If we want to increase the performance of government services, more is needed than just the introduction of new systems of information treatment. Too often one limits oneself to just automating existing paper-based processes.

In order to enable sufficient investments, one can reintroduce the old technique of an ordinary and extraordinary budget. Together with a minimum percentage of investments in the total expenditure in the budget rule book.

Instead of only looking at the status of the income distribution at one point in time, we foremost have to analyze how rigid these relations are. Policy- wise this implies foremost to put more emphasis on social mobility and accessible education.

 

Marc De Vos nuances the new doomsday-scenario from the Club of Rome. No one can know how the world will look in 2052. But it is much more likely to be much better than worse.

Marc De Vos recognizes the need to counter the effects of necessary austerity measures, but warns that a period of limited growth is as good as unavoidable. Stringent budgetary targets are necessary to make growth durable again.