place. Regardless, our stake in Bulgaria might turn out to be at least as important for Romania as the bilateral, trilateral, quadrilateral, multilateral formats, strategies, initiatives and partnerships that have been hatched for years in Bucharest by policymakers. More

The Hungarian Government’s Chase of “Foreign Agents”: The Orgy of Hypocrisy

Péter Krekó

Last month, Hungary made headlines in the international press again by making further steps towards Viktor Orbán’s illiberal dream, which was highlighted three years ago at an event in Băile Tușnad in Romania. Viktor Orbán’s government recently passed a law that enables the authorities to shut down the Central European University – the university established by George Soros, and operating in Hungary for more than two and a half decades. More

Azerbaijan, Armenia and the Eurasian Economic Union: A Risky Game or an Opportunity?

Fuad Shahbazov

The regional economic integration within the globalized world has been recognized as an important driver for economic growth and job creation. Hence, free trade is one of the essential points for future regional economic development that would lead to a more productive and competitive economic structure. In this respect, the Eurasian Economic Union, which came into force in 2015, aims to establish a single regional market with the elimination of all customs barriers between its Member States. Even though a number of Post-Soviet countries have already become members of the EEU, Azerbaijan has managed to maintain its neutral position in this regard. More

Iran in the South Caucasus – A Keystone to Nagorno-Karabakh?

Heydar Mirza

The Republic of Azerbaijan occupies a key geostrategic position in the region of the South Caucasus. Lying at the geographical crossroads, this country is located on the western shore of the Caspian Sea and controls large reserves of hydrocarbon energy resources in the basin. This geographic location and geoeconomic importance of the area not only creates opportunities, but also generates threats, or at least challenges. More

Macedonia – The Sounds of War Drums Are Mass Auditory Hallucinations

David Stefanoski

It has been 16 years since the last war on the Balkan Peninsula. The last time anything resembling a war occurred, hundreds died and the small country of Macedonia was left with a reorganized political system, a crushed economy and a convulsing system of social relations. These days, we hear the dogs of war begin their gruesome growls yet again as rule of law collapses in the Republic of Macedonia, but you would be a fool to believe your ears. So what has been going on in Macedonia? More

Politics in the Republic of Moldova – Strong Essences in Tiny Bottles

Andrei Vlășceanu

The Republic of Moldova is a post-Soviet geopolitical entity, underdeveloped and currently maintained by financial interests, domestic and abroad: because of its geostrategic position in Eastern Europe, it is being used as an interface between the Eastern and the Western financial markets, an enabler for transactions and other movements that would otherwise not take place or be more difficult, especially for Russian oligarchs. At the same time, under this cover, Russian operatives affiliated to SVR are maintaining clandestine operations within the Western hemisphere because they have in their possession a “launching pad” – Transnistria, the first “frozen conflict” and the 14th Russian Army base, which can be used as a “pressure point” in different negotiations. Through this “open window” to Europe, plus their tradecraft ability, they are able to penetrate and control large swathes of the Republic: Russian speaking minorities, mass-media organizations and different political parties through businesses and other actors. More

How to Steal a Billion in the Wild East

Petrișor-Gabriel Peiu

The Republic of Moldova is a very small state in the East of Europe, very far from the rich core of the continent. As an economy, it is one of the smallest in Europe, being the 41st largest economy of the continent (in Purchasing Power Parity methodology) and the 144th largest economy of the world, with a GDP of about 18 billion USD. In nominal terms, the size of the GDP is somewhere over 6 billion (6.8 last year, according to its own statistics). Small is not beautiful here: as an image for its poverty, the trade deficit is over 2 billion US dollars, about 30% of the GDP, and one fifth of the public budget is made up of foreign aid. More

The Russian Federation and the Implementation of the A2/AD System in the Black Sea: Risks and Threats to Romania

