The question refers to a specific topic: what affects everyday life the most, what should be improved to make people more satisfied? And the answer is clear: the economy (micro and macro) must improve because jobs, income and opportunities are created there. However, let’s be aware that the economy does not improve if the political environment in which important joint decisions are made does not improve.

What needs to happen in the economy for people to see change? In essence, for “growth” to be of the order of 5% per year. This is neither magic nor a macro figure, but essential from everyday life: that there are more people who invest in businesses, employ, exchange, “that the economy moves more”. Some say “there is more liquidity”, but this is a wrong concept, money is a means of facilitating exchange, but it is the result of more activity… And why 5%? Because the 3% we are currently at is insufficient (we were in 2022). With 2%, the economy is growing, but it is not creating jobs because companies produce to additionally “increase labor productivity” with the same number of employees. And then, just above 2%, more jobs and income are created: that’s why in 2022 we grew by 3%, but the employed population (taking February 2023 compared to February 2022) grew by barely 65,000 when the figure in one should have amounted to around 150,000 (certainly a positive side, suitable jobs increased by 118,000, while underemployment fell by 53,000). It’s not true that”the economy is fine, but we don’t notice it”, the reality is that “the economy has improved, but not enough, and we have not yet returned to the level before the 2019 pandemic.″.

And what is needed for a growth of 5%? May all of us involved in economic life make positive decisions about investment, consumption, employment and exchange. “Everyone” means both suppliers and applicants, bearing in mind that we are all on one side of the scale or the other on a daily basis. Companies produce, but at the same time demand (inputs, machines, jobs), and households spend and invest, for which we had to produce something.

(…) economy is the essence, but politics creates an indispensable environment…

And what is needed to make positive decisions? To live in a better environment that is partly generated by politics… for which we are all responsible (although politicians are increasingly creating spaces only for their own interests). Can we grow at 5% without more trade agreements with the world to which we can sell more and better? With the current labor law slowing down positive hiring decisions? With a financial environment that lacks external competition? Without pushing responsible mining and oil? Living in terrible insecurity? With huge unproductive government spending, what is the brake on society? Without a better pension and health? With a high perception of how risky it is to jump into something to do? That and more, which can only be improved partly by political decisions.

Conclusion: the economy is the essence, but politics creates the essential environment, and it is very serious when it is not adhered to and daily interferes with the voluntary exchange of people and further damages the economy. (OR)