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This article discusses the integration of scholars from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) into the broader field of European political science. Evaluating data from 2000 to 2020, we ask whether CEE scholars managed to “close the gap” stemming from the initially underdeveloped state of post-communist political science. We contend that the results are rather mixed: CEE scholars have been increasingly present, yet achieved only very limited access to the top levels and mostly remain in a position of dependency. Using the case of Czechia, we discuss the factors that have likely contributed to the perpetuation of this state of integration with limited convergence.

Responses to current environmental challenges, such as the energy transition, require collaboration among diverse actors interacting in complex and conflicting policy settings. This study examines the drivers of inter-organizational collaboration within the conflictual context of Czech coal phase-out by investigating hypotheses on belief homophily, political influence, and expert information. It uses a sequential mixed-methods research design combining exponential random graph modeling, which controls for network self-organization processes, and directed qualitative content analysis, which validates and extends the findings from the previous stage. The results show that organizations perceived as influential and organizations providing expertise are more likely to be involved in inter-organizational collaboration. Belief homophily does not predict collaboration but is relevant for disincentivizing collaboration among actors with low-compatible beliefs, thus contributing to conflict reproduction. The study concludes that future collaborative arrangements need to avoid such design flaws as those of the recently established Coal Committee, which reinforced existing power asymmetries and conflicts.

This article analyzes the coalmining opposition in the Czech Republic, a country with substantial brown coal production, high dependency on this fuel, massive exports in form of electricity, and a long and proud mining history. In 1991, the Czech government established so-called territorial ecological limits restricting production in the North Bohemian and Sokolov brown coal basins. The existence of these limits sparked a conflict between proponents of mining, desiring the valuable yet inaccessible reserves beyond the limits, and an opposition movement, ardently objecting to any extension of mining activities. This article focuses on the discursive level of this conflict, investigating how members of the opposition movement frame their own activity against coal to discover the main framing patterns within the opposition movement. Based on 39 semi-structured interviews conducted in 2017–2018, three frames emerged – the Local Impact frame, the Low-Carbon Transition frame, and the Anti-Systemic Environmental frame. These frames reveal that the opposition is driven by distinct complex narratives stemming from actors’ deeper ideological orientations. Moreover, the opposition is not homogeneous but consists of a variety of actors with different protest tactics. These findings support the growing literature questioning the Not-In-My-Backyard (NIMBY) narrative, echoed often by the pro-mining camp through the strategies and policies they implement. Furthermore, the research not only enriches our understanding of the local opposition but also helps to explain the long-term stalemate in coal-related debates in the Czech Republic.

The article provides an analysis of the mobilization strategies of far-right movements from the Czech Republic and Germany based on the content they provide via hyperlinks on their websites. Vertical and reticular characteristics of the hyperlinked pages have been analyzed, two aspects which form central parts of the mobilization strategies of social movements. The vertical level refers to territorial relations, while the reticular level refers to relations with other actors. The analyses confirmed that the movements focused on the vertical level to their countries of origin. With respect to reticular characteristics the type of hyperlinked content neither differs significantly throughout countries, nor throughout segments of the far-right movement. Additionally, the analysis of the type of hyperlinked content provides insight into the general mobilization strategies employed.

One of the EU's main decarbonization goals is a reduction in the energy use of coal. It would be a mistake, however, to assume that public support for decarbonization can be gained automatically by pointing out threats from climate change, particularly in light of the role coal plays in the local and national economy and in energy security. In this article we search for factors affecting public support for a coal phase-out in media content. According to the theory of agenda setting, the media establishes problems calling for solutions and influences public perceptions of the (un)importance of those problems. We illustrate this case on the example of the Czech Republic. The paper demonstrates that Czech media has cultivated a discursive environment in which coal mining is separated from coal combustion, neglecting the inevitable interconnection of these two processes; coal consumption is not characterized as an environmental problem; and the economic problems of private companies more easily become public problems, making future coal phase-out policies harder to implement.

