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2003:6 The Transformations of Czech Socio-economic Values at the Turn of the Century |
Zdeněk R. Nešpor (ed.) |
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The striking predominance of "mainstream" neoclassical economics and the absence of any extra-economic analyses of the economic dimension of the Czech transformation after 1989 have rendered the emergence of any satisfactory domestic socio-economic studies on the subject pretty well impossible. Consequently, the introduction to this volume analyses mainly foreign literature on the subject, and offers the theoretical and methodological starting points for economic sociology, and proposes their application in the study of the economic transformation that has occurred to date and its results, especially in connection with the integration of the Czech Republic into the European Union.
The focus of the study by Z. R. Nešpor and P. Holub is on a comparison of the contemporary Czech and Western cognitive and mental categories that influence socio-economic behaviour. In particular, they emphasise the strong historical and socio-cultural embeddedness of these categories and the strategies of behaviour they engender, which stem from the period of government of the communist regime, but in many regards date from an even earlier period. At the same time, the social and symbolic capital stemming from the period before 1989 is tied to the results achieved in the transformation and to the input from the advanced world, with numerous multi-dimensional syntheses occurring that influenced many institutional spheres and their interconnections. The biggest differences between the Czech Republic and the advanced world are however value-based in the attitudes towards the category of time (an orientation towards the future or the past), and in the relationship of the individual to supra-individual entities – including attitudes towards the state and the function of informal social networks – and in the relationship to capital, management and employment activities on the whole.
While the authors of the first study focus on the way the business sphere functions, M. Skovajsa in his study examines the development of its institutional framework, as formed by the offices of state administration. Here the author puts particular emphasis on the considerable degree of institutional immaturity in the Czech environment and on the trouble areas of informality and corruption.
Summary
With the exception of the theoretical and quantitative studies of J. Večerník, and the qualitative studies of J. Kabele, Czech scientists have thus far overlooked the issue of the dynamics of socio-economic values and behavioural practices in the post-1989 transformation process in the Czech Republic. Economic-sociological thought was therefore unable to have any impact on the public discourse relating to the transformation. The reason for this was the considerable dominance of “mainstream“ neo-classical economics, and at the same time the absence of any extra-economic analyses of the economic dimension of the Czech transformation after 1989, which rendered the emergence of any satisfactory domestic socio-economic studies on this subject practically impossible. However, the socio-cultural embeddedness of Czech institutions and mental schemes is what attracted the attention of Western academics – mainly L. Holý, M. A. Orenstein and M. R. Myant – inspired by recent developments in economic sociology and related fields. In this volume, the authors have attempted to broadly inform readers about these external analyses of the Czech transformation and its considerable path dependency and about the analyses that emphasise the historicism and economic nationalism of the Czech environment. At the same time the authors have devoted attention to the theoretical-methodological concepts of modern economic sociology and how they are applied in the study of socio-economic development of contemporary Czech society, especially in connection with the integration of the Czech Republic into the European Union. The volume also presents the results of two qualitative pilot surveys conducted as part of the research project Transformations of Socio-economic Values in the Process of the Czech Republic’s Preparation for Accession to the EU, which since 2003 has been carried out in the Department of Economic Sociology at the Institute of Sociology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic in Prague.
Z. R. Nešpor and P. Holub have focused their study on a comparison of the contemporary Czech and Western cognitive and mental categories influencing the socio-economic behaviour of entrepreneurs and employees within the company sphere. In this they emphasise especially the strong historical and socio-cultural embeddedness of these categories and the strategies of behaviour engendered by them. In the Czech Republic, this conditionality encompasses not only the lasting interconnection with the period of the government of the communist regime, but in many regards also refers back to an even earlier period. Primarily this concerns the links with the period of the First Republic (1918-1938), which, on the other hand, in a number of cases are only declarative. The social and symbolic capital from the period prior to 1989 is of course also in a great variety of ways connected with the results achieved in the transformation and the input from the advanced world, wherein there occurred numerous multi-dimensional syntheses, manifesting themselves in all sorts of institutional spheres and their interconnections. This mainly involves relationships between the political and economic spheres, partially evoked by the legacy of the planned economy, but considerably expanded and reinforced during the first years of the transformation; a number of these socio-economic ties lie at the edges of legality or even beyond them.
