Milada Anna Vachudová
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199244096
- eISBN:
- 9780191600371
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019924409X.003.0013
- Subject:
- Political Science, Democratization
Describes the influence of the international institutions in shaping democratic consolidation and economic reform in the Czech Republic as a case study of an East European state that strongly wished ...
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Describes the influence of the international institutions in shaping democratic consolidation and economic reform in the Czech Republic as a case study of an East European state that strongly wished to join those institutions. The chapter traces the changing nature of international influence on the consolidation of Czech democracy as the polity passed through four stages. The first was characterized by profound yet diffuse influence. In the second stage, Western influence was delimited by two factors: (1) ‘homemade’ reform by Prime Minister Václav Klaus, a mix of Czech provincialism, free market ideology, and political pragmatism; and (2) insufficient pressure of NATO and the EU to compel reforms. The third stage saw increased EU criticism of economic performance, corruption, and racism. The fourth stage was characterized by the weakening of the EU membership argument for difficult reforms. Overall, the Czech case shows that the conditionality of the EU depends on a certain tension between confidence in securing membership and fear of suffering rejection due to inadequate reform.Less
Describes the influence of the international institutions in shaping democratic consolidation and economic reform in the Czech Republic as a case study of an East European state that strongly wished to join those institutions. The chapter traces the changing nature of international influence on the consolidation of Czech democracy as the polity passed through four stages. The first was characterized by profound yet diffuse influence. In the second stage, Western influence was delimited by two factors: (1) ‘homemade’ reform by Prime Minister Václav Klaus, a mix of Czech provincialism, free market ideology, and political pragmatism; and (2) insufficient pressure of NATO and the EU to compel reforms. The third stage saw increased EU criticism of economic performance, corruption, and racism. The fourth stage was characterized by the weakening of the EU membership argument for difficult reforms. Overall, the Czech case shows that the conditionality of the EU depends on a certain tension between confidence in securing membership and fear of suffering rejection due to inadequate reform.
Petr Kopecký
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199244089
- eISBN:
- 9780191600364
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199244081.003.0012
- Subject:
- Political Science, Democratization
Describes the transition of the Czech Republic from the federal Constitution of Czechoslovakia to the adoption of a new Constitution of the Czech Republic. The Czech Constitution is widely accepted ...
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Describes the transition of the Czech Republic from the federal Constitution of Czechoslovakia to the adoption of a new Constitution of the Czech Republic. The Czech Constitution is widely accepted to be a solid foundation for the country's democratic political system. The chapter focuses on the impact of historical legacies and shows how the nature of bargaining becomes more predictable when the domestic political actors involved in constitution‐drafting provide a stable set of opinions and motivations from which a compromise can be forged. In order to demonstrate this point, the chapter is divided into three parts. The first examines the key elements of the constitution‐making process in the Czechoslovak Federation between 1989 and 1992. It explains the crucial constitutional decisions made during Roundtable Talks and how this particular legacy, combined with the volatile nature of transition politics, resulted in Czechoslovakia's Velvet Divorce. The second part concentrates on the process of drafting the new Constitution of the Czech Republic at the end of 1992. Finally, Kopecky discusses the effects of the Constitution on the democratic Czech Republic.Less
Describes the transition of the Czech Republic from the federal Constitution of Czechoslovakia to the adoption of a new Constitution of the Czech Republic. The Czech Constitution is widely accepted to be a solid foundation for the country's democratic political system. The chapter focuses on the impact of historical legacies and shows how the nature of bargaining becomes more predictable when the domestic political actors involved in constitution‐drafting provide a stable set of opinions and motivations from which a compromise can be forged. In order to demonstrate this point, the chapter is divided into three parts. The first examines the key elements of the constitution‐making process in the Czechoslovak Federation between 1989 and 1992. It explains the crucial constitutional decisions made during Roundtable Talks and how this particular legacy, combined with the volatile nature of transition politics, resulted in Czechoslovakia's Velvet Divorce. The second part concentrates on the process of drafting the new Constitution of the Czech Republic at the end of 1992. Finally, Kopecky discusses the effects of the Constitution on the democratic Czech Republic.
