Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Magdalena Kotýnková Title: Labour Market Reforms and Changes in Social Protection Systems: From Welfare to Workfare Abstract: This paper deals with the situation on the European labour market and especially on the Czech labour market. It shows the impact of long-term unemployment - a crucial problem in contemporary European countries - on the economy and on the society and its integrity. Great attention is paid to the social parasitism of the long-term unemployed and to the conversion of social protection systems that started in the late 1990s, when the new principle of social protection systems - the coercive principle - was set up. The principal fi ndings concern the decline in long-term unemployment both on the European labour market and on the Czech labour market after the conversion of the social protection systems. Last but not least, the paper deals with labour market flexibility. Keywords: unemployment, labour market, labour force, long-term unemployment, employment, social protection, welfare, workfare, welfare benefits, work motivation, coercive measures Classification-JEL: I31, I38, J21 Pages: 3-19 Volume: 2009 Issue: 5 Year: 2009 File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/aop/download.php?jnl=aop&pdf=280.pdf File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/aop/280 File-Format: text/html Handle: RePEc:prg:jnlaop:v:2009:y:2009:i:5:id:280:p:3-19 X-File-Ref: http://www.vse.cz/RePEc/prg/jnlaop/references/280 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Jana Vavrečková Title: University-Educated Specialists, the Demand for Them and Their Standing on the Czech Labour Market Abstract: The paper deals with one of the biggest problems currently faced by the Czech labour market: namely, a shortage of labour with regard to specialists who have completed tertiary education. The introduction stresses the importance of knowledge capital both in contemporary society and in a knowledge-based economy. The need for universityeducated labour on the Czech labour market was ascertained from the results of a Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs grant project entitled "Risk of a Brain Drain in the Czech Republic". The monitoring took place from the 2nd quarter of 2004 to the 2nd quarter of 2008. The results are based on an analysis of quantitative data (classified advertisements for job vacancies on web portals and in the media and statistics on vacancies provided by labour offices) and repeated qualitative surveys (standardised interviews with recruitment agency personnel). Based on these sources, a shortage of specialists with tertiary education in the Czech Republic was identified in terms of sectoral and professional structure and specialisation. The paper goes on to present university-educated workers as subjects of international competition and the reader is briefly introduced to the approaches of different countries to attracting specialists from abroad. Keywords: labour market, educational capital, specialists with tertiary education, demand for university-educated labour, development of demand for specialists, motivational immigration programmes for the highly qualified Classification-JEL: J20, J21, J23, J60, J61 Pages: 20-35 Volume: 2009 Issue: 5 Year: 2009 File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/aop/download.php?jnl=aop&pdf=281.pdf File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/aop/281 File-Format: text/html Handle: RePEc:prg:jnlaop:v:2009:y:2009:i:5:id:281:p:20-35 X-File-Ref: http://www.vse.cz/RePEc/prg/jnlaop/references/281 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Jaroslava Sedláková Title: Quality of Community Planning in Social Services: A Case Study Abstract: The mutual agreement about priorities in the social area among representatives of customers (towns, municipal corporations), providers (organisations providing social services) and users (handicapped people) is an essential output of the process of social service community planning. This agreement about the vision in social services for a selected territory also involves action plans with solutions to identified deficiencies in social services -social service development plans (also called Community Plans). The paper suggests an evaluation of a process of social service community planning based on the assessment of compliance with specific principles (value index). The presented method for quality evaluation is tested on a case study based on planning in Jindřichův Hradec Keywords: democracy, community planning, social services, community planning in social services, citizens? activism Classification-JEL: I30, O2 Pages: 36-52 Volume: 2009 Issue: 5 Year: 2009 File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/aop/download.php?jnl=aop&pdf=282.pdf File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/aop/282 File-Format: text/html Handle: RePEc:prg:jnlaop:v:2009:y:2009:i:5:id:282:p:36-52 X-File-Ref: http://www.vse.cz/RePEc/prg/jnlaop/references/282 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Martin Pělucha Author-Name: Dana Viktorová Author-Name: Zuzana Bednaříková Title: Options for Setting Up An Effective EU Rural Development Policy Abstract: This paper presents an analysis of the available options for an effective EU rural development policy. A classification of the methods used to determine an optimal rural development policy can be viewed as the specific aim of the paper. This aim is achieved by discussing theoretical-methodological approaches to rural development, an analysis of the current situation in EU rural areas, including appropriate economic tools, and a partial analysis of existing methods for defining the optimal status in the rural areas. The paper also stresses the main economic determinants influencing conditions in EU rural areas. The authors point out a disproportion between agricultural subsidies and their utilisation in the actual development of the rural areas. Moreover, the definition of the target group of the CAP seems to be essential. The final part of the paper discusses the most significant approaches defining the optimal status in EU rural areas together with their risks and opportunities in respect of an effective rural development policy. Keywords: European Union, Rural development, Common Agricultural Policy Classification-JEL: Q140, Q180, R580 Pages: 53-69 Volume: 2009 Issue: 5 Year: 2009 File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/aop/download.php?jnl=aop&pdf=283.pdf File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/aop/283 File-Format: text/html Handle: RePEc:prg:jnlaop:v:2009:y:2009:i:5:id:283:p:53-69 X-File-Ref: http://www.vse.cz/RePEc/prg/jnlaop/references/283 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Petr Chmelík Title: The Importance of Direct Democracy Tools for the Quality of Political Competition at the National and Local Levels Abstract: Quality of political competition is the essential answer to the question of how people´s wishes can be represented and coordinated in the public sphere in the most effective way. The paper defines the forms of political competition on political markets and shows referenda and initiatives as means to stabilize political business cycles and to break politicians´ coalitions against the voters by destroying their monopoly on agenda setting and decision-making and by shrinking the informational advantage of the "classe politique" and well-organized interest groups. The mentioned positive effects on the quality of political competition can be demonstrated at both the national and local levels. Keywords: economic policy, direct democracy, Political-business cycle, Rent seeking behaviour Classification-JEL: H Pages: 70-88 Volume: 2009 Issue: 5 Year: 2009 File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/aop/download.php?jnl=aop&pdf=284.pdf File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/aop/284 File-Format: text/html Handle: RePEc:prg:jnlaop:v:2009:y:2009:i:5:id:284:p:70-88 X-File-Ref: http://www.vse.cz/RePEc/prg/jnlaop/references/284