Artūras Jonkus: The Automatic Reflex of Politicians and State Institutions — Tighten, Restrict, Prohibit

SUMMARY

Artūras Jonkus examines how politicians and government institutions tend to react reflexively to any crisis with a playbook of tighter regulations, restrictions, and bans. He argues that instead of first analysing what went wrong and why, there’s a rush to impose measures that may create worse unintended consequences — like pushing legal markets into the shadows or eroding fundamental freedoms.

According to Jonkus, public support often enables this pattern, because many people approve tougher rules when they believe a minority is at fault. But he warns that a system governed by “automatic reflexes” ultimately risks efficiency, fairness, and the independence of institutions such as the media.

Read more here: Artūras Jonkus: The Automatic Reflex of Politicians and State Institutions — Tighten, Restrict, and Prohibit or here.