Petr Kopecký
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199289653
- eISBN:
- 9780191710964
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199289653.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
This chapter examines the rise of political parties in the Czech and Slovak Republics. Topics discussed include party systems, party legitimacy, party organizational strength, and the role of the ...
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This chapter examines the rise of political parties in the Czech and Slovak Republics. Topics discussed include party systems, party legitimacy, party organizational strength, and the role of the party in the process of government. It is shown that both countries display behavioural and institutional features which provide for a strong form of party government. The parties control political recruitment; directly or indirectly, they are largely in charge of setting the agenda of the mass media; they enjoy their own autonomous power base; they control proceedings in parliaments; in the absence of strong challengers, they also enjoy a near monopoly over political representation. However, both countries also represent their own version of the generic model of party government, both in terms of its particular configuration of behavioural and institutional features, as well as in terms of its temporal development.Less
This chapter examines the rise of political parties in the Czech and Slovak Republics. Topics discussed include party systems, party legitimacy, party organizational strength, and the role of the party in the process of government. It is shown that both countries display behavioural and institutional features which provide for a strong form of party government. The parties control political recruitment; directly or indirectly, they are largely in charge of setting the agenda of the mass media; they enjoy their own autonomous power base; they control proceedings in parliaments; in the absence of strong challengers, they also enjoy a near monopoly over political representation. However, both countries also represent their own version of the generic model of party government, both in terms of its particular configuration of behavioural and institutional features, as well as in terms of its temporal development.
Jiri Blazek and Dagmar Dzúrová
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198297413
- eISBN:
- 9780191685347
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198297413.003.0013
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
While most of the Eastern European countries suffered under the mortality crises, the Czech Republic on the other hand experienced an improvement in its population. In most of the Eastern European ...
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While most of the Eastern European countries suffered under the mortality crises, the Czech Republic on the other hand experienced an improvement in its population. In most of the Eastern European countries experiencing mortality crises, the main reason attributed to their mortality crises is the stress brought about by the uncertainty and joblessness of being unemployed. Another factor is that during the transition period, income differentiation made a substantial number of the population fall below the poverty line. Among the transition countries, the Czech Republic experienced the smoothest transition to which the decline in mortality rate is attributed. In this chapter, the demographic, social and economic changes within the Czech Republic are analysed with the objective of determining the main factor that contributed to the increase in life expectancy of people there.Less
While most of the Eastern European countries suffered under the mortality crises, the Czech Republic on the other hand experienced an improvement in its population. In most of the Eastern European countries experiencing mortality crises, the main reason attributed to their mortality crises is the stress brought about by the uncertainty and joblessness of being unemployed. Another factor is that during the transition period, income differentiation made a substantial number of the population fall below the poverty line. Among the transition countries, the Czech Republic experienced the smoothest transition to which the decline in mortality rate is attributed. In this chapter, the demographic, social and economic changes within the Czech Republic are analysed with the objective of determining the main factor that contributed to the increase in life expectancy of people there.
Mitchell A. Orenstein and Lisa E. Hale
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199241149
- eISBN:
- 9780191598920
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199241147.003.0010
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
While global trends have forced labour into retreat in most countries, in post‐communist Europe, the dramatic opening to world markets in 1989 was achieved through a political breakthrough in which ...