The extent to which a policy actor is perceived as being influential by others can shape their role in a policy process. The interest group literature has examined how the use of advocacy tactics, such as lobbying or media campaigns, contributes to an actor’s perceived influence. The policy networks literature, in turn, has found that network ties and occupying certain institutional roles can explain why actors are perceived as influential. When investigating what explains perceptions of influence, interest groups scholars have not accounted for network interdependencies and network scholars have so far not examined the advocacy tactics used by interest groups. This paper addresses the gap at the intersection of these two literatures by investigating the relationship between network ties, institutional roles, advocacy tactics and the presence of influence attribution ties in climate change policy networks. Exponential random graph models are applied to network data collected from the organisations participating in the national climate change policymaking processes in six EU countries that vary by the extent to which they are majoritarian or consensual democracies: Czechia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Portugal, and Sweden. The results show that network ties and institutional roles are better predictors of influence attribution ties than advocacy tactics and that there is no pattern in the relationship between advocacy tactics and influence attribution ties across different institutional contexts. These findings suggest that because influence is primarily associated with structural factors (network ties and institutional roles) that more established policy actors are likely to have more influence, which may inhibit the need for a significant step change in climate policies.

This book summarizes a three-year research project on local opposition to coal mining in the Northwestern part of the Czech Republic. The research focused on the relational dimensions of the opposition movement and the political context in which the movement operates.

Scientifically informed climate policymaking starts with the exchange of credible, salient, and legitimate scientific information between scientists and policymakers. It is therefore important to understand what explains the exchange of scientific information in national climate policymaking processes. This article applies exponential random graph models to network data from the Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, and Portugal to investigate which types of organizations are favored sources of scientific information and whether actors obtain scientific information from those with similar beliefs as their own. Results show that scientific organizations are favored sources in all countries, while only in the Czech Republic do actors obtain scientific information from those with similar policy beliefs. These findings suggest that actors involved in climate policymaking mostly look to scientific organizations for information, but that in polarized contexts where there is a presence of influential denialists overcoming biased information exchange is a challenge.

This book summarizes a three-year research project on local opposition to coal mining in the Northwestern part of the Czech Republic. The research focused on the relational dimensions of the opposition movement and the political context in which the movement operates. Funding for this project was awarded by the Czech Science Foundation to Masaryk University for the years 2017–2019 (project No. 17-08554Y). The research yielded five peer-reviewed articles that introduced the historical and political context of coal mining in the country (Černoch & Lehotský, 2019), explored the media discourse around coal in the Czech Republic (Lehotský, 2018; Lehotský, Černoch, Osička, & Ocelík, 2019) and around its future in the wider Central European region (Osička et al., 2020), and explored the opposition network attributes (Ocelík, Lehotský, & Černoch, n.d.) as well as the perspectives and discursive positions of the opposition’s representatives (Černoch et al., 2019). The following text recapitulates and expands on these articles.

The article explores framing of the siting process of a deep geological repository of nuclear waste in the Czech Republic by the municipalities’ representatives in the pre-selected localities. Three distinguished frames have been reconstructed. The risk frame, which connects the project with a number of predominantly environmental threats, is counter-balanced by the responsibility frame that uses the ‘Not-In-My-Back-Yard’ label to delegitimize the local opposition. The third frame then portrays the siting process as a display of general distrust towards political elites and state institutions. It is argued that the distinguished frames stem from a deeper ideological conflict about the nature of democratic governance and the value attributed to environment, further stressing the importance of a siting process’ institutional arrangement that goes beyond technocratic solutions.

Langle-Flores, A.; Ocelik, P., and Perez-Maqueo, O., 2017. The role of social networks in the sustainability transformation of Cabo Pulmo: A multiplex perspective. In: Martinez, M.L.; Taramelli, A., and Silva, R. (eds.), Coastal Resilience: Exploring the Many Challenges from Different Viewpoints. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 77, pp. 134–142. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Coastal tourism is often caught in a crossfire between economic benefits, ecological impacts and social tensions. Development of large-scale resorts can reduce the provision of certain ecosystem services and threat local people's livelihoods. Social networks might influence the transitions of governance systems into new adaptive models. We focus on the role of multiplex networks in the process of sustainability transformation by examining social networks that protected a marine reserve against the construction of a large scale development. The multiplex network exhibited a structure with five blocks: ...

In this article we focus on the interconnection of the natural gas infrastructure in Eastern Europe. We identify three distinct factors that together deeply influenced the contemporary trends at the regional gas market: the gas crises at the security level, the European energy policy at the policy level, and the unconventional revolution at the economics level. Within this framework, we analyze the contemporary infrastructure development and its contribution to the change in the market design from bilateral long-term arrangements toward hub-based short-term trading. Finally, we elaborate on the additional obstacles that slow down this market transformation as well as identify its “winners” and “losers”.