Cătălin Alin Costea

The Crimean Peninsula was under Tatar control until the end of the eighteenth century when Catherine II announced the annexation of the region in 1783 to the Russian Empire. She established the main naval base of the Russian Empire on the Black Sea in the city of Sevastopol in 1785. It retained its importance until 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed and the peninsula became part of independent Ukraine since it had been offered to the Ukrainian SSR as a gift in 1954 by Nikita Khrushchev, the leader of the Soviet Union at that time, celebrating 300 years of Russian-Ukrainian friendship. The breakup of the Soviet Union meant that its successor state, the Russian Federation, lost the strategic position and the freedom of maneuver which Crimea offered in the Black Sea region. However, Moscow would regain its position on May 28^th 1997 when Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma signed the Treaty of Friendship Cooperation and Partnership in Kiev. Among other things, it created the division of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet in two parts and allowed the use by the Russian Federation of the Ukrainian port of Sevastopol and its territorial waters until 2017, for 98 million dollars per year.[5] More

Germany-Russia: Normative Deadlock and Confrontation Fatigue

Andrey Devyatkov

Due to the Ukrainian crisis, political relations between Russia and Germany, which used to call each other “strategic partners” at an earlier date, have hit rock bottom. The Germans were embarrassed by the fact that Russia had undermined, in their view, the foundations of European security architecture of which Germany self-identifies as a key advocate. It even became known that Angela Merkel allegedly said, after one of the rounds of negotiations on Ukraine, that Vladimir Putin “exists in another reality”, which demonstrated very well the deepening communication failure. As a result, Germany was one of the initiators of economic sanctions against Russia, working closely with the Obama Administration on a common policy towards Moscow, and broke off all possible bilateral negotiation formats at the highest level. Some symbolic “red lines” were crossed: for instance, Germany became the framework nation for NATO reassurance forces in Lithuania, so the German army again approached the Western borders of Russia. Both sides described the current state of relations as a complete loss of trust. More

Serbia's Geopolitical Position and Challenges, According to Its Elites

Vladimir Trapara

Serbia is a state in the Balkans whose foreign policy should be well balanced to be effective, given the heavy historical legacy of the region and its susceptibility to distortions of global politics. That is why Serbia’s elites should know the position of their country in international relations well, and act in accordance with this knowledge. The main problem with this is that most of these elites are predominantly driven by their group and personal interests, rather than the national one. More

Serbia – A Blockage of Options

Marius Văcărelu

The European continent is the most balanced from a civilizational and cultural standpoint, having a common history dating back at least a thousand years and whose co-evolution has meant that concepts of good governance, rule of law, checks and balances and others are interpreted in the same way, even though their application and success differ from one country to another. Despite this, there are four countries currently undergoing a crisis of options. In three of these cases, we are discussing a blockage of geopolitics and psychology, while the fourth option stands to resolve itself in time, according to current trends, even as reactionary forces try to stem the inevitable. This last state is the Republic of Moldova, whose Western path is more difficult and fraught with danger than for other countries, but whose direction is set by economic realities that cannot be denied. More

The turning point for Turkey

Răzvan Munteanu

2016 proved to be a critical year for the Turkish economy, witnessing enhanced risks of falling into a recession.The situation has been marked by three important events that took place both internally and externally. First of all, last summer’s failed coup d’état and the subsequent repressive measures undertaken by the regime (with more than 50,000 people detained and other 100,000 sacked) outlined the instability of Turkey’s internal politics. Within this context, the European Union bestowed heavy criticism upon the Turkish authorities, and the European Parliament consequently decided on November 24^th, 2016 to freeze the accession negotiations, on the basis of severe violations of human rights. More

The Clash of Realism and Liberalism: Understanding the Nature of Cooperation on Energy Security between Turkey-Azerbaijan and Georgia

Ayhan Gücüyener

The South Caucasus is home to both important reserves of hydrocarbon resources (oil and gas) and a crossroads of transport routes which connect East and West, as well as North and South. However, despite its geographic significance, as Amanda Paul stated, “the region is one of the most security-challenged and fragmented regions in the world”. It is particularly true that, since the end of the Cold War, the political map of South Caucasus has changed dramatically and the region became a focus point for conflict and competition on the international political agenda. More

ecON/OFFice

The 21st Century’s Search for Equilibrium: Isms, Phobias and the Culture of Labels