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While global trends have forced labour into retreat in most countries, in post‐communist Europe, the dramatic opening to world markets in 1989 was achieved through a political breakthrough in which organized labour played a major role. Whereas trade unions under communism acted as ‘transmission belts to the working class for state policy and ideology, post‐communist governments needed to develop new roles for resurgent trade unions in a democratic society. In Poland, the post‐communist government juggled a number of different objectives in the reformation of labour market institutions. On the one hand, democratic consolidation demanded that trade unions be constituted as independent social and political forces that would support the new regime. On the other hand, liberalization demanded that trade unions moderate their wage demands so as not to foster runaway inflation. In addition, since trade unions remained the only major civil society organization with significant roots in the working class, trade unions immediately became important partners in any new political coalition. Corporatism, as advocated by the International Labour Organization office in the region, provided a compelling answer to many of these demands. This chapter argues that in Poland, the need to institutionalize a role for trade unions in the emerging democratic society led to a genuinely corporatist forum for indicative negotiation over wages, and the development of progressive social policy. Popular disillusion with structural economic reforms led to corporatist ‘pacts’ negotiated, first, by Solidarity leaders, and then, by the former communists who came to power in 1993. Finally, in 1995, to initiate a Polish tripartite council for social bargaining, using a comparison between Poland and the Czech Republic, the chapter concludes that globalization has strengthened trade unions and the pressures for including them in new forms of corporatist intermediation in post‐communist Europe. While these institutions suffer many of the same problems evident in the developed West, corporatism has become part of the institutional framework of post‐communism and appears to be here to stay.Less
While global trends have forced labour into retreat in most countries, in post‐communist Europe, the dramatic opening to world markets in 1989 was achieved through a political breakthrough in which organized labour played a major role. Whereas trade unions under communism acted as ‘transmission belts to the working class for state policy and ideology, post‐communist governments needed to develop new roles for resurgent trade unions in a democratic society. In Poland, the post‐communist government juggled a number of different objectives in the reformation of labour market institutions. On the one hand, democratic consolidation demanded that trade unions be constituted as independent social and political forces that would support the new regime. On the other hand, liberalization demanded that trade unions moderate their wage demands so as not to foster runaway inflation. In addition, since trade unions remained the only major civil society organization with significant roots in the working class, trade unions immediately became important partners in any new political coalition. Corporatism, as advocated by the International Labour Organization office in the region, provided a compelling answer to many of these demands. This chapter argues that in Poland, the need to institutionalize a role for trade unions in the emerging democratic society led to a genuinely corporatist forum for indicative negotiation over wages, and the development of progressive social policy. Popular disillusion with structural economic reforms led to corporatist ‘pacts’ negotiated, first, by Solidarity leaders, and then, by the former communists who came to power in 1993. Finally, in 1995, to initiate a Polish tripartite council for social bargaining, using a comparison between Poland and the Czech Republic, the chapter concludes that globalization has strengthened trade unions and the pressures for including them in new forms of corporatist intermediation in post‐communist Europe. While these institutions suffer many of the same problems evident in the developed West, corporatism has become part of the institutional framework of post‐communism and appears to be here to stay.
Roderick Martin
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198775690
- eISBN:
- 9780191695377
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198775690.001.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, International Business, Political Economy
This book analyses changes in enterprises in seven European countries since 1989 — Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia, and Slovakia. Economic trends have differed vastly ...
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This book analyses changes in enterprises in seven European countries since 1989 — Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia, and Slovakia. Economic trends have differed vastly between these countries, but nevertheless, there are common objectives, common problems, and significant similarities in developments. This book shows the continuities, as well as the discontinuities, between the Socialist and post-Socialist periods. It argues that Central and Eastern European countries are developing a distinctive, hybrid form of post-Socialist economic system, largely dominated by enterprise managers in alliance with state administration DS politicized managerial capitalism. Privatization has not transformed management practices, but competition has.Less
This book analyses changes in enterprises in seven European countries since 1989 — Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia, and Slovakia. Economic trends have differed vastly between these countries, but nevertheless, there are common objectives, common problems, and significant similarities in developments. This book shows the continuities, as well as the discontinuities, between the Socialist and post-Socialist periods. It argues that Central and Eastern European countries are developing a distinctive, hybrid form of post-Socialist economic system, largely dominated by enterprise managers in alliance with state administration DS politicized managerial capitalism. Privatization has not transformed management practices, but competition has.
Gábor Tóka
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198294733
- eISBN:
- 9780191599699
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198294735.003.0012
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
Examines the relevance for the new democracies of Eastern Europe of arguments about challenges to representative democracy in Western Europe, focusing on mass attitudes conventionally thought to ...
