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Background: Palliative care is insufficiently integrated in the continuum of care for older people. It is unclear to what extent healthcare policy for older people includes elements of palliative care and thus supports its integration. Aim: (1) To develop a reference framework for identifying palliative care contents in policy documents; (2) to determine inclusion of palliative care in public policy documents on healthcare for older people in 13 rapidly ageing countries. Design: Directed documentary analysis of public policy documents (legislation, policies/strategies, guidelines, white papers) on healthcare for older people. Using existing literature, we developed a reference framework and data extraction form assessing 10 criteria of palliative care inclusion. Country experts identified documents and extracted data. Setting: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, England, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain. Results: Of 139 identified documents, 50 met inclusion criteria. The most frequently addressed palliative care elements were coordination and continuity of care (12 countries), communication and care planning, care for family, and ethical and legal aspects (11 countries). Documents in 10 countries explicitly mentioned palliative care, nine addressed symptom management, eight mentioned end-of-life care, and five referred to existing palliative care strategies (out of nine that had them). Conclusions: Health care policies for older people need revising to include reference to end-of-life care and dying and ensure linkage to existing national or regional palliative care strategies. The strong policy focus on care coordination and continuity in policies for older people is an opportunity window for palliative care advocacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Homeless people were a new sight in the post-1989 Czech Republic, as the previous regime effectively criminalized homelessness. Thus, in the 1990s, the new visibility of homeless people was a shock to the public eye. This paper is based on a longitudinal study of how, based on this new visibility, the representations of homeless people developed throughout the 1989–2015 period. The paper focuses on the interplay between physical visibility of homelessness and its visibility for public policy. It introduces a threefold theoretical model of how the former is transformed into the latter: I argue that, to be recognized as "problematic" in public space, a group must (a) be recognized as a distinct category (categorical visibility), (b) be recognized as a threat to the civil order (moral visibility), and (c) that public policy must have legal instruments to perceive and address the issue (the eyes and arms of public policy). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assure equity in allocation of the funds for teacher's salary is a part of national budgeting policy that aims at providing a quality and sustainable education. Last decade, many countries have undergone structural changes in the salary funding allocation. Mostly, the changes in funding formulas are a part of an overall educational reform. Regional school budgeting is a complex of methods that are supposed to sustain, develop and react on the social and economic changes. The paper analyses and compares the school budgeting formulas used for allocation the public funds for pedagogical and non-pedagogical staff of the secondary schools in the Czech Republic. A bundle of methods was exploited based on standard search of the relevant data and literature followed by empirical method of interviewing, consequently, the analysis of the financial flows followed in order to pursue the comparison and proceed calculations executed through the use of deductive methods. It compares the funds received by a chosen group of secondary schools based on the former and the newly established school funding policy. In order to proceed the comparison a representative survey sample of selected schools had to be compiled. The present paper is supposed to be the first applied research that gives a comprehensive analysis and comparison of funding methods on the homogeneous group of schools in the determined region. It presents the real and actual data and own calculations necessary for further evaluation. It reveals the main drawbacks and allows to evaluate the efficacy of present budgeting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this paper is to explain and understand contemporary spatial changes within housing estates in Prague with special attention to the role of public and private institutions. We argue that housing estates are undergoing considerable functional heterogenization and becoming integral parts of the city as a consequence of mix of commercial development, specific public policies and activities of local actors. We focus on two crucial aspects of the contemporary development of housing estates within the capital city of Prague: (i) the new functional differentiation of housing estates as a consequence of private activities and commercialization; (ii) the role of master planning and public policies on the level of both the city and self-governed city districts. Activities of commercial and public institutions are perceived as structuration processes enabled and restricted by the constraints of contemporary post-transformational city. Methodologically the paper is based on analyses of the content of planning documents and policies (Metropolitan Plan, Strategic plan of Prague and selected documents of the city districts) and statistical information sources that relate to three levels of spatial detail. A case study of the largest housing estate and a symbol of socialist housing in Czechia—Jižní Město—illustrates the impact of state and municipal policies and commercialization on the local level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a comparison of time delays in the awarding of public sector contracts in the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom. The problem of these time delays has not been adequately addressed in the academic literature. The authors analysed the factors impacting on time delays in each country. A significant portion of GDP, in all countries, is allocated via public procurement. This paper compares the length of procurement procedures in the Czech Republic and the UK and the reasons for delays. The authors highlight the absence of public policies on procurement in the Czech Republic. A basic prerequisite for improving the results of public procurement is for all actors in the process to be involved and committed: officials and politicians and the public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Transformations in Business & Economics is the property of Vilnius University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of KONTAKT - Journal of Nursing & Social Sciences related to Health & Illness is the property of University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Faculty of Health & Social Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper focuses on sustainable public procurement (SPP) and its role in public procurement of the members of the Visegrad Group (Hungarian, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic). Sustainable public procurement is a current trend in public purchasing around the world. The European Union's sustainable development policy, which respects the objectives of the 2030 Agenda, seeks to influence the public procurement policies of the members of the European Union. Every country, including the Visegard Group countries is trying to implement sustainable development