Petr Jüptner, Blanka Říchová
Municipal issues in the light of recent research: theory and practice of municipal governance after 1989
Daniel Klimovský
Klasifikácia spôsobov kreovania základných orgánov obecnej samosprávy v európskej perspektíve
The classification means creation of basic municipal authorities in a European perspective
Basically, there are two polity systems at a local level in Europe. The first one is typical for a continental part of Europe – e.g. Austria, France, Germany or Italy – and might be called as municipal self-government. The second one which has been developed especially in the Anglo-Saxon conditions might be called as local government. Both these systems differ from each other in several points of view. However, this classification is not the final one, and also the countries that belong to one of the mentioned two groups differ a lot if one looks at one/a few feature/s of those systems.
This article is centered on different countries’ approaches to the methods of creation of two fundamental local politico-administrative bodies – i.e. local councils and mayors. A main goal is to point out those methods, and to make an attempt on classification of European countries in terms of them. Obviously, a few selected examples and some relevant secondary data are utilized for the research purposes.
Kamil Švec
Případy meziobecní spolupráce v evropských zemích: Estonsko, Finsko, Francie a Nizozemí
Cases of inter-cooperation in European countries: Estonia, Finland, France and the Netherlands
The decentralization trend that pervades the countries of Western Europe since the second half of last century is still more power-transmitted to the lower administrative, self-governing units respectively – regions and municipalities. In Europe, however, we find considerable diversity of local structures. One of the factors influencing the function of local government is the settlement structure. This article intends to outline the two basic models, which are applied in Europe to increase the effectiveness of the function of municipalities, and in the cases of Estonia, France, Finland and the Netherlands.
Jaroslav Čmejrek, Jan Čopík
Continuity and discontinuity in the development of local political representation
The paper deals with the development of the local political representation in three Czech municipalities. Two of them are rural villages with less than 1 000 inhabitants, the third municipality is a town with 10 000 inhabitants. The paper focuses on three aspects of continuity and discontinuity in local politics: (1) structure of the local council and duration of representatives’ activity in the council, (2) continuity of the local political parties and (3) personalities and families in the local politics. Two periods of change and stabilization of the local politics are compared: the period of the pre-war Czechoslovakia and the period after 1989.
Petr Jüptner
Ministerská diskuse k případnému zavedení přímé volby starostů: velmi nízká priorita?
Ministerial discussions on the possible introduction of direct elections of mayors: very low priority?
Author of this article presents and analyses (through content analysis) a content of document „Analysis of a possibility to implement the direct mayor vote” which was elaborated by the Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic. Author formulates two hypotheses – relevant political actors have in fact no interest to implement a direct mayor vote in the Czech Republic, and a revision and amending of legislation on local government system has low priority in the Czech Republic – and he tries to find out relevant points in the mentioned document in order to prove or disprove those hypotheses. The most important finding is a fact that there are several methodical shortages that had influenced analyzed document in terms of its quality.
Tomáš Lebeda
Municipal elections are misleading. Short stop the problematic aspects of the electoral system for municipal
This article is focused on the problematic characteristics of the Czech electoral system applied for the local council elections. We can recognize three different problems. First off, Czech voters largely do not understand the mechanism of electoral system well. They assume that they can vote for individual candidates but in reality this kind of vote is the vote for their party not for particular candidates. This misunderstanding leads to contradiction between voters expectations of electoral system way of working on the one hand and the real process of seats allocation on the other hand. Second problem is based on specific rules of the seats allocation inside party list. Current electoral system allows candidate who receives less votes than other candidates to gain a seat. More over the weakest candidate inside the party list can be elected unlike of all stronger party mates. Third problem is connected with electoral result interpretation. Beside the results inside every single local community politicians and media also pay attention to national result of local elections. They deduce conclusions from it about party support and chances to win general elections. But national result of local elections is not easy interpretable. Voters have different number of votes depending on the number of their local council deputies. It means for example that voter in capital Prague has 70 votes unlike of another voter living in a small village with only 7 votes. This article also answers how to interpret the national result of local elections correctly.
Jakub Šedo
Preferenční hlasy v komunálních volbách – zdroj obměny či stability volených reprezentantů?
Preferential votes in municipal elections - the source of variations or stability of elected representatives?
The article is focused on the municipal elections in the Czech Republic in eight cities. The main goal of the research is the evaluation influence of the free list system of the municipal councils on the re-election of the city councilors. There are identified two potential tendencies: preferential voting could strengthen stability (personal continuity) or change (personal discontinuity). The question is whether former city councilors are via preferential votes more supported than new candidates (voters and preferential voting support stability) or less (voters and voting prefer change). Analysis is focused on the former city councilors of eight cities on the list which got at least one seat in the municipal elections. Than it is pointed out if the reelection or failure of the former councilor was caused by the position on the list, preferential voting, or combination of both factors. Reelection from the lower position on the list via preferential votes or the failure caused only by the position on the list (candidates need to meet the limit 10 % over the mean of the list to advance from their original position on the list) is the sign of the tendency to the stability. Failure due to low number of preferential votes or reelection only thanks to the advantageous position on the list indicates the tendency to the change. Outcomes of the research were not significant the number of cases which supports the stabilization tendency was higher, but only slightly.