On the basis of a qualitative survey conducted among Czech entrepreneurs with business contacts in Western Europe and among Western entrepreneurs in the Czech Republic, it is mainly possible to note the continuing fundamentally different value and behavioural orientations. In other words, it is possible to recognise the as yet unfinished state of the Czech transformation, or of its declared aims, which should wind up in the adoption of the socio-economic norms and behavioural models common among the advanced countries. The biggest differences can be found in the case of the attitude towards the category of time, where the Czech orientation towards the past and already attained results stands in sharp contrast to the Western European orientation towards the future. Evident in the relationship of the individual to supra-individual entities is the Czech consumer individualism, a legacy of the communist past, while the assumption of liberal norms is rather more declarative; it does not give consideration to the positive effect of larger social units and organisations, nor does it in any way contribute to them. An example would be the attitude towards the state, the most important trans-individual entity, which in the Czech business environment is perceived negatively, as the “state that takes“, and therefore an implicit sanction is given at the same time to the opportunity for abusing state-provided benefits and resources. The "state that takes" is also the "state that may be taken from” whenever possible, without it being necessary to sufficiently repay these resources. In some regions and branches this practice is extremely widespread, while Western entrepreneurs in the Czech Republic for the most part avoid it or have no access to it. This is related to the way in which the informal social networks and other illegal practices, including corruption, function, and which for small firms especially have become an existential necessity; conversely, the large foreign firms in some cases have the capability to force their own business culture on their surroundings. The difference between Western and Czech business strategies expresses itself also in the relationship to capital, to management and managerial organisations, and to employment activities on the whole (the intensity and manner of work, various types of flexibility etc.).
It also applies that all these fields to a notable degree influence the level of transaction costs and through this also have an impact on economic efficiency and competitiveness. That however does not signify the absolute (socio)economic superiority of Western business customs, norms and strategies over Czech ones, and even less so in the Czech environment, as there is also a strong contextual influence in effect, so that Western business people and companies in the Czech Republic must adapt, often forcibly, and not always in a positive sense. Nonetheless, adaptation is essential for them to be able to function in the given environment. Moreover, some aspects of the Czech environment even influence the European economic space as a whole. The most important positive differences in the Czech socio-economic behaviour as compared to Western, albeit offset by a number of other negative aspects, are its specific functional flexibility, its innovativeness, and its punctual involvement. Even though not all Western entrepreneurs and managers in the Czech Republic see much in the way of a business asset in these qualities and abilities, they are nonetheless abundantly used (and sometimes also abused) by both domestic and foreign firms. At the same time, however, the Czech socio-economic norms and practices and those recognised in the advanced world seem to be converging, which could be interpreted as a sign that business institutions are moving closer together. Here, a paramount role is played by foreign entrepreneurs and firms active in the Czech Republic, while the adaptive capacity of Czech entrepreneurs that have business ties in the advanced world is not too great.