criteria in its procurement process and to change legislation. The aim of this paper is to compare the implementation of public procurement in the Czech Republic with other members of the Visegrad Group (Poland, Slovakia, Hungary) and analyse how the public procurement (tenders) respects the criteria of sustainable public procurement in the case of the selected public procurements (tenders) in rail transport. We analyse the public procurement process and investigate the possibility/appropriateness of using social responsibility criteria in the individual phases of the procurement process (award criteria). The results show that there are different methods of implementing SPP in the V4 countries. There are significant differences between the regions. Based on the results of our research and analysis of the selected tenders, we concluded that the principle of social responsibility needs to be reflected in all steps, i.e. in the formulation of the subject of the public contract, the preparation of the contractual terms and the selection of evaluation criteria in their qualitative form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of KONTAKT - Journal of Nursing & Social Sciences related to Health & Illness is the property of University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Faculty of Health & Social Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Population health and food safety is one of the main priorities of the agro-industrial complex and the economic policies of governments. This is also reflected in the health safety of the meat in the event of infectious diseases. Food safety policy is linked to public spending by the state, which also takes responsibility for the health of the population. This paper deals with the analysis of the economic impacts of the Mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy - BSE) occurrence in Czech Republic, namely the financial compensations to the farmers whose herds had been affected and the costs of animal killing and carcass disposal in the rendering plant. The data were obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture of Czech Republic, the State Veterinary Administration and the Czech Statistical Office. Original scientific research reflects the period from the first occurrence of the disease to the end of 2019. Between February, 2001 and the end of 2019, a total of 1 977 881 cows were examined and 30 cases of the BSE were detected. Consequently, 4243 cows in cohorts were killed and their carcasses were safely disposed of. The total of the compensations in this period reached EUR 8 013 000. Of these, 80.6% (EUR 6 458 000) were compensations for the value of the killed animals, 12.7% (EUR 1 020 000) for the related costs, i.e., killing, safe disposal of carcasses and the examination for the BSE, and 6.7% (EUR 535 000) for the losses due to non-materialised production. The costs associated with the payment of compensations are therefore significantly lower than if the real effects of the disease on the health of the population were affected. The fact that in the last 10 years the disease has not occurred in the Czech Republic corresponds to the improving situation in EU countries, so the Czech Republic has been recognised as BSE negligible risk country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the strategy of the Czech economic policy as regards the current enlargement process of the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). The authors discuss the validity of the Maastricht criteria for the new European Union (EU) member countries, as well as the risks and puzzles of both real and nominal convergence processes. The paper shows that current fiscal policy is the main limiting factor of the speed of the Czech Republic `s entry into the EMU. The paper concludes by arguing that the Czech Republic should endeavor to join the EMU as quickly as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the dynamics of an implementation of the policy of a higher local real estate coefficient as an innovation in the fiscal policy of local governments in post-communist Czechia. The punctuated equilibrium theory is applied in order to show the dynamics of diffusion of this fiscal innovation among 6,258 municipalities in the period 2009–2021. In order to get a more complex picture of local governments´ behaviour, dynamics are studied in a nexus of various approaches to fiscal federalism. In particular, the S-shaped curve and spatial analysis are employed within the analytical framework. The results suggest the policy of a higher local real estate coefficient is spreading out in municipalities known for a higher level of population and industry concentration where is a need for a high level of public services. Secondly, the policy is applied most frequently in populated areas and regions challenging structural challenges contributing to their depopulation. Thirdly, considering the election cycles, the local governments act on issues of a level of local taxation tactically. Finally, the spatial analysis revealed the approach of tactical changing of local taxes is rather concentrated in the north-western part of Czechia (i.e., in the underdeveloped region with obsolete economic structure). On the other hand, the spatial division of municipalities that surrounded the policy of higher local taxation is equal across the country. We also argue the impact of tax-mimicking behaviour may be less determinant than the previous studies suggested. On contrary, the factors like population density, depopulation, and substitution of the declining tax revenues seem to be more of determining factors for Czech municipalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of European Journal of Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Social remittances- the transfer of ideas, practices, and codes of behaviors- are a well-documented subject in migrant transnationalism literature and transnational family studies. However, the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak has generated unprecedented regulations around the world which require widening the conceptual basis of social remittances in a state of emergency. As the pandemic progresses, most countries require civilians to follow a number of norms deemed as the "new normality," while other countries continue to operate under their "old normality," with minor or no restrictions. As national pandemic policy responses vary across countries, transnational families live under different regimes of "normality." In these settings, the study of transnational families offers a valuable opportunity to examine a special type of social remittances practiced during global crises, and analyze whether the exchange of rules, practices, and ideas across national borders has any impact on re-shaping and renegotiating pandemic-coping "new normality" practices for both migrants and their families. The paper is based on 13 in-depth interviews conducted with representatives from Armenian transnational families with migrant members in Russia, the Czech Republic, or Belarus. These countries provide a backdrop for an examination of social remittances among transnational families that we term "pandemic transnationalism." The study shows that the circulation of safety rules and "good practices" actively shapes the everyday behavior of migrants and their families, their level of perceived danger towards the coronavirus, and their practical knowledge of safety measures. The latter are often harnessed in informal collective settings despite being in conflict with the obligations and regulations of their home society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this paper is to identify