Institute for Market Economics

What Institute for Market Economics does

The Institute for Market Economics (IME/ИПИ) is a Bulgarian non-governmental think tank founded on 15 March 1993 in Sofia, registered as a non-profit legal entity for public benefit in August 2010. It conducts independent economic research, policy analysis, and market-focused publications advocating for market economics principles including minimal state intervention, private initiative, competition, and rule of law. The organization serves Bulgarian policymakers, legislators, businesses, academics, students, and the general public through a portfolio of research outputs.

IME's core products include a Weekly Bulletin ('Преглед на стопанската политика', ISSN 1313-0544) published every Friday with over 1,300 issues since inception, in-depth Analyses on Bulgarian and European economic issues, and a Legal Programme (established 2015) featuring an interactive judicial workload dashboard at sadebna.ime.bg. Additional offerings comprise public Events and roundtables (including the 'Time for Growth' annual forum), an Initiatives portfolio spanning Budget for Growth, Health Incubator, EU Regulatory Observatory, Alternative Budget, and Successes and Failures, a quarterly Internship Programme, and the weekly 'Added Value' podcast on Darik Radio distributed via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. The organization maintains an archive of publications dating back to 2001 and publishes annual financial statements.

IME operates on a donation-based revenue model supplemented by a €1,500/year Legacy Membership tier that provides exclusive access to closed roundtables, early analyses, and annual dinners with international guests. The organization is governed by an external Council/Board meeting quarterly and led by an Executive Director with a Chief Economist and a research team. It is a member of multiple international networks including Atlas Network, EPICENTER, the Economic Freedom of the World Network, 4Liberty.eu, and We Are Innovation Global, and has a documented track record of influencing Bulgarian economic reforms including the 10% flat income tax (2008), 10% corporate tax (2007), and currency board adoption (1996-1997).

Name

Institute for Market Economics

Legal name

Институт за пазарна икономика

Website

https://ime.bg

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Institute for Market Economics is a Bulgarian non-governmental think tank founded in 1993 that produces independent economic research, policy analyses, a weekly bulletin, a legal programme, and multimedia commentary on market economics, serving policymakers, businesses, academia, and the public in Bulgaria.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Policy Think Tank Services

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHALAD

Economic & Macroeconomic Research

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Research, Analytics & Expert Services

SECONDARYEDADADAA

Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Policy, Research & Think Tanks

SECONDARYBPAHALAF

Policy, Regulatory & Public Affairs Research

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Research, Analytics & Expert Services

Keywords

• Economic policy research
• Think tank publishing
• Policy analysis services
• Regulatory reform advocacy
• Public finance commentary

Headquarters

HQ city

Sofia

HQ country

Bulgaria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership: IME raises funds through donations from individuals and organizations who support market economics principles. They offer a Legacy Membership program at €1,500 annually with exclusive benefits including access to quarterly roundtable discussions with IME experts, early access to key analyses, and invitations to annual dinners with international guests.
2. Project-based Funding: Revenue from project-based work and initiatives. The source mentions that service revenues are typically used to fund IME's comment, research, and public administration recommendation activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Institute for Market Economics is an independent Bulgarian non-governmental think tank that produces and disseminates independent economic research, policy analysis, and market-economics publications. Its core deliverables are the weekly economic policy bulletin (ISSN 1313-0544), in-depth analyses on fiscal, labor, healthcare, education and judicial topics, advocacy initiatives such as the Alternative Budget and Budget for Growth, the Legal Programme on rule of law with an interactive judicial workload dashboard, public events and roundtables, and the Added Value Podcast on Darik Radio.

Product overview

The Institute for Market Economics (ИПИ/IME) operates as a policy research and advocacy organization offering a portfolio of research products and services. Its core offerings include the Weekly Bulletin (ISSN 1313-0544) delivering weekly economic commentary, in-depth Analyses on policy topics, and a Legal Programme with an interactive judicial workload dashboard. Additional products include public Events (forums, roundtables, conferences), various research Initiatives (such as the Alternative Budget, Health Incubator, and EU Regulations Observatory), a quarterly Internship Programme, and the Added Value Podcast. The organization functions as a think tank focused on market economics, rule of law, and public policy rather than a commercial technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Legal Programme (Правна програма): A specialized program established in 2015 focusing on promoting accountability, independence, and efficiency of Bulgarian courts and prosecutor's office as conditions for guaranteeing protection of individual rights and business development in a predictable institutional environment
• Budget of Growth (Бюджет на растежа)
• IME White Book (Бяла книга на ИПИ)
• Health Incubator (Здравен инкубатор)
• EU Regulatory Observatory (Наблюдателница на регулациите в ЕС)
• Successes and Failures (Успехи и провали от близо и далеч)
• Added Value Podcast (Добавена стойност)
• Alternative Budget (Алтернативен бюджет)