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Examines the relevance for the new democracies of Eastern Europe of arguments about challenges to representative democracy in Western Europe, focusing on mass attitudes conventionally thought to affect the stability of political regimes. The analysis focuses on four countries (Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia), and suggests that their levels of public support for government are lower than in Western Europe, with economic dissatisfaction having particular salience. However, these democracies are still too young for firm conclusions to emerge from the available evidence.Less
Examines the relevance for the new democracies of Eastern Europe of arguments about challenges to representative democracy in Western Europe, focusing on mass attitudes conventionally thought to affect the stability of political regimes. The analysis focuses on four countries (Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia), and suggests that their levels of public support for government are lower than in Western Europe, with economic dissatisfaction having particular salience. However, these democracies are still too young for firm conclusions to emerge from the available evidence.
Elli Louka
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195374131
- eISBN:
- 9780199871841
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195374131.003.0012
- Subject:
- Law, Environmental and Energy Law
This chapter presents case studies on water management in various EU countries. These include Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Netherlands, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece.
This chapter presents case studies on water management in various EU countries. These include Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Netherlands, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece.
Carmen González‐Enríquez
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199240906
- eISBN:
- 9780191598869
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199240906.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, Democratization
An exploration is made of the nature and scope of de-communization and political justice in Czechoslovakia (the Czech Republic, Slovakia), Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland and Hungary, to each of ...
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An exploration is made of the nature and scope of de-communization and political justice in Czechoslovakia (the Czech Republic, Slovakia), Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland and Hungary, to each of which a section of the chapter is devoted. The term ‘political justice’ is here meant to refer to proceedings held to try crimes (generally related to political repression) committed by outgoing regimes. With the exception of Albania, transitions to democracy in these countries were initiated in 1989, and in all cases, great political tensions arose from demands for the punishment of former communist authorities and those responsible for political repression. These demands formed part of a wider political and cultural process, namely the reworking of public discourse on the nature of the communist regime, and their nature and results varied considerably from country to country; for example, only two – the former Czechoslovakia and Albania – actually carried out purges that affected large numbers of people. This chapter attempts to answer to two main questions: (1) what explains the differences in the scope and nature of the policies adopted, and (2) what impact have they had on the process of democratization. The focus is on the rationality of the political actors or the role that anti-communist campaigns had in shaping political competition, rather than the moral and legal debates surrounding the issue.Less
An exploration is made of the nature and scope of de-communization and political justice in Czechoslovakia (the Czech Republic, Slovakia), Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland and Hungary, to each of which a section of the chapter is devoted. The term ‘political justice’ is here meant to refer to proceedings held to try crimes (generally related to political repression) committed by outgoing regimes. With the exception of Albania, transitions to democracy in these countries were initiated in 1989, and in all cases, great political tensions arose from demands for the punishment of former communist authorities and those responsible for political repression. These demands formed part of a wider political and cultural process, namely the reworking of public discourse on the nature of the communist regime, and their nature and results varied considerably from country to country; for example, only two – the former Czechoslovakia and Albania – actually carried out purges that affected large numbers of people. This chapter attempts to answer to two main questions: (1) what explains the differences in the scope and nature of the policies adopted, and (2) what impact have they had on the process of democratization. The focus is on the rationality of the political actors or the role that anti-communist campaigns had in shaping political competition, rather than the moral and legal debates surrounding the issue.
Patrick Stevenson and Jenny Carl
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748635986
- eISBN:
- 9780748671472
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748635986.003.0003
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics
This chapter constructs a historical context for the study of language(s) in central Europe, emphasising its multilingual and multiethnic nature and the tension between the emergence of ‘national’ ...