Michel Perottino
Vzpomínka na českou exilovou „sovětologii“
Remembering the Czech exile "sovietology"
Alice Tejkalová, Filip Láb
Konference Journalism Research in the Public Interest
Conference Journalism Research in the Public Interest
Blanka Říchová
Emiliano Grossman, Emiliano Sauger: Introduction aux systèmes politiques nationaux de l'UE
Michael Romancov
Petr Drulák: Metafory studené války. Interpretace politického fenoménu
Petr Drulák: Metaphors of the Cold War. Interpretation of the political phenomenon
Věra Kotábová
Linda Sokáčová: Gender a demokracie
Linda Sokáčová: Gender and Democracy
Michael Romancov
Rusko a jeho pohled na mezinárodní systém: výzvy pro ČR a střední Evropu
Russia and his View of the International System: Challenges for the Czech Republic and Central Europe
Everyone agrees the world is changing. The question is in which direction? For such small actors within international arena, like Czech Republic, is of key importance to pay attention to evolution of ideas and proposals which are made by strong and influential actors, like Russia is.
Miloš Brunclík
Negativní parlamentarismus: cesta k efektivnějšímu fungování parlamentního režimu?
Negative Parliamentarism: The Path to more Efficient Functioning of the Parliamentary System?
Negative parliamentarism is a type of parliamentary regime, in which tolerance (not active support of parliamentary majority) is the key principle of government formation. It is applied in some European parliamentary monarchies (Great Britain, Denmark, Norway and Sweden), in some succession states, which inherited the parliamentary tradition (New Zealand, Canada, Australia, Iceland) and elsewhere (Austria, Portugal, the Netherlands, the Faroe Islands). In the past the negative parliamentarism was practiced in Finland (until 2000) or in Greece (until 1986). The key difference between the positive parliamentarism and negative one is the issue of government formation, but not in the issue of its termination, because both versions allow the parliament to recall the government through the vote of no confidence. Negative parliamentarism facilitate formation of (minority) governments and its existence correlates with relatively short post-election negotiations. Negative parliamentarism may be also conceived as one of the ways to improve the Czech parliamentary regime, even though this way is – in comparison to ideas of electoral system change – truly only theoretical.
Josef Mlejnek
Volby do Evropského parlamentu v Polsku 2004 a 2009
European Parliament Elections in Poland in 2004 and 2009
This study deals with so far two European Parliament elections that took place in Poland in 2004 and 2009. It mainly focuses on two topics: 1) whether their course corresponds with so called second-order elections approach (Karlheinz Reif and Hermann Schmitt) and 2) on the influence of the voter turnout phenomenon. It finds out that whilst the first EP elections in Poland in 2004 basically correspond with the second-order elections approach, this year elections do not. That is why this study at its end tries to explain the causes of electoral behavior during last European elections in Poland and states that the research of European elections in post-communist countries calls for a more detailed investigation, even in a comparative perspective.
Petr Just
Vládnutí Roberta Fica: koalice stabilní, opozice v rozkladu
Robert Fico's Government: A Stable Coalition, the Opposition in Decomposition
Text analyzes up to now existence of the coalition cabinet of Robert Fico that took the power after 2006 elections. It begins with the analysis of election results and follows with formation of the coalition cabinet. Text focuses on the question whether the fact that 2006 elections were the first conflict on classical left – right scale influenced somehow formation and activities of the government. It looks at conflicts and crisis that the cabinet had to face, how they were solved and was is the future perspective of the government survival. Existence of the government is set into a wider context of political situation in Slovakia.
Daniel Klimovský
O možných riešeniach fragmentovanej lokálnej sídelnej štruktúry (Inšpirácia pre Slovensko)
The Possible Solutions to Fragmented Local Residential Structures
Europe is not any homogeneous entity from many perspectives. If one ponders on the European countries’ local settlement structures, this statement is undoubtedly valid. In terms of features of local settlement structure, there are both the consolidated countries – e.g. Bulgaria, Denmark, Lithuania or the Netherlands – and the fragmented countries – e.g. the Czech Republic, France, Hungary or Spain – in Europe. Slovakia belongs to the second mentioned group and the Slovak municipalities (communities) must try to find suitable solutions to many problems arising from the fragmentation. A main goal of this article is to discuss on two selected European experience – the Czech one and the Danish one – centered on consolidation of fragmented local settlement structure from the Slovak perspective.
