Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Miroslav Svoboda Title: Realism, Instrumentalism and the Time Aspect of Theory Building Abstract: This paper contributes to the debate about the role of realism and instrumentalism in social science. It asserts that the debate should distinguish between ex-ante and ex-post perspectives. Ex-post, i.e. once the research is done, instrumentalism might be given priority because in this situation, significant predictive power is the key. On the other hand, ex-ante, i.e. before any model revealed its predictive power, only realism may give a hint of which direction is promising to pay off the effort. Thus both realism and instrumentalism play their role in the scientific activity, depending on the stage of the research. In this paper I argue that in order to develop economic realism, we should have recourse to phenomenology. Phenomenology analyses the thought constructs of ordinary people, classifies them and seeks the underlying invariant structure. Realistic social science should build on these invariant structures; only then the link to social reality is not lost. Keywords: realism, instrumentalism, ex-ante, ex-post, phenomenology, economic methodology Classification-JEL: A12, B41 Pages: 473-481 Volume: 2015 Issue: 4 Year: 2015 File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/pep/download.php?jnl=pep&pdf=525.pdf File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/pep/525 File-Format: text/html Handle: RePEc:prg:jnlpep:v:2015:y:2015:i:4:id:525:p:473-481 X-File-Ref: http://www.vse.cz/RePEc/prg/jnlpep/references/525 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Zdeněk CHYTIL Author-Name: Arnošt KLESLA Author-Name: Tomáš KOSIČKA Title: Economic Interpretation of Human Behaviour in Terms of Health Promotion Abstract: The economic approach to health promotion describes human behaviour towards preservation of individual health by methods of the economic analysis. We have developed mathematical model based on the Grossman’s theory of Demand for Health (1972) showing two basic approaches. The investors prevent diseases by adopting healthy lifestyle and therefore minimize costs of healthcare. The consumers, however, depend on the healthcare system and cause further increase of its expenditures. It is also demonstrated that the latter approach leads to the increase of expenditures on maintaining the level of public health. Also the strong incidence of chronic and almost incurable non-communicable diseases excludes passive consumerism care for their own health from the rational choice. These effects vary in developing and developed countries and further burden healthcare systems for instance in the new EU Member States. Keywords: rationality, health promotion behaviour, demand for health, healthy life style, health illusion Classification-JEL: I15, I18, I19 Pages: 371-385 Volume: 2015 Issue: 4 Year: 2015 File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/pep/download.php?jnl=pep&pdf=542.pdf File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/pep/542 File-Format: text/html Handle: RePEc:prg:jnlpep:v:2015:y:2015:i:4:id:542:p:371-385 X-File-Ref: http://www.vse.cz/RePEc/prg/jnlpep/references/542 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Mejra Festić Title: The Stability of the Credit Supply in the Globalized Banking Sector Environment: The Case of the EU New Member States-10 Abstract: The influence of foreign banks on a host country's lending depends on several factors, including the policy of the parent bank, the strategy of entry, economic cycles in the home country and abroad, growth prospects, the indebtedness of commitments and the capital adequacy of the parent bank. During the most recent economic crisis, the credit supply of foreign banks in the 10 new European Union (EU) Member States has not remained stable in the crisis. More specifically, we find evidence that foreign banks have cut the credit supply slightly in the new EU Member States. Keywords: foreign ownership, cyclicality, stability, crisis, credit supply Classification-JEL: E32, E51, F34, G21 Pages: 386-398 Volume: 2015 Issue: 4 Year: 2015 File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/pep/download.php?jnl=pep&pdf=543.pdf File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/pep/543 File-Format: text/html Handle: RePEc:prg:jnlpep:v:2015:y:2015:i:4:id:543:p:386-398 X-File-Ref: http://www.vse.cz/RePEc/prg/jnlpep/references/543 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Jana VLČKOVÁ Author-Name: Nikola KASPŘÍKOVÁ Title: Knowledge Relatedness and Knowledge Space Based on EPO Patents Abstract: How is knowledge distributed over space and how are different types of knowledge related? These questions have so far received little attention. In this paper we measure knowledge relatedness based on the relationship between individual patent categories by using coclassification information obtained from EPO patents. We also follow specialization of countries and its evolution over the past three decades. We focus on the EU, the United States and China. The objective of this paper is to identify the knowledge relatedness between technological fields and to map knowledge produced in selected countries. For visualization of knowledge relatedness network analysis has been used. Keywords: patents, knowledge relatedness, knowledge space, network analysis, EPO patents, technological advantage Classification-JEL: D83, O30, R12 Pages: 399-415 Volume: 2015 Issue: 4 Year: 2015 File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/pep/download.php?jnl=pep&pdf=544.pdf File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/pep/544 File-Format: text/html Handle: RePEc:prg:jnlpep:v:2015:y:2015:i:4:id:544:p:399-415 X-File-Ref: http://www.vse.cz/RePEc/prg/jnlpep/references/544 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Zuzana BEDNAŘÍKOVÁ Title: Evaluation of the Impacts of Rural Development Policy Measures on the Local Economy in the Czech Republic Abstract: The objective of the paper is to analyse and evaluate the impact of measures supporting job creation, within the Rural Development Programme of the Czech Republic for 2007-2013, on regional production, income and employment in the Vysočina region by using structural inputoutput analysis. The regional input-output model built on the example of the Vysočina region serves as a tool for the analysis. To perform the impact analysis a regional input-output table for the Vysočina region was constructed by using GRIT method. A part of the analysis is the identification of factors that influence the size of the impacts found. The main findings show that analysed measures have positive impact on regional economy of the Vysočina region, mainly in terms of impacts on production. However, final impacts on production, income and employment are very low. Impact analysis indicates that investment in tourism represents an important factor leading to the improvement of Vysočina region´s economy. Keywords: input-output analysis, impact analysis, GRIT, regional economy, rural, Vysočina Region Classification-JEL: R15 Pages: 416-433 Volume: 2015 Issue: 4 Year: 2015 File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/pep/download.php?jnl=pep&pdf=545.pdf File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/pep/545 File-Format: text/html Handle: RePEc:prg:jnlpep:v:2015:y:2015:i:4:id:545:p:416-433 X-File-Ref: http://www.vse.cz/RePEc/prg/jnlpep/references/545 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Martin BOĎA Author-Name: Emília Zimková Title: Efficiency in the Slovak Banking Industry: A Comparison of Three Approaches Abstract: The paper emphasizes that any approach to defining technical efficiency in banking is just a different outlook on manifold goals and functions that commercial banks pursue. Three commonly applied approaches, i.e. the service-oriented approach, the intermediation approach and the profitoriented approach, are not in conflict but are complementary in providing information on how commercial banks perform in financial intermediation, provision of banking services and profit seeking. In addition to the methodological contribution of the paper, it investigates the efficiency of the Slovak banking industry over the years 2000-2011 so as to find whether employment of a specific approach changes the view on efficiency of individual commercial banks. To this end, the non-parametric method of evaluation is employed based on the slack-based measure model of data envelopment analysis. The results suggest that general impressions of the efficiency status of individual banks as obtained within the three approaches are similar in most cases. Keywords: efficiency, the Slovak banking industry, SBM model, the intermediation approach, the service-oriented approach, the profit-oriented approach Classification-JEL: C44, G21 Pages: 434-451 Volume: 2015 Issue: 4 Year: 2015 File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/pep/download.php?jnl=pep&pdf=546.pdf File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/pep/546 File-Format: text/html Handle: RePEc:prg:jnlpep:v:2015:y:2015:i:4:id:546:p:434-451 X-File-Ref: http://www.vse.cz/RePEc/prg/jnlpep/references/546 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: George ADU Title: Directed Technical Change, Technology Adoption and the Resource Curse Hypothesis Abstract: This paper analyses the effect of asymmetry in factor endowments between resourcerich and resource-poor countries on equilibrium bias of technology development and adoption possibilities. First, we show that the bias in equilibrium technology in the resource-poor North is determined by its relative abundance of human capital and physical capital. Secondly, we show that the equilibrium bias in technology in the resource-abundant South is dependent positively (negatively) on the relative abundance (scarcity) of skilled (unskilled) labour and the relative abundance (scarcity) of physical (natural) capital in the North. This force is dampened by the relative scarcity of skilled labour and physical capital in the South. These forces drive wage inequality, high cost of capital and skill technology mismatch in the South, all of which are bad for growth. These effects cumulatively explain part of the observed differences in growth performance between resource-rich and resource-poor countries. Keywords: human capital, directed technical change, directed technology adoption, natural capital, physical capital, North, South Classification-JEL: O31, O33, O41, Q33 Pages: 452-472 Volume: 2015 Issue: 4 Year: 2015 File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/pep/download.php?jnl=pep&pdf=547.pdf File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/pep/547 File-Format: text/html Handle: RePEc:prg:jnlpep:v:2015:y:2015:i:4:id:547:p:452-472 X-File-Ref: http://www.vse.cz/RePEc/prg/jnlpep/references/547