As the energy transition proceeds, local opposition against various energy developments is increasingly widespread. This paper explores the role of social networks for participation in opposition to coal mining in the Czech Republic. A case study of the opposition movement examines whether network connections and social influence channeled through cooperation networks increase the intensity of opposition. It uses a novel approach of autologistic actor attribute models to include both individual-based and network-based predictors. The number of an individual’s network connections was found to be the sole positive predictor. By contrast, the effects of social influence, individual sociodemographic predictors, and sociopsychological predictors were not present. This shows the critical importance of the underlying cooperation network, which increases both opportunities and incentives to cooperate. The results further suggest that the opposition movement network has multiple centers revolving around high-level participants. Such arrangement indicates a division of labor among the professional activists, radical grassroots activists, and residents, thus enabling the opposition to efficiently access various resources. It also shows that research on local opposition should consider not only individual attributes but also relational contexts which allow to adequately capture the opposition’s organization. Only with such understanding may more suitable and inclusive future policies be designed.

We use the MEOS model to assess the possible impact of Polish unconventional gas (UNG) production on natural gas flows through the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. MEOS is a network flow optimization model designed to solve the minimum-cost flow problem in a network that consists of nodes (production areas, consumption areas, transshipment junctions) and arcs (pipelines). The article postulates and analyzes five distinct scenarios combining various levels of UNG production with different settings of regional infrastructure. The MEOS simulations reveal the critical importance of currently missing cross-border links between the countries. Polish UNG production is therefore likely to trigger new infrastructure projects and foster the ones that are currently under consideration. The biggest changes in natural gas supply can be expected in Slovakia and Hungary, as these markets do not have direct access to German hubs. Similarly, it is reasonable to expect Polish UNG to be traded at the Austrian CEGH hub, which will further catalyze the transformation of the regional market. It is further argued that in addition to sufficient infrastructure, UNG production will require liberalization of the Polish domestic market and a certain degree of integration of regional markets, effectively changing the nature of natural gas trading in the region, which is still dominated by Russian long-term, take-or-pay contracts. Keywords: Natural gas, Network flow model, Unconventional gas, Central and Eastern Europe, Scenario analysis

The main aim of this article is to place the report ‘‘The Future of Mixed Methods: A Five Year Projection to 2020’’ to the context of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). First, the impact of the heritage of socialist regimes, such as the institutional discontinuities and the hegemony of historical methods, on the quality of methodology in research and in education is described. It is argued that most local academics typically rejected quantification of social science and advocated for the use of qualitative and interpretative approaches, yet (qualitative) methodological rigor was missing. Second, the persisting specific regional challenges to the rigorous use of methodology are presented. These include high levels of inbreeding, lack of methodologically competent PhD supervision, and a strong path dependency of research career trajectories. As post-transitional societies have experienced serious and unique problems, only a limited number of CEE academics and institutions possess necessary methodological skills to participate in the current research debates. Finally, it is asserted that mixed methods research (MMR) is well suited to overcome the path dependency and help avoid the unproductive ‘‘paradigm war’’ fought elsewhere for decades. Based on the recommendations made by the Report, windows of opportunity for MMR in the CEE region are introduced, including several concrete steps that would encourage and facilitate this transition. The active participation of the MMR community and an understanding of the context would be extremely helpful for achieving a more rigorous level of methodology in CEE.

Coal phase-out is an integral part of the ongoing energy transition to a decarbonized economy. Any such process involves diverse actors that compete over the nature and pace of such transition. This research uses the Advocacy Coalition Framework to analyze the conditions of policy change within an adversarial subsystem. It focuses on the coal subsystem in the Czech Republic, a post-communist coal-dependent country with comparatively large economically recoverable reserves. Using data from an organizational survey, exploratory social network analysis techniques are applied to identify advocacy coalitions and deductive block-modeling is used to test hypotheses on the subsystem’s functioning. The focus is on: (1) fragmentation of decision-makers, (2) targeting of decision-makers, and (3) use of expert information. Two competing and ideologically distant coalitions were identified: the Industry Coalition and Environmental Coalition. The results further show high fragmentation among decision-makers, as indicated by their cross-coalition membership and the heterogeneity of their beliefs. The targeting of decision-makers is practiced by principal members of both coalitions, i.e. environmental non-governmental organizations and industry, but also by research organizations. Lastly, expert information exchange strongly overlaps with the identified coalitions and thus increases their cohesiveness. It is argued that such subsystem configuration limits the potential for policy change through negotiated agreement or policy learning. Policy brokers and policy venues are suggested as remedies to moderate the adversarial nature of the subsystem.

