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Innovation Benefits from European Union Ascendancy: An Econometric Analysis.
Nguyen, Lisa ; Paulus, Michal (advisor) ; Figueira, Filipa (referee)
This paper investigates the benefits of joining the European Union (EU) and its impact on innovation for two indicators: patents and R&D expenditure. Based on a sample size of 27 countries within the EU observed over the time period 1996 to 2013 and utilising the GMM, FE and OLS models, I showed that, overall, entry into the EU has provided substantial benefits. Nevertheless, not all of the indicators of EU benefits are significant and sometimes did not provide positive impact on innovative activities. My evidence also suggests that with a further breakdown into two different regions, Western and Eastern Europe, there is a further rift in gains. Financial integration, for starters, has had a negative impact on innovation for both Western and Eastern Europe. Nevertheless, for the entire EU, financial integration has a positive impact on the number of patents filed. I also showed that another benefit of joining the EU, free movement of labour, has a negative and significant effect on both innovative indicators. This is consistent with the idea not all benefits of the EU provide a positive impact on innovation. Further research is warranted due to the insufficient time period.
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Determinants of Crime in Eastern Europe with a Focus on Czechia and Slovakia
Umlaufová, Anna ; Kalabiška, Roman (advisor) ; Schwarz, Jiří (referee)
This study examines whether determinants of crime, hypothesized in the eco- nomic theory of crime and tested in other global regions, also explain crime rates in Eastern Europe, which is often excluded in existing research. Using fixed effects estimation and controlling for social cohesion and law enforcement, the results suggest that increases in income per capita have a negative effect on homicide and violent crime, but the effect on sexual and property crimes is mixed. Furthermore, the significance and sign of the impact of income in- equality and unemployment differ across individual crimes. This study also investigates crime determinants specifically in Czechia and Slovakia. Contrary to the cross-country analysis, there appears to be little connection between aggregate income and the regional distribution of crime, indicating the impor- tance of social rather than economic factors. JEL Classification K42, O15, O52, P20, C23 Keywords Crime, Income distribution, Eastern Europe, Panel Data, Czechia, Slovakia Title Determinants of Crime in Eastern Europe with a Focus on Czechia and Slovakia
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The impacts of financial crisis on exports of Central and East European countries
Zhang, Wen ; Semerák, Vilém (advisor) ; Paulus, Michal (referee) ; Radošević, Slavo (referee)
Finanční krize, která začala v roce 2008, ovlivnila nejen finanční sektor, ale i zbytek ekonomik mnoha zemí světa. Země střední a východní Evropy (SVE) zažily především negativní externí poptávkový šok. Tato dizertace analyzuje, zda exporty zemí SVE odpovídají změnám HDP a zda finanční krize měla na obchod zemí SVE dlouhodobé dopady. Analýza využívá data za období 2000-2018 za 12 zemí SVE v roli exportérů a celkem 198 importérů. Je založena na strukturálním gravitačním modelu využívajícím Baier & Bergstrandovu (2009) "Bonus Vetus" metodu doplněnou o roční dummy proměnné a vybrané párové dummies pro vybrané páry zemí. Výsledky v první řadě ukazují, že v souladu se základní logikou gravitačních modelů jsou vzdálenost a HDP vývozců a dovozců významnými determinantami exportů. Výsledky dále ukazují na přítomnost dalších efektů, tj. že obchod se během krize změnil více, než by odpovídalo čistě změnám HDP. Dummy proměnné vztažené k citlivosti na HDP a k úrovňovému efektu ukazují na dlouhodobé dopady krize na obchod. Pokud jde o další vlivy, členství v EU a přítomnost plovoucího kurzu může exportům napomoci, zatímco vliv členství v Eurozóně byl nevýznamný. Kvůli přítomnosti trvalejších efektů dále analyzujeme data na sektorové úrovni. Dopady se týkaly všech sektorů, ale příčiny a velikost se lišily. I...
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Mortality in countries of Eastern and Southern Europe: trends and patterns
Šplíchal, Matěj ; Rychtaříková, Jitka (advisor) ; Dzúrová, Dagmar (referee)
Mortality in countries of Eastern and Southern Europe: trends and patterns Abstract The purpose of this thesis to is to evaluate any variances and commonality in the trends of mortality rates between southern and eastern Europe for the period beginning at the end of World War II (WWII) to present day. In order that the data used in the analysis of the populations of these two European regions is drawn from broad-based yet controlled demographic parameters, two countries from each region have been targeted. From southern Europe, Italy and Portugal, and from Eastern Europe Hungary and Bulgaria. The thesis will present both the analysis of data that relates to the development of the gross mortality rate together with that of more refined data that calculates the standardised mortality rate. A more in-depth analysis of mortality trends based on mortality tables and decomposition methods will also be presented using indicators of life expectancy at birth, infant mortality and life span, together with methods of decomposition of the difference between two demographic indicators (Kitagawy, R. Pressata, E. Arriagy and V. M. Shkolnikova). The conclusion of the analytical section deals with age variability at death. The hypotheses, set out in the introductory chapter, are evaluated at the end of the paper, based on...