Georgiana Constantin-Parke

There is much to be said on the subject of today’s world, even though events happen much in the same way as they have been happening since the dawn of human history. There is violence, war, famine, disease, empty political discourse, yet there are also festivals, scientific developments, and a higher standard of living than ever before in many parts of the world. In short, humankind moves forward through time, if I may be allowed this perhaps scientifically inaccurate expression, in much the same way it has always done. More

TheFILEstarters

Worrying about Wetware

There is a silent revolution taking place in robotics, and automation in general. It is related not just the capabilities, but also the accessibility and affordability of the new means of production. Greater productivity is one of the results and the one most robo-evangelists cling to. The other is uncertainty. Our entire social and economic systems are predicated on working for income. This affects not just the life rhythms which human redundancy purports to improve, but also social status, consumption capacity and self-esteem. We will have to see if the revolution actually delivers on its promises, but even a partial result could lead to a hair-raising social upheaval, regardless of whether the final result is a net positive or not. In discussing past industrial revolutions, we often gloss over decades of labor unrest, migrations, community destruction and uncertainty in a few lines, with an intellectual carelessness more appropriate to Communist rationalizing of the piles of dead than humanist interest in the general welfare. More

TheFILEstarters

Robots and Empire(s)

Few concepts have ever been as tightly related to the notion of technological advancement and the future in general as that of artificial intelligence. The idea of highly intelligent, even sentient robots permeating various facets of human activity and society has been a staple of science fiction since the past century. Though the term “robot” itself was introduced to the English language and the world by Czech playwright Karel Capek in 1920 (“robot” meaning “work” in Czech), robots and artificial intelligence were developed most prominently through the works of such authors as Isaac Asimov (one of whose novels lent its title to this article), Arthur C. Clarke and Philip K. Dick, while Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has also been viewed as another example of artificial beings appearing in fiction. The concept has been heavily featured in several blockbuster science fiction films and TV series as well, either as the main theme or as part of the technologically advanced future. Prominent examples include 2001: A Space Odyssey, Aliens, Star Wars, Terminator, The Matrix and more recently, Interstellar and Ex Machina. More

TheFILEstarters

On taxing the robots

Alexandru Rîpa

Bill Gates, a pioneer in computer innovation, recently opened the gates to a debate that will become mainstream in the coming decades. He suggested that taxing robots would be a perfectly acceptable policy to defray the losses stemming from automation.His assumption is based on the correct fear that the advancements of high-tech industry threatens a large number of low to medium skilled jobs, of mostly equivalent income. This would lead to a high rate of unemployment in areas where automation may replace human labour. One wonders which sector is safe from the replacement of its labour force and the substitution of human capabilities. This is accompanied by reassurances of increased labour demand in the “caring sector” or other interpersonal service jobs. There is a growing need for caregivers for older people, people with special needs, helping children in education. It is logical to focus on areas that manifest increases in needs to reorient employment and then rely on innovation and automation to create wealth and increase productivity wherever possible, but there are some underlying assumptions which are left unchallenged, with regards to ease of reemployment, quality of remuneration and so on. More

BOOKracy

State-Building and Breaking

Raluca Șancariuc

We live in a world beset by inequalities. The differences between the highest and the lowest are, in stark economic terms, the highest they have ever been. Moving closer to the middle of the pack, we also see the frustrating persistence of lesser differences, that are nonetheless significant for politics, migration and consumption. This is apparent in the EU and is also apparent in the United States. The differences between parts of an interlinked system create a flow, generating energy that, in the case of society, may translate into vibrancy, creativity and entrepreneurship, or tensions, recrimination and violence. The “what” and the “who” of the matter stare us in the face every day and sometimes rile us from the polls and the voting booths. The “how” and the “why” are still open to discussions, and true answers are not forthcoming because they will invariably reflect our preconceptions. More

CasusBelleARTE

The Course of Empire

We no longer cultivate an understanding of history and art. Western democracies are increasingly relentless in denying their ancestors. The present sneers at the past with a sense of superiority that comes from simply being the present, with the ancient dead having no recourse or appeal against judgment rooted in contemporary bias. No other kind of ignorance indulges in current Western levels of self-flattery. More

