Economics

Copying another country’s economic model is like shooting at a moving target, especially in the EU, where aid to smaller countries always entails political and economic control. What is special about the Balkans is that small interest groups have survived throughout history, which makes the region fertile ground for clientelism.

In the late 1990s, the scolding of the middle class had begun in the USA. Its lifestyle: too expensive, too wasteful, too costly. It used to live in cities. Now it lives 40 miles away, in the suburbs. One automobile used to suffice. Now there have to be 2, or more. The sizes of the living area, the energy consumption and the size of the properties have also multiplied – as have the debts.