the impact of public spending on education and research and development (R&D) on the formation of gross domestic product (GDP) in nine Central European countries, which are divided into two clusters -- "old" and "new" EU members. The study took into account official Eurostat data of both the EU and national statistical organizations for the period 2010--2019. The analysis of this impact was carried out using a system approach, statistics and econometric framework including panel data regression, Wald, Breusch-Pagan, Hausman tests. The main finding of the present study is the identification of additional income in terms of GDP in Euro per capita for selected countries, which is obtained from adequately spent public funds for education and R&D. Our results showed that the strongest influence of these expenditures for the "old" members was in Germany and Austria, and for the "new" -- in Slovenia and Czechia. It is proved that this impact is different in individual countries and is determined by the public financial policy of national governments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores the issue of a new business entity's entry into the agricultural sector, dealing specifically with the viniculture industry. A new entering company has to confront itself with high capital costs and has to ensure appropriate access to all sources and distribution channels. Very significant barrier makes also government policy and legislation. The other barriers are variability of the labour market. It highlights current market trends towards increased labour demand, while unemployment remains low. Employees, those born in the 1980-90s (the Y Generation) in particular, have begun to require more employer activity in the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR). The study is based on a survey of selected agricultural and vinicultural holdings in the Czech Republic, focusing on their engagement in CSR activities pursued within the HR scope. Despite the awareness of the CSR concept among respondents reaching 55%, survey outcomes suggest that the overall participation in most of the CSR activities is below 40%. Firms are not particularly concerned with the activities that the Y Generation tends to lay emphasis on, such as those associated with the work-life balance. Overall it is possible to state that existing barriers of entrance discourage potential now companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the presented paper is to answer the question: How is the profession of intercultural worker and its legitimacy developing within the framework of the helping professions in the Czech Republic? THEORETICAL BASE: The article links the social work and migration studies. It draws on migrant integration models, integration policies and intercultural social work. METHODS: The article employs a case study approach, including theoretical review of intercultural work followed by an online survey. OUTCOMES: The integration of motivated migrants into helping professions, occupying the role of intercultural workers and community interpreters, is increasingly demanded by non-governmental organisations and public authorities. Yet, the professional codification of the intercultural worker is supported only in non-mandatory strategic documents within Czech integration policies and the National Qualification System. SOCIAL WORK IMPLICATIONS: In the Czech environment, there is an ambition to establish intercultural workers as a distinct profession that works closely with social workers. The discussion on the professionalization of intercultural workers deals with the possibility of integrating intercultural workers into the social services system or forming autonomous helping profession close to social work. How to ensure this on system level; is still open to question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with small and medium enterprises in relation to the attitudes perceived by business owners in their immediate neighbourhood, society, in relation to banks and the government. The key question is the difference between entrepreneurs who started their businesses voluntarily and those who entered the business out of necessity. The majority of governmental policies, including Czech policies, focus more on the questions of financial support, however the support of entrepreneurs can be broader and may include the efforts to influence perception of an individual and the society so that they have a more positive attitude towards entrepreneurial activities. The attitudes in the Czech Republic are so far rather negative and such a change may be positively reflected in the level of the entrepreneurial activity which strongly affects economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the current state of provision for homeless people in Prague. Design/methodology/approach – This is primarily a narrative account, though supported by and referenced with contemporary Czech social policy scholarship. It first traces the roots of the current situation through the history of the Czech legal framework for citizenship; the effects of communist-era ideology, when homelessness was simply hidden; and the post-communist (new-era) economic and political climate. The range of existing services is then described and analysed with respect to the difficulties in the demands posed for people in this situation. Findings – The paper outlines the current approach with outreach (“terrain”), engagement (“threshold”) and “accommodation” (support and rehab) services; and the challenges in transition from one to the next. Many systemic barriers remain for the re-integration of homeless people, stemming from attitudes within the community and amongst professionals, as much as a sheer lack of resources, or the psychological and emotional difficulties of the homeless themselves. Originality/value – There are few papers published internationally on homelessness in the new EU states. The similarity in the structure of services to what are sometimes called “staircase models” may therefore be instructive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews domestic and international activism seeking justice for Romani and other women harmed by coercive, forced, and involuntary sterilization in the former Czechoslovakia and Czech Republic. Framed by Michel Foucault's theory of biopower, it summarizes the history of these abuses and describes human rights campaigns involving domestic and international litigation, advocacy, and grassroots activism, as well as the responses of the Czech governments. The paper describes how legal and policy work during the past decade has led to recognition of coercive, forced, and involuntary sterilization as a present-day human rights issue worldwide, to the adoption of new guidelines on female sterilization, and to a joint statement on the issue by seven UN agencies. Relying on academic literature, reports by domestic and international human rights groups, state investigations, judgments from Czech courts and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), media reports, and the experience of the authors, who have been allies of the Romani women harmed in the Czech Republic since 2005 and 2012, respectively, the paper describes the current state of play with respect to achieving redress for them, including current conceptual, legal, political, and social obstacles and their antecedents in 20th century notions of population control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To what extent can a country’s effectiveness in reducing child poverty be attributed to the size of family cash transfers (that is, both benefits and tax advantages) or to their design? In this paper, we disentangle the importance of each of these two factors, focusing on the family support system in Lithuania and comparing it with four other new member states. Both single parent and large families are increasingly susceptible to poverty in Lithuania. This contrasts with other former communist countries, namely Estonia, Hungary, Slovenia and the Czech Republic, which protect these family types much better. This paper examines whether their family transfer systems would achieve similar results in Lithuania. We employ the EUROMOD microsimulation tax-benefit model to swap family policies across countries and test whether size or design has greater effects on child poverty reduction in Lithuania. Hungarian, Slovenian and Czech policies would considerably improve the poverty situation among large families. Single parent families would only gain if Lithuanian spending on family transfers increased radically. Estonian policies would lead to mixed results: small gains for large families and losses for single parent families. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the question regarding how the similar implementation traditions in two countries (Czech Republic and Italy) have influenced the implementation of activation policies in the frame of similar reform trajectories (decentralization and marketization) but different modes of governance (multilevel vs hierarchical). Design/methodology/approach – Moving from a policy implementation studies approach, the paper assumes that substantive reforms and procedural reforms are mutually interdependent: activation policies often require changes in delivery structures while the changes in these structures influence the key substantive features of the activation policies. Further, implementation capacities and implementation traditions shape the real policies implemented. Findings – Although the two countries compared are different in terms of the mode of governance emerging from the governance reforms, in both cases the gaps in coordination and implementation capacities have led to several implementation failures in the field of activation policies. In poorly developed active labour market policy (ALMP) regimes, activation governance reforms (such as decentralization and marketization) may not be effective due to enduring implementation gaps. Originality/value – The paper is innovative since it develops a full-fledged comparative approach by focusing on two countries with similar implementation traditions which contrast with different modes of governance. Furthermore, the findings put implementation traditions and capacities at the heart of policymaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The paper deals with the question to what extent implementation conditions influence the profile of activation policies in the Czech Republic. In this way, it helps to clarify more general questions: how are broader objectives of these policies specified at the bottom level of implementation and why activation policies differ among countries, although guided by similar general objectives and principles. Design/methodology/approach - The findings are based on implementation case studies carried out at several local labour offices during the pilot stage and later during the routine stage of implementation of Individual Action Plans (lAPs). Findings - The paper shows that in the pilot stage of TAPs, the employability approach of enforced activation originated from the top-down and was adopted at the local level; however, in a fragmented way due to unfavourable implementation conditions (above all poor staffing and a lack of activation programmes). It follows from these very conditions that, in the routine stage, the programme has been dying away, despite being supported by legislation and programme documents. On the other hand, processes of institutional learning have been initiated owing to IAPs and, with the availability of new policy opportunities at the local level (brought about with projects funded from the ESF), policy coalitions and activation policies emerge from the bottom-up, giving rise to another model: capability approach of inclusion through participation. Practical implications - The findings are signalling to policy makers the necessity to control the implementation conditions at the national, as well as local level and to take the bottom-up processes of policy re-formulation into consideration. Originality/value - The analysis of the contradictions between the levels of policy-making and of the volatility of implemented policies emerging from specific implementation conditions represents the original contribution of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A shift from flood protection to flood risk management is occurring in many Western countries, but less is known about the social perception of floods and flood management changes in Central and Eastern Europe. The objective of this paper is to study the social perception of selected water-related issues and to find possible compatibilities with existing flood management. A sociological survey was conducted within a local population living in flood plains in South Bohemia ( N = 89). The results are discussed in relation to changes in Czech flood management governmental policies over the last 15 years. We conclude that the local population accepts floods as regular events, expects their increased frequency and prefers natural measures of flood mitigation. Czech flood management governmental policies are moving from flood defence and hard structural measures (e.g. dams) to flood risk management and more natural solutions (polders, free spill, etc.). However, there is still a strong legacy of a top-down approach in governmental policies that hinders full incorporation of local perceptions into flood management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper questions the nature of the foreign direct R&D investments in Central Europe. Do the affiliates of the multinationals still undertake adaptive R&D? Have they recently engaged in innovative R&D activities in their Central European affiliates? Because patents result from the firm's investments in basic research and applied development, we consider patent data as a good proxy of the firm's genuine inventive activity. We build a sample made of the 10 multinationals representing the most active R&D investors in the Czech Republic - the Central European leader as regards of foreign direct R&D investments - and in the major foreign direct R&D sectors - electronics, electrical equipment, machinery and motor vehicles - and assess the recent evolution of their patenting activity. We suggest that (a) even these major R&D investors still only marginally apply for patents in their Czech affiliates; (b) there is no under-evaluation of the innovation activity of the Czech affiliates due to a geographical separation of inventions - in the Czech Republic - and patent location - in Western Europe; (c) the researchers working in the Czech affiliates are still not sufficiently oriented towards innovation activities to be integrated in the patenting-oriented international teams built by the multinationals. Foreign direct R&D investments in Central Europe remain mostly production supportive and associated with the international exploitation of technology produced in the Western headquarters and affiliates. Despite the strong engagement of the Czech government towards foreign direct R&D, real innovative R&D increases very slowly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents results of the research conducted in the area of CSR in the Czech Republic in 2013/2014. We focussed on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Correlation