While the authors of the first study focused on the way the Czech business environment functions, M. Skovajsa in his study examines the development of its institutional framework, especially in relation to the Czech Republic’s entry into the European Union. The author carried out qualitative research among officials at various levels in state administration, whose responsibility is the Czech integration into this community, and he compared their experiences and attitudes with the visiting Western administrators (twinners). He emphasises the minimal awareness of any cultural shock in the encounter of the Czech state apparatus with the economic, political and legal culture of the advanced world, which is explained through the continuation of economic and social traditions dating from the First Republic. The negative aspects of the way in which the state apparatus itself functions, above all corruption and informality, are not however overlooked or even denied, but their source is not found to lie in cultural differences and is rather located in other factors, such as low wages or the absence of motivational elements. And this opinion comes to the fore primarily in the perception of the abilities and activities of European officials expressed from the point of view of their Czech colleagues. Practically the only positive aspects of Czech state administration that surpass the European are in the area of work flexibility and the ability to improvise; although even in these areas it is questionable if it is not more a matter of an outcome that stems from an inadequately functioning institutional environment. The author at the same time draws attention to the relatively limited knowledge of the domestic administrators in the area of how integration processes and the mechanisms of administrative institutions associated with them actually function in practical terms. The Czech officials do not realise these differences and, just as in the case of the high degree of corruption and informality, they are not able to admit to the decidedly superior European standards. This applies even more so in one area that, although they influence it, they do not actually enter into themselves: the institutional framework of the business environment. The majority of integration decisions in this sphere are aimed exclusively at legislative harmonisation and macroeconomic effects, without dealing any more profoundly with their practical impact or the broader interests of Czech entrepreneurs. In addition, these are decisions of a rather more short-term and mid-term character, which are not backed by any deeper socio-economic visions of the future based on a mainly strict utilitarian interest.
The conclusions reached in the research to date and presented in the pages of this volume will in years to come be further verified, revised and specified over the course of additional ongoing research. In this, both quantitative and qualitative methods of economic sociology will be used. The research field will be expanded to take in an analysis of the broad social, political and professional reception of the results to date of the Czech transformation by means of an analysis of the media, secondary sources, focus groups and further interviews. The completion of research and the summary presentation of its results to the professional and lay public are planned in 2005.
Keywords
Czech Republic - history 1992; European Union - expansion; transformation; economic sociology; contemporary history; cultural values
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Proměny českých socioekonomických hodnot na přelomu století |
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2009:1 The First Elections to the Senate. An Analysis of the 1996 Elections to the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic |
2008:5 The Perception and Construction of Social Distance in Czech Society |
2008:4 Social Distances and Stratification: Social Space in the Czech Republic |
2008:3 Evolution and Determination of Educational Inequalities in the Czech Republic between 1955 and 2002 in the European Context |
2008:2 Actors of Local Development - Orlicko |
2008:1 The Political Awareness of Citizens: Theories, Measurements and the Role of Political Awareness in the Study of Political Attitudes |
2007:11 A Permanent or Temporary Change? The Arrangement of Gender Roles in Families with Fathers Participating in Childcare |
2007:10 Participation and Partnership in Local Public Administration |
2007:9 Family Friendly Working Conditions in an International Comparison |