Products and services

• Weekly Bulletin (Седмичен бюлетин) A weekly publication with ISSN 1313-0544, distributed every Friday, containing IME commentary and analysis on Bulgarian economic policy topics including fiscal policy, labor market, healthcare, education and public finance.
• Analyses (Анализи) In-depth research reports and policy analyses on Bulgarian and European economic issues, including healthcare, education, labor market, public finance and rule of law topics, available free of charge on ime.bg.
• Legal Programme (Правна програма) A dedicated programme established in 2015 focused on promoting accountability, independence and efficiency of Bulgarian courts and prosecutor's office as conditions for guaranteeing protection of individual rights and business development in a predictable institutional environment.
• Events (Събития) Public discussions, roundtables, forums and conferences organized by IME on economic policy topics including healthcare reform, judicial reform and fiscal policy, including the annual 'Time for Growth' forum.
• Initiatives (Инициативи) Research campaigns and advocacy initiatives including Budget for Growth, IME White Book, Zanesi Zdrave (healthcare access), Alternative Budget, Health Incubator, EU Regulatory Observatory, Rule of Law Goes Public, Successes and Failures, and The New Industry.
• Internship Programme (Стаж) Three-month internship program accepting applications quarterly (January, April, July, October), offering training in economic analysis, article writing and policy research with access to IME's Economic Library.
• Added Value Podcast (Добавена стойност)

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully advocated for 10% flat income tax implementation in 2008
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Atlas NetworkcoreOthersInternational network of free-market think tanks. IME is a member, connecting Bulgarian economic research with global liberty-oriented organizations.
• EPICENTERcoreOthersEuropean think tank network focused on economic freedom and market-oriented policies. IME participates in research collaboration and knowledge sharing.
• We Are Innovation GlobalminorOthersGlobal innovation network that IME participates in for sharing research and best practices on economic policy.
• 4Liberty.euminorOthersEuropean network focused on economic freedom and liberty. IME collaborates with other European think tanks on shared policy priorities.
• The Stockholm NetworkminorOthersEuropean network of market-oriented think tanks. IME was a member, collaborating on policy research and exchange.
• The European Resource Bank EuropeminorOthersEuropean network focused on resource allocation and economic freedom issues.
• The Economic Freedom of the World NetworkcoreOthersGlobal network that produces the Economic Freedom of the World report. IME contributes data and research on Bulgaria's economic freedom.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Industry Watch: Bulgarian policy research organization spun out of the broader free-market civil society ecosystem that IME helped seed. Direct peer focused on business environment and regulatory reform in Bulgaria.
• 4liberty.eu: European network of libertarian and free-market think tanks in the Visegrad/CEE region. Peer via IME's documented membership and shared mission on economic freedom across Central Europe.
• EPICENTER: European think tank network promoting economic freedom and market-oriented policy. Peer via shared membership, comparative advocacy focus, and overlapping research outputs across CEE.
• Center for Liberal Strategies: Sofia-based independent think tank focused on liberal economic and political reforms in Bulgaria. Direct peer to IME as both operate in the same Bulgarian policy research ecosystem and address overlapping reform topics.
• Mercatus Center (George Mason University): US university-affiliated market-economics research center. Direct peer via Atlas Network membership and analogous focus on regulatory and fiscal policy analysis with similar dissemination channels.
• ECIPE (European Centre for International Political Economy): European think tank focused on international economic policy and trade. Direct peer in the European policy research ecosystem, addressing overlapping topics including EU regulatory frameworks that IME's observatory tracks.
• Cato Institute: US-based libertarian think tank promoting market economics and limited government. Direct peer via shared Atlas Network affiliation, similar free-market policy positions, and analogous publication/dissemination model.
• Fraser Institute: Canadian think tank focused on free-market economics and economic freedom research. Direct peer through its role in the Economic Freedom of the World Network (of which IME is also a contributor) and shared market-economics advocacy.
• Institute for Economic Policy: Bulgarian think tank focused on economic policy, founded in 1997 with IME's support. Direct peer operating in the same market-economics research niche in Bulgaria.

Broad incumbents

• Bruegel: Leading European economic policy think tank based in Brussels. Broad incumbent in the same industry space with a wider European remit, comparable research methods, and a similar policy-recommendation model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@user-om5xo3st8v
• Facebookfacebook.com/InstituteMarketEconomics
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institute-for-market-economics-ime-
• Instagraminstagram.com/ime.bulgaria

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Institute for Market Economics