between the size of the enterprise, awareness, commitment and the number of used CSR activities is evaluated. The paper follows the involvement of SMEs in specific activities within the social, economic and environmental pillars and suggests possibilities for further development of the National Action Plan (NAP) for SMEs. The results of the statistical analysis show that engagement of organizations in the CSR activities growths with the size of the organization. Only 30% of micro and small enterprises in the Czech Republic know and make use of the CSR concept comprehensively and are active in all three pillars of CSR. Approximately 30% are involved in only one pillar - mostly in the economic one. 30% do not apply the CSR concept within their business at all. SMEs are not sufficiently engaged in activities primarily in the environmental pillar and activities aiming towards outside the organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this paper is to identify critical factors in success/failure of public policies focusing on fighting the spread of COVID-19 pandemic using a sample of three countries from Central and Eastern Europe with different results regarding COVID-19 morbidity and mortality rates, namely the Czech Republic, the Russian Federation, and the Slovak Republic. Based on comprehensive literature review, three independent variables were worked out: the scope/scale of public policy anti-pandemic interventions, the timing of public policy interventions, and the success of public policies in motivating compliance with anti-pandemic measures. Taking into account the similarity of measures introduced by national governments, the results suggest that the timing of public policy responses and success in motivating compliance may be critical factors in containing the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This conceptual paper discusses key instruments for territorial cohesion in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) from a comparative historical analytical perspective amidst the neoliberalisation of EU Regional Policy, which has implications for the production and reinforcement of spatial inequalities in regional development. The neoliberalisation processes unfolding in the diff erent political-institutional contexts of CEE have implications for the movement, transformation and eff ectiveness of policies such as Regional Policy, complicating the holistic understanding of policy eff ects. Increasingly neoliberal regional policies across Europe, and in the diff erent path dependent political-institutional contexts of CEE in particular, raise questions about the eff ectiveness of Regional Policy to achieve territorial cohesion. Comparative historical analysis provides a method of inquiry into path dependent processes shaping institutions and aff ecting policy outcomes, and is therefore a useful approach for conceptualising regional political-institutional contexts and their implications for Regional Policy. Operational Programmes encompassed in national strategic documents from the Czech Republic, Estonia and Hungary over three programming periods are examined as the key instruments for the implementation of Regional Policy, the comparison of which reveals a diff erence in perspectives towards the common EU goals of competitiveness and growth as a means of achieving territorial cohesion. The research thus points to the need for deeper comparative understanding of the political-institutional contexts in the three countries in order to identify factors of eff ective policies and to tailor eff ective policy solutions to specific regional contexts, a task to be advanced in future studies of Regional Policy and political-institutional contexts of CEE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extant research on social movements has highlighted activists' discursive tactics to challenge the state, yet little analytical attention focuses on elite efforts to dominate the discourse arena through the deployment of oppositional frames. This paper analyzes elite oppositional framing surrounding the placement of a highway bypass in the Czech Republic. Our research examines how democratic states deploy oppositional frames and enlist elite countermovement support for their efforts to obstruct challenges. Using a range of data sources, we delineate the mechanisms used by these elite actors to vilify and stigmatize environmental activists, paving the way for more violent forms of public harassment. The concept we initiate, discursive obstruction, adds the critical dimension of power relations to analyses of both framing processes and discursive opportunity structures. We conclude by discussing the implications of our results for social movement research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: The Czech Republic has one of the poorest tobacco control records in Europe. This paper examines transnational tobacco companies' (TTCs') efforts to influence policy there, paying particular attention to excise policies, as high taxes are one of the most effective means of reducing tobacco consumption, and tax structures are an important aspect of TTC competitiveness. Methods and Findings: TTC documents dating from 1989 to 2004/5 were retrieved from the Legacy Tobacco Documents Library website, analysed using a socio-historical approach, and triangulated with key informant interviews and secondary data. The documents demonstrate significant industry influence over tobacco control policy. Philip Morris (PM) ignored, overturned, and weakened various attempts to restrict tobacco advertising, promoting voluntary approaches as an alternative to binding legislation. PM and British American Tobacco (BAT) lobbied separately on tobacco tax structures, each seeking to implement the structure that benefitted its own brand portfolio over that of its competitors, and enjoying success in turn. On excise levels, the different companies took a far more collaborative approach, seeking to keep tobacco taxes low and specifically to prevent any large tax increases. Collective lobbying, using a variety of arguments, was successful in delaying the tax increases required via European Union accession. Contrary to industry arguments, data show that cigarettes became more affordable post-accession and that TTCs have taken advantage of low excise duties by raising prices. Interview data suggest that TTCs enjoy high-level political support and continue to actively attempt to influence policy. Conclusion: There is clear evidence of past and ongoing TTC influence over tobacco advertising and excise policy. We conclude that this helps explain the country's weak tobacco control record. The findings suggest there is significant scope for tobacco tax increases in the Czech Republic and that large (rather than small, incremental) increases are most effective in reducing smoking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why do countries move from public to private financing of healthcare? This paper explores this issue by looking at the divergent reform trajectories of three postcommunist countries — the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland. While existing accounts emphasize veto points to explain changes in healthcare systems, the present analysis finds that moves towards private financing can be better explained by differences in access to the policymaking arm of the state. Specifically, a penetrable single-party government and weak bureaucratic capacities allow physicians to capture the reform process and implement their preferred policies. The results suggest that scholars of health policy should focus more attention on the actors seeking change and their access to policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the presented paper we focus on the two ways in which family policy influences life of the society. Firstly, we discuss incentives that the family policy provides to families when they are deciding about having a child. Secondly, we describe the impact of family policies on standard of living and well-being of the families with children. European countries already acknowledged the fact that increase in the fertility rates would be natural solution of the ageing of the European population and family policy is seen as one of the tools available to achieve higher fertility rates. At the same time empirical evidence suggests that the families with children are overrepresented among the population at risk of poverty and family policy can be seen as an instrument for alleviating the financial burden of the families with children. Presented study compares the impact of the government policies on the net income of families with children in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. Comparative analysis of the birth grants, the maternity allowances, the child-rearing allowances and child allowances in the four examined countries is undertaken followed by the assessment of tax systems in these countries. Second part of the paper is devoted to the discussion of the income situation of the families with children in the four countries and tries to shed light on the impact of family benefit system on the households with dependent children. Our results indicate that family provisions in the Czech Republic and Hungary are relatively generous with the Czech system working simultaneously as a social assistance to poor families and the Hungarian system working on much less of a sliding scale of benefits. Poland provides only very modest financial support to families with children and the burden imposed by the parenthood is much heavier than in the three other countries. Czech and Slovak family support systems are similar in its structure but amounts paid to Slovak families are lower. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is based on a case study of a long-term public controversy over the construction of a highway bypass (around Plzeň, Czech Republic). Two principal variants of the bypass were proposed. One of them began gradually to appear preferable, increasingly attractive for experts, but remaining only on paper. In the meantime, however, the other variant became more realistic, pushed through mainly by local politicians and actually constructed. This article shows how purification of science from politics (and vice versa) played a key role in the development and ending of the case. Initial expertization of the case switched to its sharp politicization, when people got frustrated from protraction and indecisive evidence of accumulated expertise. This turned to be fatal for those who consistently staked everything on "pure facts." This article concludes by outlining some general consequences of such a development for both democratic decision making and the political relevance of expertise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the paper is to provide an overview of the development of Czech innovation policy which started to get its shape in the first years of the 21st century. The article traces its origins to a number of interlinked factors - the introduction of European regional policy in the Czech Republic, the increased inflow of foreign direct investment into R&D-intensive sectors and also the devolution of power to Czech regions that were established in 2001 and gave a new, regional dimension to research and innovation policy. It pays particular attention to the process through which the regionally-based innovation policy advocated by the European Union (EU) has been translated and adapted in the context of a new EU member state. As an illustration of the efforts at the regional level to make a better use of the potential of R&D and innovation in the regional development, a case study of a regional innovation strategy of the City of Prague is analysed. The City of Prague was selected for a critical analysis of an innovation system and innovation policy due to the fact that it is a region with significant but until now not fully exploited innovation potential and, in addition, its first innovation strategy has been recently adopted. The innovation strategy is closely scrutinized and the process of its elaboration is critically examined within the European and especially national context. The authors demonstrate that there is a lot of conceptual ambiguity and confusion associated with the process of transferring the experiences of Western European regions to the Czech Republic. The authors believe that at least some of their observations and analysis of weaknesses of the process through which the regional innovation strategy (RIS) has been carried out will have relevance for other Czech regions and even for other regions in the new EU member states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how interactions between government agencies and banking organizations led to the emergence of commercial banking in the Czech Republic and Hungary during the 1990s. We rely on interviews with bank managers at six large banks, government officers, and experts at other organizations to learn how actions based on different political ideologies shaped the banking field. We integrate prior research on institutional change, political interest, and transition economies to describe the emergence of commercial banking. Three important problems characterized commercial banking in the two countries: the disposal of bad loans, the privatization of banks, and the establishment of banking services. We argue that the solutions to these problems based on the changing political interests of organizational actors and regulators represent the phases of institutional development in commercial banking during the 1990s. Implications of our research are discussed regarding the political perspective of organizational fields in transition economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents recent notifications to the European Commission under Directive (EU) 2015/1535. They include a notification on the adoption of veterinary and hygiene requirements for certain food business operators handling animal products in the Czech Republic. Another is an order that extends the framework of the Inter-branch Association of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Industry in France. Also included is a notification on environmental protection product charges in Hungary.

