TheMarketForIdeas

How the Evolution of ITC Shaped the Field of Diplomacy

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 issues.Today's diplomatic scenario appears solidly anchored to its legal ecosystem within the confines of the international community. The evolution of technology seems to have had a significant impact both on the way diplomacy is conducted and on the emergence of new, less traditional actors. More

BTS – The Freedom of Musical Expression Remains Unlimited

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 the world, BTS scored, in only 7 years since their debut, numerous records worldwide and they will not stop here.  More

Accelerating University 4.0 by Technology Shifts and Pandemic Drifts

Ana-Maria Osipov

The intersection between the technological and the pandemic shock became a real paradox to be managed by the higher education institutions. It all started in March 2020 with the decision to suspend face-to-face teaching activities and the following week thousands of students were learning online until the end of the semester. The main challenges regarding the business model of higher education institutions remain unresolved – as there is a general feeling of uncertainty and anxiety regarding the end of the pandemic and the resumption of normality.  More

Culture Makes Us Neighbours

Lilian Zamfiroiu

Few things are known, on both sides, about the relations between Romania and Luxembourg. And maybe many Romanians wonder why Romania’s presence is needed in one of the smallest (geographically speaking) European countries. The reasons are many, and so are the opportunities which have led to a very dynamic relationship, with substance and significant potential. I will address all of these aspects: the context of our relationship with Luxembourg, the arguments in support of this relationship, the results achieved so far and, finally, the opportunities that are still open to us in the future. Of course, such a close relationship could not have been built without the existence of shared common values and ideas that animate both countries: European values.  More

Populism, Bank Tax Edition

Bogdan C. Enache

The Romanian government has approved, almost overnight, through an Emergency Government Ordinance, a new bank tax. The idea of imposing a special tax on banks is an old one and tends to resurface during times of financial crises. Thus, the bank tax was floated around by the Left and radical Left in the West, when the 2007/2008 Crisis began, from where it was most eagerly adopted and put into practice mainly by Eastern Europe’s Right-wing populists. The Crisis which began in 2007/2008 is now over and even the governments that have instituted a special bank levy, like the Hungarian and Polish governments, have now reduced it or plan to eliminate it. This is a first indication of how ill-thought and ill-advised this late decision of the Romanian Government to institute its own special bank tax really is.  More

A Social Space in Facebook Times

Marian-Andrei Done, Ștefania-Mirela Podocea

The Facebook personal profile, even if it is accessible to a small number of people, is a public space, not a private one. Social networks have become a central part of everyday life. Facebook is the most used social network, likely the second site that people visit when starting or opening their laptop after google. Being a social network based in principle on the exchange of personal information, it is not surprising that many users reveal a great deal about themselves in their online profiles. With over 500 million users, Facebook decisions about privacy settings are able to influence many people. While its changes in this area have led to many media and society group criticisms, Facebook has apparently continued to attract more users to its service. This article examines some disadvantages of using the Facebook social network, but also the mistakes users make when choosing their privacy settings. We believe that although they are not universal, changes to privacy settings have led to a decrease in criticisms against Facebook. We also find that both the frequency and type of Facebook usage, as well as the Internet qualification, are correlated with the change in privacy settings.  More

The World of Romania

The Market for Ideas and the students from the class of 2018 of the “International Economic Diplomacy” Master’s Program, from the Faculty of International Business and Economics, of the Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania, prepared, in a special dossier, an anthology of what may be noted as cultural-diplomatic, civilization-contextualized answers to a question: “How did Romanian critical thinkers and gifted creators contribute to the thrive of humankind?”  More

Euro-Phobia, Justified or Not?

Andreea Dumitrescu

What comes first to mind when you say “European Union”? From the definition of the economic concept to the perception of a zero-average Gaussian variable system, we could introduce the notion of “Brexit”, a probability given by a system that does not understand its implications. “To be or not to be Brexit”, this is the question that is taking over the commons; but this is not a local phenomenon, for all its specificities, because its implications have their subtle roots hidden in the subconscious of the whole world. It is a bit like the apple that fell from Newton’s hand, and the “law” was his, when humanity had always been anchored to the face of the world. More

Corona-Economy: From Crisis to Rebuilding Trust

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 economic policy. The Coronavirus is the “black swan” that sickened the economy, rapidly and at a nearly global scale, like a tsunami starting from China that is washing away over all continents now. More

The “Avenger” from SpaceX and Tesla

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 was born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, one of South Africa’s three capital cities. His father is a wealthy and hard-working South African engineer and his mother is a Canadian former model (the oldest woman to appear in Covergirl campaign) and a nutritionist. In his early life, he grew up with his siblings, his brother Kimbal (currently an environmentalist and venture capitalist) and sister Tosca (now an award-winning producer and director). More

Remarks on the 2020 Romanian GDP Estimate – Reduced for the 3rd Time in the Official Forecast

Dan Pălăngean

The GDP 2020 estimate has been reduced for the third time in a row in the so-called Preliminary Autumn Forecast for the budget amendment published by the specialty National Commission. From an economic result of RON 1,141.4 billion according to the estimate issued in February, we went to RON 1,082.1 billion in April’s estimate, to RON 1,058.0 billion in August and now we reached RON 1,050.5 billion.  More