On October 29, 1940, from the rostrum of the XXV Ordinary National Assembly, the deputy from the government majority, Gavril Lenkov, declared: "if it is necessary to enrage the speculators in Bulgaria, we are ready to legalize this sanction." The context of his threat is important. After the start of World War II in September 1939 ...
More »Diseases, wars and speculation - the historical experience of Bulgaria
In recent days, Bulgarian politicians have, with surprising consensus, declared open war on the invisible enemy Covid-19. Measures have been and are being taken that are akin to martial law. Forgotten practices such as curfews, total control over behavior, control over freedom of speech, restrictions disproportionate to the danger, and attacks on private …
More »Does government price control help the poor?
One of the most frequently applied economic regulations is state intervention in pricing. This is easily explained. The increase in prices of essential goods creates social tension. The authorities try to bring calm by subjecting prices to administrative control. It is believed that this helps the poor and the disadvantaged. Elementary economic …
More »Several arguments against the Price Surcharges Act
On 31.10.2018, the National Assembly (“NA”)[i] submitted a Bill to supplement the Consumer Protection Act from a group of MPs from the United Patriots group, which gained wide popularity on social networks under the name “The Law on Surcharges”. Following Valeri Simeonov’s statements about children with disabilities and their mothers …
More »EKIP in the media about healthcare reform and price control ideas
The month was marked by the extremely high activity of our health economist Arkadi Sharkov in the media. Currently, a deep public debate is underway in our country regarding the problems in the healthcare system and the necessary reforms that can solve them. Sharkov and others took an active part in this debate in all possible ways …
More »4 reasons why limiting the bread markup is a crazy idea
Over the past week or two, the main topic that has been worrying the Bulgarian public is the expected increase in bread prices during the winter season, due to the poor harvest this year and the increase in gas prices. Although this increase is due to completely objective economic realities that cannot be changed at the moment, and …
More »Why are medicines disappearing from the Bulgarian market?
What is the problem? One of the main problems with drugs disappearing from the Bulgarian market is state regulation, which is expressed in the form of price controls. The Bulgarian government experimented with freezing drug prices in 2013 and 2014, which negatively affected the market and caused …
More »Price controls – a recipe for economic problems
The law is very rarely – or rather, almost never – a reflection of reality. On the contrary – the law is a reflection of the will of the legislator regarding what reality should be. It is for this reason that most attempts to model human behavior with the help of legislation are doomed ...
More »Helping the poor or the effects of price controls on rents in Portugal
A quick stroll down the central streets of Portugal's two largest cities - Lisbon and Porto - is enough to reveal a serious problem with the Iberian country's real estate market. Half a dozen empty buildings litter the landscape of Lisbon's equivalent of the Champs-Elysees, Avenida da Liberdade - up to ...
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EKIP– Expert Club for Economics and Politics A Different Opinion