Here will be collected references and links on the essential supplementary materials to the informal course of Lectures on Business Climate & Economic Institutions’ Quality
To the introductory Lecture “Business Climate Indicators: the Rise, the Decay, and the Ways to Repair” (explanation of differences between “inclusive” and efficient institutions):
Commentary on the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science selection, awarded in 2024
The increased attention of economists and the general public to the relationship between institutions and economic growth, as well as to the importance of studying economic history-heightened by the awarding of the 2024 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel-is a welcome development. However, this recognition should be contextualized within the broader history of economic thought. Doing so will better equip those seeking meaningful answers to the questions about Economic growth-promoting institutions raised by the 2024 laureates.
To the lectures on Israel (explanation of why the Israeli Judiciary is not a “tolerable administration of Justice” and so why it should be completely overhauled):
Judicial activism in the state of welfare-dependent voters. Case of Israel
Every governmental body and every official is inclined to seek more discretionary power under limited responsibility. The welfare state empowers social bureaucrat with funds he could use to purchase political support for welfare-dependent voters. The corrupted motivation of “tax-spending” (not taxpayer) voters also empowers activist Judges and attorneys who could protect social bureaucrats from elected politicians. Senior judges in Israel had reached huge successes in power redistribution. They can repeal laws (as “unreasonable”), cancel political appointments, and more. The Supreme Court of Israel’s verdict analysis proves a dangerous decline in its’ decision quality, while any limits of Supreme Court power, including moral restrictions, are diffusing and vanishing.
The Right in Israel: From Eternal Opposition to Symbolically Ruling Party
This section, part of Chapter 4, “Modern Conservatism in Old Democracies,” in the forthcoming book “Freedom is in Retreat Lasting a Century: The Lessons Conservative Colleagues Failed to Learn,” examines a paradox in Israeli politics: why right-wing electoral victories routinely result in left-wing policies. The analysis focuses on Israel’s unique political landscape, particularly the dynamics between the national-religious camp and the left. It explores how the left’s implicit threats of civil unrest have historically constrained right-wing governance, alongside the emergence of extreme judicial activism that has effectively transferred governmental and legislative powers to the courts. The text demonstrates that Israel shares a fundamental challenge with other Western democracies: an entrenched bureaucracy with both the means and resources for self-perpetuation and voter influence through welfare dependency. However, Israel presents a notable exception to typical Western patterns in one crucial aspect: its educational system has proven less effective as an ideological instrument, with younger generations often displaying more conservative tendencies than their elders.