2007:8 The Political Impact of Suburbanisation |
2007:7 Fathers, Mothers and Caring for Children after Divorce |
2007:6 The Foreign Migration of Scientists and Researchers and the Tools for Influencing Migration |
2007:5 The Representation of Different Forms of Family and Working Life in Women’s and Men’s Magazines |
2007:4 Czech Labour Market: Changing Structures and Work Orientations |
2007:3 The Relationship between Changes in the Labour Market and Private, Family and Partnership Life |
2007:2 The Institutional Background of Czech Sociology before the Onset of Marxism |
2007:1 Educational Aspirations in a Comparative Perspective. The role of individual, contextual and structural factors in the formation of educational aspirations in OECD countries |
2006:14 Work and Family Roles and How They Are Combined in the Lives of Czech Parents: Plans versus Reality |
2006:13 The Representation of Parenthood and Childlessness in Selected Women’s and Men’s Magazines |
2006:12 Social Solidarity from the Perspective of the Czech Public |
2006:11 Science as a public matter: science policies and the media |
2006:10 The Issue of Minorities in the Czech Republic: Community Life and the Representation of Collective Interests (Slovaks, Ukrainians, Vietnamese, and Roma) |
2006:9 Social Standing and Lifestyle in Czech Society |
2006:8 The Image of Science in Czech Public Opinion |
2006:7 Social Capital. Concepts, Theories, and Methods of Measurement |
2006:6 Basic Features of the Membership Base of KDU-ČSL |
2006:5 Non-Marital Fertility in the Czech Republic after 1989: The Social and Economic Context |
2006:4 The Phenomenon of Childlessness in a Sociological and Demographic Perspective |
2006:3 Participation, Democracy and Citizenship in a European Context |
2006:2 Autonomy and Cooperation: Effect of the Municipal System Established in 1990 |
2006:1 Socio-economic Values, Policies, and Institutions in the Period of the Czech Republic’s Accession to the European Union |
2005:06 Civil Society in the Regions of the Czech Republic |
2005:05 Civil Society and Civic Participation in the Czech Republic |
2005:04 Work/Life Balance in the Czech Republic: Policy, Time, Money, and Individual, Family, and Company Practices |
2005:03 Regional Elites 2004 |
2005:02 Political Behavior in Metropolitan Areas in the Czech Republic between 1990 and 2002 – Patterns, Trends and the Relation to Suburbanization and Its Socio-Spatial Patterns |
2005:01 Measuring Value Orientations with the Use of S.H. Schwartz’s Value Portraits |
2004:11 The Formation of Group Mentalities in the Czech Republic after 1989 |
2004:10 Hierarchy as the Strength and the Weakness of Communist Rule. The Legacy of Communist Rule IV: A Volume of Papers from the Seminar Held in Prague on September 11-12, 2003 |
2004:9 Czech National Identity after the Break Up Czechoslovakia and before Accession to the European Union |
2004:8 Life Strategies of Businesswomen and Businessmen at the Turn of the Millennium |
2004:7 Attitudes towards Marriage, Parenthood and Family Roles in the Czech Republic and in Europe |
2004:6 Life Satisfaction: Family,Work, and Other Factors |
2004:5 What Faith? Contemporary Czech Religiosity/Spirituality in the Perspective of Qualitative Sociology of Religion |
2004:4 Structural Tensions in the Interface between the Labour Market and Social Policy in the Czech Republic |
2004:3 Metropolitan Areas in the Czech Republic – Definitions, Basic Characteristics, Patterns of Suburbanisation and Their Impact on Political Behaviour |
2004:2 International Violence Against Women Survey – Czech Republic/2003: Sociological Research on Domestic Violence |
2004:1 Elections to the European Parliament in 2004 – An Analysis of Electoral Participation and Party Support in the Czech Republic |
2003:12 Hierarchy as a Strength and Weakness of Communist Rule |
2003:11 How the Czech Public Views the Elites the Political and Economic Elites |
2003:10 The Reconstruction of Communist Rule at the End of the 1980s |
2003:9 Women’s Civic and Political Participation in the Czech Republic and the Role of European Union Gender Equality and Accession Policies |
2003:8 Pre-election polls, election results, and validity of measurement before the 2002 elections |
2003:7 Party Preference Surveys, Their Application in Society and the Issue of Quality |
2003:6 The Transformations of Czech Socio-economic Values at the Turn of the Century |
2003:5 Objective and Subjective Assessments of the Financial Accessibility of Housing in the Czech Republic during the 1990s |
2003:4 Entry into Marriage and Unmarried Cohabitation in the Czech Republic since 1989 in Connection with Education |