The purpose of the paper is threefold. First, to provide an assessment of the accounting system operated in Czechoslovakia during the period of the so-called centrally planned economy (i.e. the command economy). Second, to provide a characterization of the new accounting system introduced in 1993. Third, to provide some indication of developing tendencies likely to become significant in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates, whether the adoption of ethical codes in the Czech Republic and in Ukraine mainly aim at implementation of EU ethical framework for public administration or should be viewed as a part of national anti-corruption policy. To that end, the article will analyse, whether the ethical codes for public administration in the Czech Republic and Ukraine reflect core principles of EU ethical framework for public administration, or rather contain specific provisions aimed at eliminating corruption. The practical effects of relevant provisions, their enforcement and contribution to elimination of corruption will also be analysed. Besides analysis and comparison of the situation in the Czech Republic and Ukraine, the article aims to identify common experiences and patterns to provide generalization useful for understanding the effect of ethical codes on elimination of corruption and national implementation of European core ethical principles for public administration in wider context of Central and Eastern European post-communist countries, which are still suffering from quite significant rates of corruption and examples of maladministration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this article is to analyse the readiness of local governments in the Czech Republic to implement their own integration policies. THEORETICAL BASE: The relevant theoretical concepts are based on migration studies and social policy. METHODS: This present survey is an explanatory multi-case study. The research set consists of five cities. The data was obtained through semi-structured interviews with political and professional representation of cities and experts from NGOs, secondary analysis of strategic and legislative documents. OUTCOMES: The integration policy of local governments is based on the principle of their individual voluntary commitment and is implemented only through time-limited projects. The binding definition of political and administrative responsibilities is a necessary condition to be set by the national government. SOCIAL WORK IMPLICATIONS: Social departments of local governments are the key institution dealing with the integration of foreigners in a municipality. Social work is therefore an essential profession that helps to design and implement a substantial part of the measures of municipal integration policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the article is to present the position of the Czech government and the society of this country towards the war in Ukraine. The text is an attempt to conduct a comparative analysis of the position of the Czech government and the part of society that has been opposing the government's policy towards Ukraine for some time. The author presented the main consequences of the Czech government's support for Ukraine, which are related to the post-pandemic crisis. These include, above all, problems with the supply of oil, natural gas and nuclear fuel for Czech nuclear power plants. Social problems include high inflation, rising interest rates and rising prices of basic commodities. In the summary, synthetic conclusions were drawn that confirm the discrepancies between the government's policy and the position of that part of society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the political discussion on the Danube-Oder-Elbe (DOE) international water corridor in the Czech Republic in the period 2010-2021. The issue has become highly politicised among Czech political bodies in the last decade. The article presents the development of political interests in the DOE issue in the Czech Republic regard to the concept of the social responsibility. Due to the fundamentally contradictory changes in the Czech government's policy towards DOE during the period under study, the authors focus on analysing expert documents (e.g., expert strategies, action plans for the Czech Republic, DOE studies, government programme statements) and political decisions in the Czech Republic on the given topic in the last decade. The authors present the results of the research by content analysis of relevant documents, which were examined by cluster analysis on the relationship "costs of solving negative financial externalities" and "DOE ownership". The methodology used is a combination of cluster analysis, PRISMA analysis and descriptive analysis. The research results show that the analysed documents show a high degree of mutual incoherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Forest-based bioeconomies have been adopted as the national forest strategies in many European countries. However, in the Czech Republic, the bioeconomy has not been officially included in national policies. The main objective of the paper was to review the current forest policy in the Czech Republic in meeting the purposes of the European forest-based bioeconomy. To better understand the opportunities and shortcomings of the forest strategy and the implementation of a forest-based bioeconomy in the country, a comparison study in the Czech Republic and Germany was also carried out. Methods: A review of the forest strategies was done based on the following research questions: (1) How are the bioeconomy principles and priorities present in the Czech National Forest Programme (NFP) as reflected in the EU Forest Strategy, and how does the Czech forest strategy compare to that in Germany? (2) What is the situation concerning the national wood production and consumption to understand the opportunities and challenges of the bioeconomy implementation in the studied countries? Results: The Czech NFP was approved following the pan-European process for the protection of forests in Europe; therefore, it does not directly reflect the 2012 bioeconomy principles, although most of these approaches have been included in this strategy. Different national measures in two studied countries were revealed to achieve the objectives of the forest bioeconomy. The primary contribution from the Czech forestry to the bioeconomy is sustainable forest-based products. A forest bioeconomy is also targeted at mitigating climate change by providing forest biomass for bioenergy. Conclusions: The Czech Republic is in the midst of the adoption process of the bioeconomy strategy. The main challenges faced by the forest-based sector in the country is to fulfil the demand for sustainable forest biomass and high value-added products. Multisectoral collaboration, business diversification, and education for public consumers are needed to increase the growth and job opportunities of the bioeconomy sector in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decentralization policy schemes (DPSs) in the public sector have been implemented in different ways by Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Both approaches have led to a transfer of competencies from state administration to self-government with the aim of improving the efficiency of the delivery of services. This paper presents a comparative scale efficiency analysis of the units performing services in the building order sector. The analysis is based on two unique regional datasets from two countries, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The DPS implemented in Slovakia is based on the principle of voluntary cooperation of municipalities. In the case of the Czech building sector, the competencies have been transferred to the newly created municipalities with delegated or extended competencies. This study aims to contribute to the research on efficiency in public administration. We focused on the relationship between two types of DPSs, and units' scale efficiency. We also tried to determine whether a specific unit scale size could be identified as the most efficient. We employed a two-stage metafrontier approach based on procedures for evaluating program and managerial efficiency. The results show that different DPs have not led to statistically significant differences in performance, and it is not possible to identify the most efficient building office scale size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines selected system-level variables. Its premise is that a better understanding of how and why scholars may, or may not, choose an international orientation in their career requires taking into account factors beyond personal preferences or constraints. We suggest that