The advent of unconventional resources of natural gas has altered the order on global as well as continental gas markets. With rising liquidity, the position of established dominant suppliers is eroding. We focus on the initial response of Russia, the leading supplier of natural gas to Europe, to the new situation, building the research on unit-level constructivism and discourse analysis. We use frame analysis to reveal what image of unconventional resources was constructed in Russian foreign energy policy discourse (FEPD) in the period between 2009 and 2011, when the “unconventional revolution” did not yet have any sharp contours. We conclude that in Russian FEPD the unconventionals are considered as a distinctive and inferior source of energy compared to conventional natural gas. Emphasis is put on their economic irrationality and environmental hazards. The bottom line of the discourse is the idea that there is a choice between conventional and unconventional sources, with this choice being framed as one between good and bad, or right and wrong.

Tato kniha představuje zakladni předpoklady konstruktivistickeho přistupu k mezinarodni politice. Uvodni cast je ramovana debatou mezi strategickým a tržnim pojetim energeticke bezpecnosti, ktere spojuje řada spolecných metateoretických (racionalistických) předpokladů. Konstruktivismus nabizi alternativni pohled, když zdůrazňuje nematerialni faktory, intersubjektivni charakter socialni reality a vzajemně konstitutivni vztahy mezi akterem a strukturou. Pozornost je dale věnovana hlavnim teoretickým východiskům jednotlivých variant konstruktivismu a konceptualizaci bezpecnosti v kulturalismu i Kodaňske skole. V zavěrecne casti jsou prezentovany vybrane texty zaměřene na problematiku energeticke bezpecnosti.

Kniha se zaměřuje na zakladni technicke a ekonomicke principy energetickeho průmyslu. Prvni cast knihy představuje palivove řetězce nejvýznamnějsich energetických komodit. Obsahuje tedy zakladni informace o průzkumu, těžbě, zpracovani, transportu a využiti ropy a zemniho plynu. Druha cast knihy je zaměřena na elektroenergetiku a vedle palivových řetězců uhli a stěpných prvků představuje zaklady fungovani obnovitelných zdrojů a problematiku výroby a přenosu elektřiny. Tyto hlavni casti jsou uvedeny reflexi energetiky v sociokulturnim vývoji moderni spolecnosti. Cilem knihy je tedy poskytnout ctenaři ucelený přehled o komplexitě energetickeho průmyslu. Text nepředpoklada předchozi znalost technických ci ekonomických realii. Je urcen převažně ctenařům, kteři se v energetickem průmyslu nepohybuji, ale radi by nahledli do jeho fungovani.

This study focuses on the current development of the events associated with shale gas in the Czech Republic and Poland with regard to their possible mutual cooperation. The foundation of the research consists of the two case studies on regulatory frameworks in these countries. Given the fact that both countries are at different stages of the shale gas developing process, further attention is paid to country-specific aspects, which form the core of the current internal national debate. The reference to the regulation and internal affairs at the level of national states is then supplemented by the analysis of the current discussion on shale gas regulation at the level of the European Union.

The upcoming years will show whether or not the North American model of unconventional natural gas resources development can be replicated outsider the continent. In Europe, Poland has recently gained most attention and in this sense it is considered to be a test case for whole Union. This book presents key dimensions which will either foster or inhibit possible development of this resource in Poland: geology, technology, infrastructure, environmental imprint and the role of the EU. The main focus of the book is a stakeholder analysis dealing with IOCs, PGNiG, government, local communities, NGOs and the EU. The book also features an evaluation of several scenarios of possible unconventional gas development in Poland and their consequences for Central European gas market.

The Druzhba pipeline is one of the most important energy infrastructure projects in Central and Eastern Europe, supplying the European part of Russia's former Soviet bloc with oil since the second half of the last century. The future of the pipeline has become uncertain in recent years. The further use of Druzhba is in doubt mainly due to the difficult relations of the Russian Federation with transit countries, and its possible termination is indicated by Moscow's change in its export strategy, namely increasing crude oil exports via sea terminals, at the expense of pipelines. The authors focus on how a potential curtailment of oil supplies by Druzhba can affect the energy situation of the two customer countries, i.e. the Czech Republic and Poland. Also, the text offers answers on many questions, such as Is there a danger of curtailment of the supply of oil via Druzhba to the surveyed countries? If so, what might be the mid-term implications of the situation, economic, security or other? Which actors will be affected by potential supply curtailment and how? The study focuses on the impact on economic entities (firms), the state and even households to a limited extent.