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This paper studies the determinants of innovation activities in Central European economies at the firm, sectoral, country and international levels. It focuses on innovation activities in four countries, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, and Slovakia. Our dataset includes data from the three waves (2010, 2012, 2014) of the Community Innovation Survey (CIS), in a total of 58,880 observations, which we combined with 2-digit NACE rev. 2 sectoral variables (Herfindahl index, average values of age, profits, intangible assets, shares of large and medium-sized enterprises). These variables were calculated from 910,731 observations originating from the Amadeus database. We used Heckman and Bivariate Probit estimation procedures to observe the dynamics of new-to-the-market product and process innovation over time and at different levels of the innovation ecosystem. We focused on sectoral variables and found that determinants of innovation activity differed substantially. Our analysis documented the fluctuation of sectoral variables over time, which aligns with evolutionary theories. At the international level, the results suggest a disequilibrium effect of some sectoral variables over time. National innovation systems differ, and individual coefficients are hardly comparable without an innovation input-output context. We provided several recommendations for future research, such as the issue of non-linearity in some identified determinants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was conducted using scientometric and bibliometric methods, methods of content analysis with descriptive-analytical approach and analysis of documents of official provenance of the Czech state administration and the European Union. The assessment of the level of "e-government" was carried out using international indices and comparisons (DESI, EGDI, and eGovernment Benchmark). The authors proposed to use the terms "Smart Government" as a component of Smart City in the sense of smart city management and "egovernment" in the sense of "whole" digital public administration - not only city administration. From the evaluation by the European Union authorities and academic research, the authors recommended, among other things, that the relevant institutions provide intuitive user guides and applications that unify the services offered and focus on making the portals as simple as possible to use, easy to search, exploit the potential of cloud architecture, social networks, mobile devices, big data, and data analytics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The entry focuses on the issue of strategic importance of human resource (HR) management. The questionnaire survey was aimed at companies from the Region of South Bohemia. The approach to personnel agenda was analysed, as well as the connections to the branches in which the tested businesses were active, the size of the company, the education level of their HR officers, and their company level investments in human capital. A high level of heterogeneity in the data was found and no statistical differences were found in tested hypotheses. However, it was discovered that if the HR department employees have tertiary education, it is a sign of a higher standard and competence level of the department. The higher level of competency and HR planning independence was found in the service sector. This supports the claim that a vast variety of skills is needed in order to provide agenda of life-long learning and professional growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article develops a new business environment index with indicators that are appropriate, broadly available for developing regions, and, most importantly, are not double-edged. We used the index to analyze the business environment in Latin America, and it suggests the main role of basic economic principles, institutional economics approach and historical context. We propose the identification of an interdisciplinary variable as well as interpretation of the index, based on 10 factors divided into three dimensions (economic, institutional, and social). The novelty is in the consideration of past values; it is neither based on popularity votes, and nor does it favor large economies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Cliometrics as a method is a part of the so-called New Economic History as well as the Global History. Cliometrics was created in the United States of America at the Purdue University. Stanley Reiter, Robert William Fogel, Douglass Cecil North, Lance Davis, Alfred Conrad, and John Meyer are amongst the most influential representatives of cliometrics. The following study examines cliometrics as a method of economic history and compares it to the traditional (European) method of historical research -- the historical perspective method. As a part of the study, cliometrics is compared to other research perspectives of liberal arts or social sciences that are based on calculations and quantitative data. The study also discusses the criticism that describes cliometrics as a purely ahistorical research method and presents its own interpretation of the term "applied cliometrics," as well as its meaning, its advantages, and the expandability of this method in the current economy history discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]