Blanka Říchová
Political Science for Beginners or Advanced?
Jan P. Kučera
Filosofie globální krize (Na okraj nové knihy P. Sloterdijka)
The Philosophy of Global Crisis: At the Edge of the New Book P. Sloterdijk
Michel Perottino
Françoise Mayer: Češi a jejich komunismus, paměť a politická identita
Françoise Mayer: Czechs and communism, memory and political identity
Kamil Švec
Pavel Šaradín: Teorie voleb druhého řádu a možnosti jejich aplikace v České republice
Pavel Šaradín: The Theory of Second-order Elections and the Possibility of their Application in the Czech Republic
Blanka Říchová
Alena Lábová, Filip Láb: Twilight Photojournalism? Manipulating Photographs in the Digital Era - Patric Chauvel: War Photographer
Josef Mlejnek
Brake, Accelerator, or Deflector? Hungarian Mixed Electoral System after Twenty Years
The article is focused on the Hungarian mixed electoral system. Although it helped to divide the Hungarian political scene into two main blocks and to form absolute governmental majority after all the elections so far, it also has had a few questionable consequences. Owing to a complex structure of the Hungarian society from the social and value interests and attitudes´ point of view, it is debatable whether an electoral system that helps to form a bipolar party system is suitable for the country. The article then asks whether the Hungarian electoral system is not too “strong”, whether it does not lead to too violent a connection of some cleavages, and thus more to a deformation of the political scene, the consequence of which is an excessive polarization and inability of the political system to solve some vital issues of the Hungarian state and society adequately.
Daniel Klimovský
Otázka paralelného výkonu verejných funkcií v územnej samospráve a funkcie poslanca NR SR
Issue of Parallel Discharge of Self-governmental Offices and Office of MP in Slovakia: A Brief Discussion on Some Points
The parallel discharge of some self-governmental offices and office of MP is not any extraordinary situation in the European conditions. There are several countries where such parallel discharge is allowed (e.g. Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Hungary, Luxemburg, Montenegro, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden) but also several countries where such discharge is forbidden (e.g. Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldavia, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Ukraine). As far as Slovakia, discharge of the self-governmental offices is compatible with discharge of the office of MP. However, two draft bills, which should introduce incompatibility of these offices, were submitted in the Parliament at the beginning of 2009. The submission brought up a discussion, and the article is dedicated to the main points of this discussion. It shows that some of the presented points are irrelevant, and some are interpreted in a wrong or misleading way. For this purpose, the author utilizes the description and analysis of both relevant laws or documents and statements as well as activities of the concerned actors.
Jan P. Kučera
K politické filosofii Arthura Schopenhauera
Political Thought of Arthur Schopenhauer
The political dimension of human life is on the very edge of Schopenhauer focus of interest. This fact stems from his concept of metaphysics. However, the attention ought to be paid to this aspect of his philosophy, since it is an influential part of the tradition of typical "German" refusing "politics-ness", a phenomenon with enormously tragic consequences.
Jitka Gelnarová
Vatikán: charakteristika státu v kontextu jeho propojení se Svatým stolcem
Vatican State in the Context of Convergence of the State and the Holy See
The article describes the reality of the Vatican state in the context of convergence of the state and the Holy See. The Vatican is presented as a multidimensional phenomenon characterised by merging of a state and a non-state entity. The interconnection between the state and the Holy See as a supreme institution of the Catholic Church is considered a determining characteristic of the Vatican reality. The article demonstrates how this connection, which is visible on the level of both institutions and objectives, influences various aspects of the Vatican reality such as size of the territory, structure and quantity of the population, and system of government.
Michael Romancov
Nová studená válka mezi Ruskem a Západem
The New Cold War between Russia and the West?
When on December 25th 1991 Soviet Union collapsed many in the West welcomed the emergence of a free, independent and democratic Russia. Twenty years after New assertive Russia enters the stage is a new cold war on horizon? Russia is certainly not the Soviet Union, but what is it? A recovering world power or corrupt weak country?
Michel Perottino
Odešel budovatel francouzské politologie – Jacques Lagroye
Jacques Lagroye - in memoriam
Petr Jüptner
Konference „České obce v evropském vývoji“
Conference „Czech Municipalities in European Development“
Blanka Říchová
Konference „Smíšené volební systémy a modifikace systémů poměrných“
Conference „Mixed Electoral Systems and the Modification of Proportion Systems“
Petr Jüptner
Stanislav Balik: „Districts on the North. Local Policy in districts Šumperk and Jeseník in years 1989-2006.“ - Jan Cmejrek: „Citizen Participation on Public Life in Municipalities in the Czech Republic.“
Tomáš Lebeda
Jakub Šedo: Volební systémy postkomunistických zemí
Jakub Sedo: „Electoral Systems in Post-Communist Countries.“
