Сергей Маслянкин

Public debt is one of the most important indicators of a country’s economic health. It represents the sum of all financial obligations of the government accumulated to creditors. It is usually expressed as a percentage of GDP, which allows comparing the debt burden of different countries, regardless of the size of their economies.

The minimum consumer basket (MCB) is not just a set of products and services. It is an economic “mirror” that should reflect the real standard of living and the minimum human needs for survival. In Moldova, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the MPC is used to determine the subsistence minimum. However, its composition, methodology of calculation and, as a consequence, its final value raise more and more questions. Is the MPC in Moldova an adequate reflection of reality or is it an outdated anachronism that prevents adequate assessment of poverty and well-being?