Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: J. Dufek Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Statistics and Operational Research, Faculty of Economics, Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry, Brno, Czech Republic Author-Name: M. Ospala Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Statistics and Operational Research, Faculty of Economics, Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry, Brno, Czech Republic Title: Analysis of the basic characteristics of demographic development in an urban, suburban and provincial district in the Czech Abstract: This paper analyses and compares the basic demographic characteristics of the selected districts of the Jihomoravský region, namely the urban Brno-město district, the suburban Brno-venkov district and the provincial Břeclav district, in the period between 1990-2000. The methodology section describes the indicators we have used, the basic data were taken from the database of the Czech Statistical Office. Generally speaking, the life expectancy increases, the proportion of the post-productive population increases while there is a significant decrease in the proportion of the pre-productive population as well as in the rates of most demographic categories (marriage rate, birth rate, abortion rate and, to some extent, mortality). Natural reproduction has been negative for a long time. The results reveal that the provincial and the suburban district are similar in most indices as far as both the index level and the population development are concerned. On the other hand, the urban district shows significant differences. Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 533-543 Volume: 48 Issue: 12 Year: 2002 DOI: 10.17221/5365-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/5365-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-200212-0001.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:48:y:2002:i:12:id:5365-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: P. Blažek Author-Workplace-Name: Czech University of Agriculture, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: M. Kubalek Author-Workplace-Name: Czech University of Agriculture, Prague, Czech Republic Title: Comparison of agrarian political parties in selected Central European states after 1989 Abstract: This study deals with the founding and development of agrarian political parties and movements in selected postcommunist states (with the emphasis put on the Czech party system in the early 1990's). The topic is discussed from the point of view of classic political science theories, namely the historical conflict approach of Stein Rokkan and Seymour Martin Lipset, complemented with Derek Urwin's theory regarding emergence of agrarian parties as a means of defense of country against urbanization. The results of research into the urban - rural cleavage and its influence on the genesis of agrarian political parties in selected post-communist countries after 1989 seem to support the above mentioned theories (even though those were originally formulated for a much earlier period when the Western party systems were first coming into existence. These can be applied also to the Czech environment, where several profession-based political parties were established in the early 1990's, some of which were concerned with the defense of peasants' and farmers' interests. The attempts to create profession-based parties in the Czech political system were destined to fail for several reasons. The first was a striking ideological profiling of the bipolar party spectrum, causing general parties to pick up the themes and voters concerned with economic recession, and radicalization of electorate. The second reason lied in the diminishing numbers of potential voters, a result of agriculture modernization and general urbanization of society, which caused that the city-country conflict was reflected in the election results only marginally. The result was similar to other post-Soviet states, with a specific exception of Poland: agrarian parties and movements lost their former influence. Keywords: comparison, Central Europe, post-communist society, agrarian political parties, populist politics, rural cleavage, party system Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 544-553 Volume: 48 Issue: 12 Year: 2002 DOI: 10.17221/5366-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/5366-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-200212-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:48:y:2002:i:12:id:5366-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: E. Kučerová Author-Workplace-Name: Czech University of Agriculture, Prague, Czech Republic Title: Active social policy as a chance for endogenous rural development Abstract: Since 1990s, the discussion about the Czech social policy emphasizes more the necessity to change this policy from passive state social policy towards an active social policy. The latter includes the activities of people in the frames of formal (e.g. NGOs) and informal groups, and therefore also the concept of civic society is accentuated in this respect. Although this concept might be understood in different ways, its common characterization is a spontaneous non-political self-expression of individuals and their groups (the activity that was suppressed before 1989). Through the self-expression, the individuals realize their particular interests. When thinking about active social policy in the frames of civic society, we might assume that the conditions for its implementation are better for the actors in small rural communities. These more favourable conditions are assumed due to the traits of rural communities - e.g. personal, non-anonymous relations, good knowledge and familiarity with particular social problems, etc. However, the actors who try to contribute to active social policy are constrained/controlled in their activities by other community members. The level of these constrains depends on the configuration of social and cultural capital (Bourdieu). The author of the text is for more than one year involved in empirical research in one Czech village. Using qualitative methods she investigates various social events and actors who participate in active social policy (in relation to those who are supposed to participate in this policy as responsible agents). The author assumes that the participation in active social policy is one of the sources of integrated endogenous rural development, while passive social policy (institutionally backed by the state) is more related to exogenous rural development. However, there is a question how the very actors (active members of rural community) do approach this participation and how the other members of rural community evaluate their activities in the sphere of social policy. Keywords: active social policy, actor, endogenous rural development, passive social policy, social capital Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 554-558 Volume: 48 Issue: 12 Year: 2002 DOI: 10.17221/5367-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/5367-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-200212-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:48:y:2002:i:12:id:5367-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: T. Hájek Author-Workplace-Name: Ministry of the Environment, Czech Commission for UNESCO, Prague, Czech Republic Title: The development potential of Czech rural areas and rural tourism Abstract: In spite of the official goals of support for rural tourism promulgated by governmental bodies, rural tourism remains a marginal phenomenon. This lack of confidence in rural tourism has relatively deep roots. The basis for this is almost of an ontological nature and consists in opposition, although subconscious, against "commodified authenticity". Another source of this lack of confidence lies in the fact that rurality, the main attractive feature of tourism, has been substantially impaired as a result of trends in the 20th century. A third reason follows from the combination of rural tourism and mass recreation, as well as inadequate response by governmental bodies and authorities to the risks for regional stability, based on unmanaged mass tourism. Keywords: rural tourism, commodification, commodified authenticity, rurality, mass recreation Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 559-562 Volume: 48 Issue: 12 Year: 2002 DOI: 10.17221/5368-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/5368-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-200212-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:48:y:2002:i:12:id:5368-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: S. Buchta Author-Workplace-Name: S. BUCHTA National Labour Office, Bratislava, Slovak Republic Title: The implementation of agreed public-beneficial jobs for the long-term unemployed in the year 2001 Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 563-567 Volume: 48 Issue: 12 Year: 2002 DOI: 10.17221/5369-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/5369-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:48:y:2002:i:12:id:5369-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: I. Námerová Author-Workplace-Name: Plán rozvoja vidieka vypracovaný v roku 1999 sa prispôsobil požiadavke Európskej komisie, ktorá zdôrazňovala princíp koncentrácie opatrení, tzn. koncentrovanie financií podľ určitých zámerov a cieľov. Pôvodný plán bol prepracovaný a zapracoval princíp koncentrácie a bol obohatený o prioritu podporu ľudských aktivít, ktoré by mali byť motorom pri implementácii programu SAPARD. Title: Information on the program SAPARD preparation and implenemtation in Slovakia Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 568-570 Volume: 48 Issue: 12 Year: 2002 DOI: 10.17221/5370-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/5370-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:48:y:2002:i:12:id:5370-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Z. Poděbradský Title: On the jubilee of doc. Ing. Vladimír Jeníček, DrSc Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 571 Volume: 48 Issue: 12 Year: 2002 DOI: 10.17221/5371-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/5371-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:48:y:2002:i:12:id:5371-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: J. Hron Title: Life anniversary of prof. Ing. Zdeněk Poděbradský, CSc. Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 572 Volume: 48 Issue: 12 Year: 2002 DOI: 10.17221/5372-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/5372-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:48:y:2002:i:12:id:5372-AGRICECON