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Can we buy happiness? Evidence from Slovak Republic
Šramko, Filip ; Chytilová, Helena (advisor) ; Svoboda, Miroslav (referee)
This thesis tries to verify the impact of income and income of reference group on subjectively experienced happiness. The thesis is following the findings of "tunnel" effect in the countries of former Eastern Bloc (Senik, 2008). By OLS estimation of sample from fourth wave of European Values Study I found the presence of weak positive effect of income on happiness. However we cannot conclude causal relationship from our findings. Effect of reference group income is not consistent across estimated models, but I found some possible suggestions of "tunnel" effect. I also found lower effect of absolute income for employed than for the remaining population in the sample. Estimations were also executed with life satisfaction variable confirming the propriety of distinguishing between happiness and life satisfaction concepts.
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How the business cycle affects the fertility rate of the Czech and the Slovak Republik?
Mihalko, Jan ; Houdek, Petr (advisor) ; Svoboda, Miroslav (referee)
The thesis focuses on fertility development of the Czech and the Slovak Republic during the business cycle expressed in terms of the unemployment rate. The linear regression analysis conducted with the specific panel data of the Czech and the Slovak Republic for the period from 1993 to 2010 proved insignificance of tested relationship. The growth of male unemployment rate by 1 % is associated with 0,005% increase in fertility. Increase in female unemployment rate by 1 % results in an increase in fertility by 0,017%. As can be seen from these results, the fertility of the Czech and the Slovak Republic is counter-cyclical to the economic cycle, which means that the substitution effect decrease in opportunity cost of women during a recession prevails over effects of reduced income. With an increase in both, male and female unemployment increases willingness of individuals to conceive children. Significant variables within this analysis include the marriage rate and intensity of housing, which generally raise the fertility of the Czech and the Slovak Republic in which more children being born in economic crises.
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Are the consumers willing to pay for GI products?
Závorová, Miroslava ; Bartoň, Petr (advisor) ; Svoboda, Miroslav (referee)
In 1992 the European geographical indication system was established. Through the years more than thousand of foodstuffs were registered to the system. Czech Republic joined the system through access to EU in 2004. In this paper the consumer's willingness to pay for selected product that carries geographical indication is analysed. For analysis the panel data from brewing industry are used. The results of the work are that the presence of a protected geographical indication in the interaction with other features of the product may affect the willingness of consumers to pay for the product. For example, was shown that the interaction of the protected geographical indications and bottled draft beer can influence the consumer's willingness to pay for GI product.
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Lokální měny - pro či proticyklické?
Tomány, Lubomír ; Mičúch, Marek (advisor) ; Svoboda, Miroslav (referee)
This work focuses on local (complementary) currencies. Their usage and appearance throughout history indicate counter-cyclicity with Great Depression and Argentine recession in 2002 as leading examples. Also previous research of Stodder (2009) proved counter-cyclicity in usage of Swiss complementary currency WIR. However, USA at the beginning of 90' and Germany after year 2000 experienced new wave of local currencies without being accompanied by any severe crisis. Have they become pro-cyclical? I tried to answer this question empirically with simple econometric model using macroeconomic indicators as explanatory variables. Results showed that number of new local currencies is in Germany pro-cyclical which supports previous works about regional distribution of currencies in Germany. Results from USA are inconclusive but indicate rather counter-cyclicity. In both countries was proved positive correlation with amount of already working currencies.
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Fairtrade in comparison with its alternatives
Škrabánek, Jan ; Svoboda, Miroslav (advisor) ; Mirvald, Michal (referee)
This thesis examines specific consumer behaviour when a consumer takes an interest in conditions which the product was made in. This thesis analyses the most significant initiative in the field -- fairtrade -- and its alternatives. The research tries to answer the following questions: Does a programme better living conditions of the target group? Does it help to reinforce producers' situation in a distribution chain? Is the system transparent enough? The thesis examines following alternatives: 4C Association, Direct Trade and Good African Coffee. These alternatives work in some aspects better than fairtrade. Nevertheless it cannot be argued that either of them is better in all aspects. Fairtrade and its alternatives could be characterized as a speciality market and their possibilities to combat the poverty are therefore limited. The thesis suggests some questions for further research of fairtrade efficiency and it alternatives.