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This chapter constructs a historical context for the study of language(s) in central Europe, emphasising its multilingual and multiethnic nature and the tension between the emergence of ‘national’ languages and the persistence of linguistic minorities. The main argument is that by focusing on the changing position of, and experiences with, one language – German – across the region it is possible to explore the complex ways in which language is implicated in social change at local, national, and transnational levels. At the same time, the authors emphasize that ‘context’ is understood as a dynamic and continuous process, not a static backdrop. The study concentrates on the relationship between policies and experiences with language in Hungary and the Czech Republic (as multi- and as monolingual spaces), and so this chapter provides historical profiles of language use, language contact, language learning, language spread and language decline in these two countries, drawing on documentary and secondary sources. It also includes an account of the master narratives / dominant discourses on ‘Germans’ or ‘German-speakers’, against which the personal narratives in Chapters 5 and 6 can be pitched.Less
This chapter constructs a historical context for the study of language(s) in central Europe, emphasising its multilingual and multiethnic nature and the tension between the emergence of ‘national’ languages and the persistence of linguistic minorities. The main argument is that by focusing on the changing position of, and experiences with, one language – German – across the region it is possible to explore the complex ways in which language is implicated in social change at local, national, and transnational levels. At the same time, the authors emphasize that ‘context’ is understood as a dynamic and continuous process, not a static backdrop. The study concentrates on the relationship between policies and experiences with language in Hungary and the Czech Republic (as multi- and as monolingual spaces), and so this chapter provides historical profiles of language use, language contact, language learning, language spread and language decline in these two countries, drawing on documentary and secondary sources. It also includes an account of the master narratives / dominant discourses on ‘Germans’ or ‘German-speakers’, against which the personal narratives in Chapters 5 and 6 can be pitched.
Lavinia Stan and Lucian Turcescu
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195337105
- eISBN:
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195337105.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Even after joining the EU in 2004, the Czech Republic retains one of the most restrictive registration requirements for religious groups, one that greatly constraints the autonomy of churches. ...
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Even after joining the EU in 2004, the Czech Republic retains one of the most restrictive registration requirements for religious groups, one that greatly constraints the autonomy of churches. Churches are ranked into two categories, and only religious denominations registered at the second tier (whose membership amounts to at least 10,000) may perform marriage ceremonies and may serve as chaplains in prisons and military barracks. Given the country's pronounced secularization, Christian Democrat political formations play a small role in Czech politics, and religious education entered public schools in the republic much later than in other Eastern European countries. Tolerant legislation carried out from the communist time permitted abortion on a large scale and this has encouraged “abortion tourism,” which has happened hand in hand with an internationally criticized, state-sponsored sterilization program targeting the Roma ethnic minority.Less
Even after joining the EU in 2004, the Czech Republic retains one of the most restrictive registration requirements for religious groups, one that greatly constraints the autonomy of churches. Churches are ranked into two categories, and only religious denominations registered at the second tier (whose membership amounts to at least 10,000) may perform marriage ceremonies and may serve as chaplains in prisons and military barracks. Given the country's pronounced secularization, Christian Democrat political formations play a small role in Czech politics, and religious education entered public schools in the republic much later than in other Eastern European countries. Tolerant legislation carried out from the communist time permitted abortion on a large scale and this has encouraged “abortion tourism,” which has happened hand in hand with an internationally criticized, state-sponsored sterilization program targeting the Roma ethnic minority.
Milada Anna Vachudova
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- April 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199241194
- eISBN:
- 9780191602382
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199241198.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
The quality of political competition at the moment of transition explains the divergence in the domestic trajectories of East European states, steering Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic towards ...
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The quality of political competition at the moment of transition explains the divergence in the domestic trajectories of East European states, steering Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic towards liberal democracy, and Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia towards illiberal democracy after 1989. From 1989 to 1994, the European Union (EU) exerted only passive leverage on its democratizing neighbours, reinforcing liberal strategies of reform but failing to avert illiberal ones. After 1995, the EU exerted active leverage on the domestic politics of credible future members through the enlargement process. The benefits and requirements of EU membership, combined with the structure of the EU’s pre-accession process, interacted with domestic factors to improve the quality of political competition and to accelerate political and economic reforms in candidate states. The enlargement of the EU has thus promoted a convergence towards liberal democracy across the region. I unpack the consequences of the pre-accession process for the quality of democracy in the new members, the dynamics of the negotiations between the old members and the candidates, and the impact of the 2004 enlargement on the future of European integration. I conclude by exploring the usefulness of the EU’s active leverage in promoting liberal democracy in other prospective members such as Turkey and the states of the Western Balkans, and the trade-offs of further enlargements for the EU itself. The most successful tool of EU foreign policy has turned out to be EU enlargement—and this book helps us understand why and how it works.Less
The quality of political competition at the moment of transition explains the divergence in the domestic trajectories of East European states, steering Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic towards liberal democracy, and Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia towards illiberal democracy after 1989. From 1989 to 1994, the European Union (EU) exerted only passive leverage on its democratizing neighbours, reinforcing liberal strategies of reform but failing to avert illiberal ones. After 1995, the EU exerted active leverage on the domestic politics of credible future members through the enlargement process. The benefits and requirements of EU membership, combined with the structure of the EU’s pre-accession process, interacted with domestic factors to improve the quality of political competition and to accelerate political and economic reforms in candidate states. The enlargement of the EU has thus promoted a convergence towards liberal democracy across the region. I unpack the consequences of the pre-accession process for the quality of democracy in the new members, the dynamics of the negotiations between the old members and the candidates, and the impact of the 2004 enlargement on the future of European integration. I conclude by exploring the usefulness of the EU’s active leverage in promoting liberal democracy in other prospective members such as Turkey and the states of the Western Balkans, and the trade-offs of further enlargements for the EU itself. The most successful tool of EU foreign policy has turned out to be EU enlargement—and this book helps us understand why and how it works.