ReseARCH

Debating the EU's Fiscal Union

Filip Clem

A common European fiscal policy? Sure, but not too soon. This would be a simple answer to a very generous topic of debate among economists and decision makers.After the recent global economic crisis, where governments took most of the blame for their excessive indebtedness and for the lack of in-depth structural reforms, European Union (EU) proponents have pushed for a deeper integration of the EMU - “The Economic and Monetary Union”. The EMU is fundamental for the functioning of the EU structure. Economic integration has been historically the main driver for the continuous European integration project. More

KNOWlegacy

System-Of-Systems to the Rescue? Solving Unsolvable Problems

Polipapilinho Katina Nina Magpili

The term system-of-systems is increasingly used to describe systems operating under conditions of ambiguity, complexity, emergence, interdependence, and uncertainty. Although there is a good understanding of the kinds of systems that could be considered as systems-of-systems, a consensus on an exact definition of the term has yet to emerge --- bringing into question the nature of solutions to the problem space of system-of-systems. Terms, including large-scale systems, socio-technical systems, and cyber-physical systems are often used. Convergence in different nomenclature is: system-of-systems exhibit several specific characteristics, to various degrees. These characteristics are the subject of this article along with challenges associated with using system-of-systems as an approach to address modern worrisome issues. More

DiploMATTERS

Romania and the Belt and Road Initiative

Claudia-Iohana Voicu

Historically, Romanian territories have been frequently a key to the geopolitical ambitions of the rising players on the international arena due to their strategic geographic position, Romania being located at a crossroads between the East and West, between the CIS, Middle East and Western spheres of influence, on the Danube and the Black Sea’s shores, rich in natural resources and with one of the highest degrees of energy independence in Europe. Nowadays, an additional advantage comes from its human resources, its educated class standing out in essential niches like various branches of the IT sector. More

AntiSinTHESES

A Social Alloying Model for Immigration

Jim Duncan

When discussing the question of nationalism, I am not alone in believing that the traditional and biblical understanding of a “nation” as being based off of shared culture, mores, and traditions is superior to the modernistic “genetics only” view based on shared ancestry held by some people, including most of those who would subscribe to white nationalism. White nationalism is a concept that is alien to Europe, with its long history of intra-European ethnic and sectarian rivalries. In the United States, where the proverbial “melting pot” has almost obliterated the former ethnic and group distinctions between the various waves of European migration, a generic European blended ethnicity (an ethnic American) could be contemplated for political and identitarian purposes, first informally (in the “us vs them” of politics and culture) and then formally, through overt politicization, affirmative action privileges and quotas and through self-identification on census forms in an increasingly (and visibly) diverse nation More

DiploMATTERS

Space Debris – Visualizing the Risk and Informing Stakeholders

Adrian Gheorghe

Everybody in a reasonably advanced society (and many of the not so advanced ones) uses products and services that are dependent on satellites and their specific capabilities, many of which cannot be substituted for on Earth. You may use satellite communications and weather prediction services, and sometimes you may use GPS (for transport, tourism and for tagging your friends on Facebook), but you are also consuming space services through intermediaries. Your Amazon order arrived safely, cheaply and on time through a GPS dependent global distribution service. The gadget you bought was the result of a globalized production chain kept viable by global communications, global transport and global finance. Your online payments, bank transactions and stock market investments are time stamped by atomic clocks located in GPS satellites. One day, you may even receive medical services or even have a robot perform surgery on you through telemedicine. And, in a crisis and emergency situation, space services such as Earth Observation are invaluable for decision makers and responders. The list goes on and on. More

ToBeContinued

Plato’s Cave, American Edition

Plato’s cave is a place where people sit chained seeing the shadows cast on the wall by a fire and thinking that that is reality. Escaping the cave requires a rough ascent into sunlight to experience reality as it is. A weird and troubling phenomenon is taking place in the political battles surrounding Donald Trump’s Presidency that will reverberate beyond this embattled term, as it sets a new low of public discourse which future political leaders and scandalmongers will find it easier to match. While there is a necessity for strategic ambiguity in politics, it has become impossible to distinguish reality from theater, especially since the media has decided to become a player and not an arbiter. More

Bridging News

Most wanted employers’ top and employees’ salary expectations in 2017