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Economic analysis of factors that influence women's decision of having children
Dušátková, Klára ; Svoboda, Miroslav (advisor) ; Kovanda, Lukáš (referee)
This thesis explores effects of chosen factors on fertility of women in the Czech Republic from 1993 to 2010. Part of my thesis is brief description of legislative framework of fertility issues and also description of demographic course in our country. The choice of factors is based on economic articles and books from world's authors. It is tested by using the regression analysis, how the fertility rate is influenced by the number of married women, the number of university-educated women, the unemployment rate of women, the value of social benefits paid for one child and the number of years since 1989. It was find, that the fertility rate grows with increasing number of university-educated women and with decreasing unemployment rate of women. Effect of the social benefits seems to be insignificant. Remaining factors were left out from my model because of multicollinearity.
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Economic decisions of sellers on the discount servers
Škodová, Ivana ; Svoboda, Miroslav (advisor) ; Kovanda, Lukáš (referee)
The thesis examines, why sellers offer their products on servers of group buying. On the basis of the theory were chosen characteristics that can be expected from specific sellers' strategy. These assumptions are tested in practical part of the thesis by the questionnaire, which were submitted to sellers. The theory assumed with economies of scale will offer higher quantity of coupons necessary for activation of discounts. Advertising expected offers containing lesser number of coupons per customer. The time to which the offer applies should be the deciding factor for the demand fluctuation. The price discrimination should not limit total of coupons. At the same time the offer should not limit quantity of coupons per costumer. The outcome of this work is to refute thesis of economics of scale. On the contrary, advertising and fluctuation in demand already confirm thoughts offered by the theory. Even though the price discrimination followed theoretical assumptions it was not possible to collect enough data to confirm hypothesis.
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Are pay-per-bid auctions a type of lottery?
Trnovská, Zuzana ; Svoboda, Miroslav (advisor) ; Potužák, Pavel (referee)
This paper examines whether pay-per-bid auctions are a type of hazard, alternatively a type of lottery. The testing is carried out on the data from auctions that took place on the Czech auction portal Bonus.cz. Based on the comparison of defined hazard properties with the attributes of pay-per-bid auctions I have concluded that these auctions are rather a type of hazard than a way of shopping. I further use statistical testing to show the use of strategies which increase the probability of winning the auction. The presence of these strategies proves that the possibility of winning may be affected by players and thus these auctions cannot be considered a type of lottery as is defined in the currently valid Czech code of law.
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What happens in Vegos does not stay in Vegos
Barczi, Šimon ; Lahvička, Jiří (advisor) ; Svoboda, Miroslav (referee)
The main objective of this paper is to measure and examine demand for commodities offered in the Los Vegos bar in Marianske Lazne. In my experiment, I will be randomly changing price of draught beer in range from 23 to 33 CZK for 30 consecutive days. Each day, I will observe consumption of all goods offered in the bar. I will also analyze a year-long time line with detailed consumption of every product the bar offers . I will measure the own-price elasticity of beer and the cross-price elasticities of other products. My paper will be useful for bar owners to set an optimal price and stock of the goods they offer.
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Legalized abortion and crime: also in Czech?
Dubovský, Peter ; Bartoň, Petr (advisor) ; Svoboda, Miroslav (referee)
In this thesis, I test with Czech data the hypothesis of Donohue & Levitt (2001) which proposes that the growth of abortion rate lowers the future crime rate. The fixed effects model I use is derived from Donohue & Levitt (2001) and adjusted on the basis of criticism by Foote & Goetz (2005; 2008) and Joyce (2004; 2009a; 2009b). As regards period 1994-2009 the results imply that the rise of abortions by 10 per 100 born children lowers theft by eight percent in an age group after it reaches the criminal age. Considering the periods 1968-1976 and 1978-2009 the estimates are low and weakly significant indicating only little impact of abortion on crime during the socialist period.
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