Rubrics » Bridging News
The Case for a Homeopathic Fiscal Policy
Very recently, a certain initiative of the Minister of Public Finance – namely regarding the possibility that tax evasion be punished by prison time – has generated much rumour and pros vs. cons debates (especially among the TV talking heads). Since the political (or even electoral) reasons of such a proposal are alien to my mind, I will focus this intervention on the general character the fiscal policy should exhibit, according to its nature as well as its purposes and, consequently, on the legitimacy of introducing such sanctions. Another issue of interest will be that regarding the efficacy of the proposed measure. More
A Treatise to Challenge the World of Tweets
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 unseen-before democratization of information, from which we can liberally extract what is of genuine interest for us? Cui prodest writing and reading another “scholastic” tome? What did its authors acknowledge that is so urgent to share and has not yet been tackled and “treated” by other scholars somewhere else or sometime else? Such answers are not at hand prior to or short of holding, opening and immersing into this impressive book entitled: International Economic Relations. Theories, Strategies, Policies, Tools and Case Studies [Gheorghe Hurduzeu and Luminița Nicolescu (eds.), ASE Publishing House, 2019]. We hereby call it a “treatise”. For it is one, by any standard. More
Mr. Sam’s Walmart Empire in Uncle Sam’s American Republic
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 Lawrence Walton, born in 1921, who later became a co-founder of the Wal-Mart business. More
The New Geopolitics of South Caucasus
The 2020 peace agreement in Nagorno Karabakh is not just redrawing the security relationship between Yerevan and Baku, but, at the same time, it reshapes the regional geopolitics.First of all, the OSCE Minsk Group played an insignificant role in these negotiations. It is true that the support of the West for Armenia is much lower when compared to Azerbaijan. This is because of the chosen foreign policy of either state, Armenia opting to prioritize its relationship with the Russian Federation, including by withdrawing from the Eastern Partnership in 2013. By contrast, Azerbaijan is, along with Georgia, a key NATO partner in the region. At the same time, its energy reserves make Azerbaijan a strategic partner for the EU in its pursuit of energy security. More
“Are Central Banks Literally Independent?”
The independence of the central banks – mysterious or miraculous entities in the eyes of masses – is practically an inexhaustible topic for scholars-economists and political scientists, as well as for business-persons and policy-makers. Still, the ultimate bill-payer of all institutional settings and governance organizations is the consumer-citizen. For this character this bell (of the debate) tolls. More
Does “Cultural Appropriation” Mean “Cultural Aggression”?
Zweig meant his variation of the old adage “Ubi panem, ibi patria” as an expression of the universality of beauty and culture and its power to unite people, regardless of ethnic background, nationality, or social class. His view of culture is certainly an ideal, one that is not acceptable in the modern game of identity politics. Currently, America’s netizen culturati are in a knot over the concept of “cultural appropriation”. The phrase is a semantically null assembly whose sole purpose is to create the illusion of division. The closest encyclopaedic explanation is the notion that there is no such thing as cultural exchange or fluidity in ideas, and any attempt to cross or meld cultures is an act of oppression against a vague and inconsistently chosen minority. Accepting compliments is not a distinguishing trait of the cultural police. More
The Romanian Community in Brussels, the Capital of the European Union, is the Second Largest One
I would like to thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the “The World of Romania” project, occasioned by what you define as the “(Inter)National Maturing Centennial of the Romanian Society and Statehood”.2018 is an important year for Romania, with a symbolic weight for the entire Romanian society, including the Romanian community here in Brussels. 2018 marks 100 years since the Great Union, and also 140 years since the proclamation of our country's independence. The Centennial, one of the most significant anniversaries in our history, represents a time for reflection, paying a tribute to the past and honouring it, but also an opportunity to look into the future with confidence. More
A Single European Tax?
The European budget is the main financial tool by which the process of economic integration and convergence is driven within the European Union. In the European construction, we can identify four tools aimed at initiating, conducting, and finalizing such a construction:An axiological tool: the set of European values on which and for which the European construction is initiated and made. Although a properly European set of values is still undergoing crystallization, many of them are in force and guide the formation of purpose and establishment of actions. This tool represents the final cause of the European construction;
A political tool: is the most important and productive tool. In fact, the European Union is a deliberative social construction, underwritten by an intellectual project[1]. Moreover, the European construction is based on fundamental political documents – the treaties – as primary macro-norms, which generate all the secondary and tertiary norms (communitarian legislation) to design the path of European construction. This tool represents the formal cause of the European construction; More
The Concept of Economic Capillarity
The term capillarity belongs, from a historical point of view, to physics, but it has been taken over, in terms of its general, philosophical significance, both by psychology and sociology, as well as by historical science. From a semantic point of view, capillarity indicates a property of a phenomenon or of some entity to evolve (from a spatial point of view or structural-functional properties) in a manner contrary to all laws and mechanisms known and accepted as governing the phenomenon or the respective entity. The classic example of capillary is that of a liquid that, in a tube narrow enough that its surface tension exceeds the value of the gravitational force, instead of moving down (more precisely, in the direction of the source of the gravitational force), moves in the opposite direction. More
The CORONAtion of Equality, the Abdication of Inequality
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 (one-sidedly) legislate fake sameness. Among the many questions we may ask while getting bored in the tight safety of our lazaretto homes: is Corona an equalizer? More
Foundation: The Very Basis in Makeup
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 origins back to Ancient Greece and Rome. Its first name was “white lead” due to the fact that it was used to make Mediterranean skin appear “fairer”. It was actually made from poisonous chalk which remained through the Middle Ages and Renaissance. In Queen Elizabeth I’s time, the “white lead” became “Venetian ceruse”, which was then formed of lead and vinegar in order to cover up smallpox scars. Unfortunately, this product had horrible side-effects such as hair loss, rotten teeth and permanent skin discoloration. Because of the toxic formula, makeup took a turn in the 19th century, making foundations out of zinc oxide, glycerine and calamine lotion. Still having the same purpose as the “Venetian ceruse”, it only came in three shades: white, pink and red. More
Central Asia: The World’s Next Powder Keg
Firstly, we shall explain the geographic and historic situation background of Central Asia. The name is self-explanatory when referring to the location of the region but what stands out is the climate, history and demographics. The land is mostly arid and sparsely populated while the Northern part is dominated by the Eurasian steppe, a flat grassland which stretches from Ukraine all the way to the northeastern parts of China. Historically this steppe was inhabited by nomadic or semi-nomadic peoples whose economic activity was herding and one of their main assets was the horse. The region was dominated by Iranian peoples until the Turkic migration (some 1000 years ago) happened. The land was fought over multiple times in history as it was once seen as an important connection between East and West due to the Silk Road. The inhabitants earned a reputation as great warriors especially when riding a horse (horse archery was one of their strong traits). For reference, here is a brief listing of the most important empires who ruled over Central Asia: the Persian Empire, Göktürks, Mongol Empire (and its successor states), Seljuk Turks, Timurids, Russian Empire (later U.S.S.R.) and even incursions coming in from China. More
