Slovak Republic

OECD’s periodic surveys of the Slovak economy. Each edition surveys the major challenges faced by the country, evaluates the short-term outlook, and makes specific policy recommendations. Special chapters take a more detailed look at specific challenges. Extensive statistical information is included in charts and graphs.

Études économiques consacrées périodiquement par l'OCDE à l’économie de la République slovaque. Chaque étude analyse les grands enjeux auxquels le pays fait face. Elle examine les perspectives à court terme et présente des recommandations détaillées à l’intention des décideurs politiques. Des chapitres thématiques analysent des enjeux spécifiques. Les tableaux et graphiques contiennent un large éventail de données statistiques.

The Slovak Republic’s development co-operation programme is based on its own transformative experience of building independent state institutions, developing a market economy and fulfilling the principles of democracy. Most of the Slovak Republic’s official development assistance (ODA) is delivered multilaterally through the European Union (EU) institutions. The Slovak Republic’s total ODA (USD 174.5 million, preliminary data) decreased in 2023, representing 0.14% of gross national income (GNI).

Housing affordability has deteriorated in the past decade. There is scope for eliminating barriers to expand housing supply by reforming land use policy and streamlining the administration of building permits. Measures can be taken to promote the expansion of the rental market and reform housing taxation to reduce the bias in favour of owner-occupied housing. Ensuring adequate supply and funding for construction and operation of social housing is crucial to improve living conditions for the most vulnerable. Accelerating the formalisation of property rights in Roma settlements would help to provide basic infrastructures for adequate access to water and sanitation. Implementing stricter regulation and targeted financial assistance to households most in need would help incentivise housing renovations, reduce energy poverty and advance environmental objectives.

Le PIB devrait croître de 2.1 % en 2024 et 2.7 % en 2025. Les salaires réels et la consommation augmenteront grâce au repli de l’inflation. L’assouplissement des conditions financières, l’absorption accrue des fonds du plan de reprise et de résilience de l’UE et le redressement attendu de la demande extérieure stimuleront l’investissement et les exportations. Les principaux risques tiennent à une recrudescence des prix mondiaux de l’énergie et des perturbations des chaînes d’approvisionnement.

GDP growth is projected to pick up to 2.1% in 2024 and 2.7% in 2025. Falling inflation will lead to higher real wage and consumption growth. The easing of financial conditions, higher absorption of EU Recovery and Resilience funds and the expected recovery in foreign demand will support investment and export growth. Risks are related to a resurgence of global energy prices and supply chain disruptions.

This chapter includes data on the income taxes paid by workers, their social security contributions, the family benefits they receive in the form of cash transfers as well as the social security contributions and payroll taxes paid by their employers. Results reported include the marginal and average tax burden for eight different family types.Methodological information is available for personal income tax systems, compulsory social security contributions to schemes operated within the government sector, universal cash transfers as well as recent changes in the tax/benefit system. The methodology also includes the parameter values and tax equations underlying the data.

This report provides insights on applying behavioural insights to improve public integrity in the public administration of the Slovak Republic. This report illustrates, through a stepwise application of the OECD BASIC toolkit, how corruption risk management policies can be improved through the identification and analysis of undesired behaviours, and through the design and testing of strategies to change these behaviours. Specifically, a randomised controlled trial was employed to test the effect of two behaviourally informed strategies to improve risk communication in the public administration. The results provided novel empirical evidence that: 1) providing support to public servants to better understand risks; and 2) exposing public servants to good leadership examples can improve their propensity to communicate risks. Moreover, it was found that feeling safe, trusting and being aware of risk communication channels also play an important role in improving risk communication. Based on the findings, this report provides recommendations to improve the risk management system of the Slovak Republic and inform the discussion on the upcoming National Anti-corruption Strategy, contributing to advancing the country’s efforts in curbing corruption.

Two behaviourally informed strategies were designed to increase risk communication. The effects of these two strategies were tested in an online randomised controlled trial (RCT). In addition, the relationships between the likelihood of communicating a risk and several secondary outcome variables, such as psychological safety, knowledge on the reporting channels and trust, were also explored. The results indicate that exposing employees to examples of exemplary leadership and social norms can increase the likelihood of communicating a corruption risk. Feeling generally safe when communicating about risks, having hiring responsibility, and having trust and knowledge of reporting channels also play an important role in improving risk communication.