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    Important
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    Dirty Money
    China's influence
    Energetics
    Fake News
    Health in Latvia
    I Spy
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    Latvia's ageing dilemma
    Latvia's Golden Visas
    Money from Russia
    Press Intimidation in the Baltic States
    Russia and Family Values
    Small Wages
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    The Other Side of Latvia’s ‘Success’ Story
    Unequal Education
    Uzbeks in Latvia
    #Vēlēšanas2018
About us
Support us
Re:Baltica - The Baltic Center for Investigative Journalism
  • Home
  • Archive
    • Important
    • Baltic Drug Couriers
    • Dirty Money
    • China’s influence
    • Energetics
    • Fake News
    • Health in Latvia
    • I Spy
    • Imprisoned in the Baltics
    • Latvia’s ageing dilemma
    • Latvia’s Golden Visas
    • Money from Russia
    • Press Intimidation in the Baltic States
    • Russia and Family Values
    • Small Wages
    • The Baltic Media After the Crisis
    • The Other Side of Latvia’s ‘Success’ Story
    • Unequal Education
    • Uzbeks in Latvia
    • #Vēlēšanas2018
  • About us
  • Support us
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The Other Side of Latvia’s ‘Success’ Story

The Quick Trap

11. February, 2013Inga Spriņģe, Gunita Gailāne, Pēters Folkins, Re:Baltica

Who would borrow 200 lats to repay one thousand or even three after one year? Latvians, however, are making this unbelievable choice ever more often. While many have yet to recover from the crisis, the quick credit business is fully enjoying the economic “pick-up” and earns millions. Usury or predatory lending is punishable with imprisonment, but Latvia, unlike Estonia and Lithuania, has never limited the business’ fantastic interest rates. At least until now–but the situation has already reached its limit.

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INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM NEEDS INDEPENDENT FINANCING

Investigative journalism is not an expensive hobby. It is a trade: often lonely, sometimes brave, full-time job which requires both time and money. It is expensive and thus become the first victim when traditional media face crisis. But without it we cannot understand the world around us and held the powers responsible.

We do it as a non-profit organisation which raises money itself and gives investigations to traditional media and publishes them online for free access.

We as editors are the only ones who decide what we are going to investigate because we - and not the advertisers or owners - think it is important topic for the Baltic societies. Thus we can investigate social inequality, corruption, abuses of power or money laundering.

We look for grants and earn ourselves via teaching, moderating events and researching scripts for films. But it takes away time we need for doing journalism.
Therefore we need you to donate and become part of Re:Baltica's community!

Now you can also donate through Mobilly!

The Other Side of Latvia’s ‘Success’ Story

They longed for their home so much, but…

1. November, 2012Kristīne Rizga, Re:Baltica

When the bustle of Bergen, a large Norwegian city on the country’s west coast, recedes into the night, Inese Liepina and her husband Peteris go to work. Around midnight, Peteris stacks about 1,000 newspapers into Ineses trunk, and about 6,000 into his own. He then gently lifts his wife into her car. As he watches her drive off, he has a lot of worries on his mind. Inese is not used to driving the steep hills of Norway. The chronic pain in her back flares up, as she gets in and out of the car to climb the 12-story bloc apartment buildings to deliver heavy newspaper packets.

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The Other Side of Latvia’s ‘Success’ Story

So Rich, So Poor

31. October, 2012Kristīne Rizga, Re:Baltica

When a year ago, Dzintra Briede got divorced, lost her job and all of her income, this mother of four moved in with her father, who lives in the small village of Bunka, in the Western Latvia. Turns out that in this region of Latvia, Dzintra’s family is considered “rich.”

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The Other Side of Latvia’s ‘Success’ Story

The Hardest Part was When We Couldn’t Afford Bread

23. October, 2012Kaspars Goba, special for Re:Baltica

This week Latvia lost another family. The Birgelis family from Puikules moved to Germany to start a new life, as they couldn’t earn enough money even for bread in Latvia. The story from Puikule: about those that have left and the people who remain.

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The Other Side of Latvia’s ‘Success’ Story

Average Income per Family for Top 10% and Bottom 90% of Latvia’s Society

17. October, 2012Re:Baltica

he richest 1% of Latvian households earn on average 3018Ls while the bottom 90% of households earn on average 425 Ls per month.

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The Other Side of Latvia’s ‘Success’ Story

Life with ‘God’s Mercy and the Goodness of Others’

17. October, 2012Kristīne Rizga, Re:Baltica

Latvia’s painful austerity program and recent economic growth is presented to the world as a success story and a model for other struggling countries resisting cuts. Re:Baltica’s investigation finds that Latvia has some of the highest poverty, unemployment and income inequality rates in the EU. What can other countries learn from Latvia to avoid the high human costs of its political choices?

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The Other Side of Latvia’s ‘Success’ Story

Social Benefits Paid Out by Latvian Municipalities in 2011

16. October, 2012Re:Baltica

At present Latvia’s municipalities set separately the amount and organization of welfare payments. These payments therefore vary greatly according to the revenues of the municipalities. In poorer regions welfare payments are negligible. The World Bank‘s research shows that municipalities paid out most of the housing benefits to wealthier families, with the state supervisory authority being too passive to change the system.

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The Other Side of Latvia’s ‘Success’ Story

The Main Conclusions and Recommendations. Authors of the Project

16. October, 2012Re:Baltica

What should be done to improve the lives of those with low-incomes and to reduce social inequality? Here are the main conclusions and expert’s recommendations.

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The Other Side of Latvia’s ‘Success’ Story

The Hidden Side of Latvia’s ‘Success’ Story

16. October, 2012Inga Spriņģe, Re:Baltica

Latvia is a land of extremes. In a country where 42% of children live at risk of poverty and social exclusion, the state can afford to pay 142,000 euros in paternity benefits for one child, and 200,000 euros in unemployment benefits. The Latvian system of taxes and benefits supports its rich more than the poor, leading to the highest income inequality in the EU. Re:Baltica investigates – how did Latvia get there?

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VIDEO


IMPORTANT

Baltic Media Health Check 2020

Baltic Media Health Check 2020

Posted on 26. November, 2020

Re:Check becomes official signatory of International Fact-Checking Network

Re:Check becomes official signatory of International Fact-Checking Network

Posted on 12. November, 2019

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