Tomáš Sirovátka and Ondřej Hora
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199592296
- eISBN:
- 9780191731471
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199592296.003.0013
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
Recent developments in the regulation of the risk of unemployment set the Czech Republic apart from many other European countries. There is evidence neither of a significant blurring of the ...
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Recent developments in the regulation of the risk of unemployment set the Czech Republic apart from many other European countries. There is evidence neither of a significant blurring of the boundaries between the risk of unemployment and other forms of working‐age benefit dependency, nor of any trends towards benefit homogenization. On the contrary, since the early 1990s, a process of growing diversification in benefit rights can be identified, alongside a growing and strong emphasis on activation, associated with cuts in benefit entitlements in social assistance. Three factors in particular have influenced developments in the regulation of unemployment in the Czech case: the timing of the market transformation process, political imperatives of blame avoidance in the context of that transformation, and fiscal constraints which have become more pressing during the recent economic crisis.Less
Recent developments in the regulation of the risk of unemployment set the Czech Republic apart from many other European countries. There is evidence neither of a significant blurring of the boundaries between the risk of unemployment and other forms of working‐age benefit dependency, nor of any trends towards benefit homogenization. On the contrary, since the early 1990s, a process of growing diversification in benefit rights can be identified, alongside a growing and strong emphasis on activation, associated with cuts in benefit entitlements in social assistance. Three factors in particular have influenced developments in the regulation of unemployment in the Czech case: the timing of the market transformation process, political imperatives of blame avoidance in the context of that transformation, and fiscal constraints which have become more pressing during the recent economic crisis.
Ewa Morawska
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199244096
- eISBN:
- 9780191600371
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019924409X.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, Democratization
Examines the relationship between westbound international migrations and the consolidation of democracy in contemporary East Central Europe (ECE). The chapter focuses on Poland, the Czech Republic, ...
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Examines the relationship between westbound international migrations and the consolidation of democracy in contemporary East Central Europe (ECE). The chapter focuses on Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. It is argued that, paradoxically, in view of the rapidly expanding connection of ECE with the West, the relationship has weakened between the westbound travel by the vast majority of migrants and democratization processes in their home countries. The chapter focuses on the common features of the migration‐democracy relationship in East Central Europe. The author seeks to initiate a conversation between specialists in transnational migration and experts in democratization. The conclusion considers some of the generalizations and lessons are drawn from the study on the relationship between migration and democracy.Less
Examines the relationship between westbound international migrations and the consolidation of democracy in contemporary East Central Europe (ECE). The chapter focuses on Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. It is argued that, paradoxically, in view of the rapidly expanding connection of ECE with the West, the relationship has weakened between the westbound travel by the vast majority of migrants and democratization processes in their home countries. The chapter focuses on the common features of the migration‐democracy relationship in East Central Europe. The author seeks to initiate a conversation between specialists in transnational migration and experts in democratization. The conclusion considers some of the generalizations and lessons are drawn from the study on the relationship between migration and democracy.