characteristics of national systems shape prospects and strategies of internationalisation and look at two broadly defined variables: resource availability and career incentives. With respect to the first, we study the absolute level of national resources and their relative importance vies-a-vis those provided by the EU. With respect to the second, we consider the rules and norms governing the progress of academic careers, especially the extent to which international collaboration is significant and necessary for initially attaining a stable academic position and career advancement. We explore these questions through targeted comparison of four national cases, selected to ensure crosscutting variation across the selected variables. A comparison of two relatively low-resource cases (Bulgaria and the Czech Republic) with two relatively high-resource ones (France and Finland) is followed by a comparison with respect to career incentives. This allows to conclude that both factors should be considered as necessary conditions for internationalisation, and to suggest how this hypothesis might be further tested in subsequent research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper summarizes the specifics and challenges of e-government policy, and then discusses the apparent shortcomings of policy implementation and challenges for further development in the Czech Republic. It draws attention to problems in national e-government policy and in practical policy implementation (instability of governance, low quality of evaluation, low involvement of stakeholders in project design, and public procurement issues). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the paper is to provide the first systematic review of instruction in public policy programmes (PPP) in the Czech Republic and examine the role and nature of policy analysis therein. First, the Czech higher education system is briefly described. Second, an overview of PPP in the Czech Republic is provided. This analysis is based upon a publicly available list of degree programmes accredited by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, an internet search, e-mail correspondence with public policy and policy analysis instructors, and syllabuses. It is shown that while a diverse set approaches is used, the classical "positivist" perspective is clearly dominant. Third, using survey data (N = 192) we analyse the views of Public and Social Policy graduates on the importance of competences in practice and the quality of actually learnt competences. Last, preliminary conclusions on public policy/policy analysis instruction in the Czech Republic are discussed. It is shown that public policy instruction is rather fragmented and is institutionalized under different disciplines. The respondents were most satisfied with gaining skills in the areas of policy analysis, ability to orient oneself and acquire new knowledge, and strategic and analytical thinking. In contrast, they were least satisfied with acquiring organizational skills, practical professional experience and skills, and computer literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population ageing is among the most important problems of developed European countries and the most frequently discussed social issues. The Czech Republic also faces population ageing and we cannot expect a different trend in the future. Life expectancy has increased due to better health care while current lifestyle often leads to lower natality, resulting in a negative rate of natural increase and a decreasing proportion of young people in population in the future. This problem affects all spheres of life and social and economic development. Population ageing may pose a threat to the security of the population in different ways. The functioning of the security system may be threatened due to decreasing workforce. Population ageing may undercut resources for military budgets. Young recruits represent an important part of military forces and the latter are competing in the labour market with more attractive occupations. Especially ensuring the stability of the personnel needed for securing crisis situations would be a significant problem of near future. This paper presents a demographic perspective on staffing and correct operation of military forces in the context of population ageing. It describes the current situation of human resources in the military policy of the Czech Republic and determines the negative impact of population ageing on recruitment potential. It deals with the sustainability of human resources for security forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Outlined by the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP), the rural development policy enables the application of the territorial dimension. The goal of this paper is the analysis and determination of the appropriateness of the CAP development policy tools specifically within the Czech Republic. Furthermore, there is emphasis on the compliancy with the EU territorial cohesion objectives. The analyses concentrate on the agro-environmental measures (AEM) and less-favoured areas (LFA) support. In addition, payments during the 2004–2006 periods are evaluated. Relevant statistical indicators that include geographical, demographical, and economical are designated. Testing and verification of the indicators undertakes comparative examination based on municipal size-categories. The results of this process indicate that AEM and LFA schemes do not benefit the underdeveloped municipalities as intended by the EU territorial cohesion objectives. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Social capital in Eastern Europe has received a fair amount of scholarly attention in recent years, including in the Czech Republic. This paper examines the stock of macro-level social capital in the Czech Republic in comparative European perspective. The notions of "missing" social capital and corruption as negative social capital are explored. The corruption situation in the Czech Republic and the progress in curbing it that was made in the last decade are evaluated. Regressions run with data from the World Value Survey and the Corruption Perception Index show that economic growth does not translate into correspondingly lower levels of corruption in the Czech case. State bureaucracy is identified as a possible reason for the failure to curb corruption successfully. Public policy recommendations and their usefulness for the Czech Republic are debated and a civil service reform is proposed as the most appropriate policy for addressing the situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article attempts to contribute to the discussion on housing affordability and the use of affordability measures for normative purposes. The approach applied in this article is based on the estimation of economic quasi-norms on rent levels in rent-controlled (social) housing by looking at total public costs at different rent levels. The quasi-norms determining rents could be used for estimation of quasi-norms determining 'optimal' housing affordability ratios. As quasi-norms are set according to an econometric simulation output, they are less subjective than the usual normative decisions of policy-makers. This approach may have a significant relevance for some transitional countries and therefore the Czech Republic is used as a case study. The results show that there is a relatively large scope for further increases in rents in the Czech rent-controlled housing sector and scientific research can be thus employed to inform rent-setting and, via that, 'optimal' levels of housing affordability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]