Determinants of microregional agricultural labour productivity – Evidence from Czechia

In this paper we aimed to explain differences in agricultural labour productivity at microregional level. We tested the effects of three major independent variables – farmland fragmentation, urbanization economies and farm size structure with particular emphasis on the relationship between land-use fragmentation and microregional differences in agricultural labour productivity. Our principal question therefore was if higher agricultural labour productivity at microregional level is associated with internal scale economies resulting from large average farm size (in terms of employment), proximity to large cities as a proxy for urbanization economies and lower levels of land-use fragmentation. We also asked if productivity gains from large average size of plots is higher than potential losses resulting from land tenure (tenants are generally less productive than farmland owners). Drawing on a case study of Czechia – a country with extremely fragmented farmland ownership, but the largest average size of plots in the EU and a strong role of farmland rental market – we confirmed our initial expectation that land-use fragmentation affects negatively microregional agricultural labour productivity. Larger average size of plots is positively related to microregional agricultural labour productivity despite potentially negative effects of land tenure. At the same time, no significant effects of urbanization economies and farm size structure were documented.     

Formation of a regional image through geography textbooks: The case of north-west Bohemia

The purpose of the article is to examine the ways in which regional geography textbooks are used in elementary education, using north-west Bohemia as a case study. The authors analysed 18 textbooks published since the beginning of the 20th century, in two steps: (1) the construction of geographical names frequency maps indicating which parts of the case region are accentuated or suppressed in individual textbooks, and (2) a qualitative analysis of the textbooks’ content. The study revealed that a complex image of north-west Bohemia in interwar period in Czechoslovakia and in the period of accession to the European Union is presented in the textbooks. The textbooks published during communist era are imbued with the adoration of local industries, whereas those published later, in the period of political and socio-economic transformation, accentuate the risks of excessive environmental exploitation. At any time since the beginning of the 20th century, the places and regions that represent the values preferred by the governing ideology are emphasized within the studied textbooks. Thus, the geography textbooks, that reflect the society-wide discourse, disseminate not only knowledge but also dominant values. In this way, a desired image of reality is created that legitimates the aims and stances of those in power.     

Graphic symbols and local identity: the case of use and perception of municipal emblems in the Liberec Region (Czechia)

This paper analyses the role of graphic symbols in local representation and in the process of local identity formation. The extent of graphic symbols utilization by local development actors in the region, its importance for image formation of the locality (municipality) from the point of view of the local development actors and an assessment of the degree of identification with the municipal emblems among the local population are evaluated, based on the results of a corresponding survey targeted at municipal representatives. Municipal emblems tend to (and also should) have a local representative function. These should emphasize local specificity, uniqueness. Municipal emblems have a potential to play the role of connecting, mediating and activating factors also on a higher as well as a local level. Municipal emblems are still not used enough and in the right way by actors of municipality representations. These are often misunderstood and deemed unimportant for local development.     

Industrial specialization and economic performance: A case of Czech microregions

An influential body of literature suggests that economic diversity rather than specialization fuels the economic performance of regions and nations. The authors argue that this hypothesis has no universal applicability and that a more differentiated view is needed. In particular, historical specificity of the local environment and structural characteristics of regional economies should be taken into account. They focus on the effects of industrial specialization on economic performance and the vulnerability of Central European post-communist regions, namely Czech microregions with less than 200,000 inhabitants. They examine whether the economic performance and vulnerability of these regions is fuelled rather by industrial specialization or diversity when controlling for other potential determinants of regional economic performance. Their findings show that the dependence of Czech regions on manufacturing correlates with higher economic performance but also with higher regional vulnerability. In addition, industrial specialization within manufacturing was found to be instrumental for the economic performance of regions with high dependence on manufacturing. With a decreasing share of employment in manufacturing, industrial diversity rather than specialization becomes more valuable for the economic performance of Czech regions.     

Spatial analysis of long-term land-use development in regard to physiotopes: case studies from the Carpathians

Abstract

The influence of abiotic conditions on land-use development since the nineteenth century is assessed in case studies from the Czech and Slovak Carpathians. Hypotheses claim that significant land-use changes have occurred, but without pronounced differences because of similar abiotic conditions in the case studies. Abiotic conditions are expressed by physiotopes, which contain information on georelief, lithology, and soil. Our results indicate a high rate of land-use change in both case studies, and a detailed analysis of changes in two sequential periods reveals significant differences in five of the six periods compared in these case studies. Areas along state border seem to be more affected by anthropogenic changes as the proportion of plots with stable land use was only 25.7% in the Czech area (Starý Hrozenkov, Vápenice, and Vy?kovec) compared to 47.6% in the Slovak area (Lietavská Svinná-Babkov). Repeated land-use changes occurred mostly in valley floors and adjacent slopes. Land-use changes in the study areas are only partly explained by the abiotic conditions in physiotope and morphometric attributes, as shown by multiple correspondence analysis. The crucial difference in land use is in different settlement structures, which reflect differences in historical development.