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Lacemaking in Bohemia in 17 and 18 century
Čížkovská, Zdeňka ; Sojka, Jaroslav (advisor) ; Czumalová, Petra (referee)
Lacemaking in Bohemia in 17 and 18 century. The main theme of this work is to reflect on the lace-making tradition in Bohemia during 17th and 18th century both on the basis of already published studies, as well as with the help of historical portraits. The work also contains a brief outline of the history of lace making and of course discusses lace making and the types of lacemaking in other european countries. Just the tradition of the neighboring countries of the Czech lace-making pick up and prove it to adapt to the requirements of the domestic environment. The lace was an integral part of the garment, therefore this work is also supplemented by the development of fashion, recorded from the renaissance period after the fashion 18th century.
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Russian methods of influancing foreign policies of post-soviet states
Presl, Dominik ; Kofroň, Jan (advisor) ; Kuľková, Miroslava (referee)
This thesis is dedicated to analyzing the topic of influencing the foreign policies of post-soviet states by the Russian Federation. Specifically, this research is based on case-studies of two states, Georgia and Belarus, which are being examined using the comparative case study research method. While studying both examples, the focus is put on Russian soft power used to support the main foreign policy goal of Russian federation in the context of these states - preventing a NATO membership of Georgia and Belarus. The theoretical background to this thesis has been mainly provided by the works of Joseph Nye and other international relations scientists who worked on the topic of soft power. As it was the core part of this thesis, we've their take on its use in international relations and the question of its effectivity. We analyzed which soft power methods have been used in both cases, regarding security, political and economic matters. Furthermore, how effective they were, what was the final outcome of their application and whether Russia used hard power in these cases as well or not. Then we proceed to compare both cases, analyze results of these methods and in case that the results differed, we try to provide the answer why. Subsequently we construct our own theory based on this comparison and...
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Innovation Benefits from European Union Ascendancy: An Econometric Analysis.
Nguyen, Lisa ; Paulus, Michal (advisor) ; Figueira, Filipa (referee)
This paper investigates the benefits of joining the European Union (EU) and its impact on innovation for two indicators: patents and R&D expenditure. Based on a sample size of 27 countries within the EU observed over the time period 1996 to 2013 and utilising the GMM, FE and OLS models, I showed that, overall, entry into the EU has provided substantial benefits. Nevertheless, not all of the indicators of EU benefits are significant and sometimes did not provide positive impact on innovative activities. My evidence also suggests that with a further breakdown into two different regions, Western and Eastern Europe, there is a further rift in gains. Financial integration, for starters, has had a negative impact on innovation for both Western and Eastern Europe. Nevertheless, for the entire EU, financial integration has a positive impact on the number of patents filed. I also showed that another benefit of joining the EU, free movement of labour, has a negative and significant effect on both innovative indicators. This is consistent with the idea not all benefits of the EU provide a positive impact on innovation. Further research is warranted due to the insufficient time period.
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Warsaw Treaty Organization 1969-1985. The pinnacle and path to dissolution
Bílý, Matěj ; Pelikán, Jan (advisor) ; Horčička, Václav (referee) ; Litera, Bohuslav (referee)
Ph.D. thesis abstract PhDr. Matěj Bílý The Ph.D. thesis "The Warsaw Treaty Organization 1969-1985. The pinnacle and path to dissolution" analyses inside processes within both political and military structures of the alliance and puts it in the context of the Cold War's development and the events in the Soviet sphere of influence in Europe. It deals mostly with the climax of the Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev's rule, however, attention is paid also to the short intermezzo of his successors, Yuri Andropov and Konstantin Chernenko. The work is based on a broad research in the Czech, Polish and German archives, already published documents and the proper secondary literature. The explanation focuses not only to the development of the organization's mechanisms - it also asses the Warsaw Pact's role as one of the Kremlin's tools for managing the Eastern Bloc. Nonetheless, during Brezhnev's era, the alliance never became an initiator of processes within the Soviet sphere of interest. In fact, the organization's structures were not very initiative. The agenda of meetings was defined elsewhere, most often in Moscow. The activities in the alliance's framework did not constitute a starting-point for the development in the Soviet sphere of influence. On the contrary, the processes within the Warsaw Treaty Organization...
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