Kathryn C. Lavelle
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- April 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195174090
- eISBN:
- 9780199835287
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195174097.003.0008
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This chapter considers former Soviet bloc examples, three of which overtly modeled their securities market institutions on Anglo-American practice. These country examples contain cases of Ibusz, ...
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This chapter considers former Soviet bloc examples, three of which overtly modeled their securities market institutions on Anglo-American practice. These country examples contain cases of Ibusz, Cherkizovsky Group, and Harvard Capital that came from the Hungarian case-by-case program, the Russian mass-privatization program, and the Czech voucher program, respectively. In addition, it considers the Polish system, which emulated the German-Japanese example. The company case of Szczecin Shipyard in Poland also demonstrates that as large firms have sought to forge keiretsu-style conglomerates and failed, the state has re-entered their management.Less
This chapter considers former Soviet bloc examples, three of which overtly modeled their securities market institutions on Anglo-American practice. These country examples contain cases of Ibusz, Cherkizovsky Group, and Harvard Capital that came from the Hungarian case-by-case program, the Russian mass-privatization program, and the Czech voucher program, respectively. In addition, it considers the Polish system, which emulated the German-Japanese example. The company case of Szczecin Shipyard in Poland also demonstrates that as large firms have sought to forge keiretsu-style conglomerates and failed, the state has re-entered their management.
Tomáš Sirovátka
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- December 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199773589
- eISBN:
- 9780190248314
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199773589.003.0010
- Subject:
- Social Work, Social Policy
The chapter analyses the transformation of the social assistance scheme in the Czech Republic within the context of labor market policies during 2000–2010. First, the key steps of the activation ...
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The chapter analyses the transformation of the social assistance scheme in the Czech Republic within the context of labor market policies during 2000–2010. First, the key steps of the activation reform and recent reforms enacted as a reaction to the financial and economic crisis are depicted. Second, key factors that have influenced the reforms are examined; and, finally, the nature of the reform within the overall development of the Czech welfare state is assessed. While until 2008 a “soft activation” approach, which combined repressive and restitutive sanctions, had prevailed, since 2008 a more radical approach has been adopted, with repressive workfare requirements being introduced. More recently, and in line with this more radical approach, the Czech government decided to introduce cuts to both the benefits and the services targeted at minimum income recipients.Less
The chapter analyses the transformation of the social assistance scheme in the Czech Republic within the context of labor market policies during 2000–2010. First, the key steps of the activation reform and recent reforms enacted as a reaction to the financial and economic crisis are depicted. Second, key factors that have influenced the reforms are examined; and, finally, the nature of the reform within the overall development of the Czech welfare state is assessed. While until 2008 a “soft activation” approach, which combined repressive and restitutive sanctions, had prevailed, since 2008 a more radical approach has been adopted, with repressive workfare requirements being introduced. More recently, and in line with this more radical approach, the Czech government decided to introduce cuts to both the benefits and the services targeted at minimum income recipients.
Petr Kopecky
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199599370
- eISBN:
- 9780191741517
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199599370.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
This chapter discusses party patronage in the Czech Republic. The central argument of this chapter is that popular discourses overestimate the spread and use of patronage and, to a lesser degree, ...
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This chapter discusses party patronage in the Czech Republic. The central argument of this chapter is that popular discourses overestimate the spread and use of patronage and, to a lesser degree, also that of clientelism in Czech politics. Using the framework, definitions, and measures employed in the volume as a whole, the chapter demonstrates that party patronage is neither particularly pervasive nor predominantly supposed to reward partisans with state jobs, something often implied in the academic studies of the Czech case, and in the country’s media and public debates. The chapter also demonstrates that while party patronage is most widespread in ministries, it is relatively evenly spread among different policy areas. The conclusion explores the broader implications of the observed patterns of patronage for understanding party and party government performance.Less
This chapter discusses party patronage in the Czech Republic. The central argument of this chapter is that popular discourses overestimate the spread and use of patronage and, to a lesser degree, also that of clientelism in Czech politics. Using the framework, definitions, and measures employed in the volume as a whole, the chapter demonstrates that party patronage is neither particularly pervasive nor predominantly supposed to reward partisans with state jobs, something often implied in the academic studies of the Czech case, and in the country’s media and public debates. The chapter also demonstrates that while party patronage is most widespread in ministries, it is relatively evenly spread among different policy areas. The conclusion explores the broader implications of the observed patterns of patronage for understanding party and party government performance.
Patrick Stevenson and Jenny Carl
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748635986
- eISBN:
- 9780748671472
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748635986.003.0004
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics
The focus in this chapter is on the complex ‘layering’ of language policy – an exploration of the multiple levels at which language policies are formulated and the conflicts between them, from ...
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The focus in this chapter is on the complex ‘layering’ of language policy – an exploration of the multiple levels at which language policies are formulated and the conflicts between them, from supranational EU and transnational corporate/commercial strategies promoting multilingualism in various forms, through national domestic and foreign cultural policies continuing to foster the idea of ‘national’ languages, to local-level lobbying of indigenous and migrant minority groups – and on the ways in which these policies/policy discourses impact on individual and collective lives by creating particular kinds of space.Less
The focus in this chapter is on the complex ‘layering’ of language policy – an exploration of the multiple levels at which language policies are formulated and the conflicts between them, from supranational EU and transnational corporate/commercial strategies promoting multilingualism in various forms, through national domestic and foreign cultural policies continuing to foster the idea of ‘national’ languages, to local-level lobbying of indigenous and migrant minority groups – and on the ways in which these policies/policy discourses impact on individual and collective lives by creating particular kinds of space.
William Mishler and Richard Rose
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198295686
- eISBN:
- 9780191600043
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198295685.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
Assesses the trajectories and dynamics of public support for seven democratizing regimes in Central and Eastern Europe—Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and ...
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Assesses the trajectories and dynamics of public support for seven democratizing regimes in Central and Eastern Europe—Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovenia—during the first five years following the fall of communism. It begins by offering a reconceptualization of support for new democracies. An examination is then made of popular approval of the new regimes in 1991, shortly following the collapse of communism, and the trajectory of support is tracked through to 1995. Next, a model of the dynamics underlying these trends is developed and tested, paying particular attention to the extent to which support is contingent on political and economic performance. More generally, an exploration is made of whether and to what extent the sources of support change over time as citizens acquire experience with the new regimes.Less
Assesses the trajectories and dynamics of public support for seven democratizing regimes in Central and Eastern Europe—Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovenia—during the first five years following the fall of communism. It begins by offering a reconceptualization of support for new democracies. An examination is then made of popular approval of the new regimes in 1991, shortly following the collapse of communism, and the trajectory of support is tracked through to 1995. Next, a model of the dynamics underlying these trends is developed and tested, paying particular attention to the extent to which support is contingent on political and economic performance. More generally, an exploration is made of whether and to what extent the sources of support change over time as citizens acquire experience with the new regimes.
Petr Šauer, Ondřej Vojáček, Jaroslav Klusák, and Jarmila Zimmermannová
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199584505
- eISBN:
- 9780191725012
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199584505.003.0006
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Macro- and Monetary Economics
The Czech Republic has a long history of environmental payments and charges and there has been interest in ETR there for some years, with some implicit tax shifts during the 1990s. The chapter ...
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The Czech Republic has a long history of environmental payments and charges and there has been interest in ETR there for some years, with some implicit tax shifts during the 1990s. The chapter describes the first explicit ETR in 2008, in the context of the implementation of the EU Energy Tax Directive, and uses this policy as the basis for detailed qualitative research into different stakeholders’ understanding of and support for ETR. The chapter ends with some lessons and recommendations from the Czech experience which could be useful to other Central and Eastern European countries contemplating ETR.Less
The Czech Republic has a long history of environmental payments and charges and there has been interest in ETR there for some years, with some implicit tax shifts during the 1990s. The chapter describes the first explicit ETR in 2008, in the context of the implementation of the EU Energy Tax Directive, and uses this policy as the basis for detailed qualitative research into different stakeholders’ understanding of and support for ETR. The chapter ends with some lessons and recommendations from the Czech experience which could be useful to other Central and Eastern European countries contemplating ETR.