2003:3 Work and Job Values in CEE and EU countries |
2003:2 Intergenerational Biographic Configurations of the Inhabitants of the NISA Euroregion |
2003:1 Structurally Generated Growth of Inequality |
2002:13 Public Opinion Surveys – Theoretical Aspects and Practical Application |
2002:12 Group Mentalities |
2002:11 The World of Hierarchies and Real Socialism. The legacy of communist rule II: volume of contributions investigating of social hierarchies |
2002:10 Social Context of the Lives of Women Working in Management Positions |
2002:09 Parties in the Parliament. Why, When and How do Parties act in Unity? |
2002:08 Life strategies of women managers: case study |
2002:07 Region and Politics |
2002:06 The World of Hierarchies and Really Existing Socialism |
2002:05 Housing Careers in the Czech Republic 1960 - 2001 |
2002:04 Re-emigrants and Socially Shared Values |
2002:03 Satisfaction with Housing among the Czech Population |
2002:02 The Family Origin on the Evolution of Educational Inequalities in the Czech Republic after 1989 |
2002:01 The Rise and Evolution of the New Elites in the Czech Republic (from the end of the 1980´s to the spring of 2002) |
2001:12 Who´s afraid of Hierarchies? The Legacy of the Communist Government |
2001:11 11th September. International On-line Communication Research |
2001:10 Fertility and Family Differentiation in Europe |
2001:09 The rise or decline of political regionalism? Changes of voting patterns in period 1992 to 1998 - the comparison of the Czech Republic and Slovakia |
2001:08 Cross-cutting Cleavages in the Czech Republic. A Comparison of the National Level with a Specific Regional Example |
2001:07 Roma Issues: An Obstacle to Entry of the Czech Republic into the European Union? |
2001:06 ISSP- The Environment |
2001:05 Distribution of Earnings and Income in Transitional Czech Republic |
2001:04 The Bearers of Development of the Cross-Border Community on Czech-German Border |
2001:03 Rent Subsidies in the Czech Republic: A Comparison of Selected Models |
2001:02 The Role Of Political, Social and Cultural Capital in Secondary School Selection in Socialist Czechoslovakia, 1948-1989 |
2001:01 Income maintenance policies, houshold characteristics and work incentives in the Czech republic |
2000:07 Work and Family Experience of Young Female Doctors |
2000:06 Development of the Czech Social Structure in the Years 1988-1999 |
2000:05 Party identifikation in the Czech republic |
2000:04 What makes inequalities legitimate? An International Comparison |
2000:03 Religion and Supernature in Society |
2000:02 Transformation and Modernization of Society on Examples of Selected Institutions |
2000:01 The Housing Policy Changes and Housing Expenditures in the Czech Republic |
1999:11 Geografic Analysis of the Czech Republic Borderland. |
1999:10 Rise and Decline of Right-Wing Extremism in the Czech Republic in the 1990s. |
1999:09 Perceived and fair inequalities: development in the nineties and further coherences |
1999:08 The Czechoslovak citizens' attitudes towards democracy in 1968 |
1999:07 The Czech Middletown Citizens |
1999:06 A Man in a Family – Democratisation of Private Sphere |
1999:05 Development of the Policy of Equal Opportunities of Men and Women in the Czech Republic within the European Integration Context |
1999:04 Actors of Over-frontier Community Development in the Czech - German Borderland |
1999:03 Acquaintances of Local Political Leaders |
1999:02 Housing Market, its Regional Differences and Relations to Social Structure |
1999:01 The Fluctuation of Public Opinion between Years 1990 and 1998 |
1998:06 Modernizační kontext transformace, strukturní a institucionální aspekty |
1998:05 Deputies of the First Czech Parliament (1992-1996) |
1998:04 |
1998:03 Transformation of Czech Family |
1998:02 Results of a Czech-Slovak Comparison: Actors of Social Transformation and Modernisation. Attitudes of Individuals an Institutions to Social Transformation |
1998:01 Trh s bydlením a jeho sociální souvislosti - situace v Praze a Brně |
1997:08 The Family and Change of Gender Roles |
1997:07 The territorial dimension of public administration reforms in East Central Europe |
1997:06 Czech Women in the Labor Market Work and Family in a Transition Economy |
1997:05 |
1997:04 Mass Privatization, Distributive Politics, and Popular Support for Reform in the Czech Republic |
1997:03 |
1997:02 |
1997:01 Political, Organizational and Policy Transformation at the Municipal Level: The Case of Liberec |
1996:12 Osidlování českého pohraničí od května 1945 |
1996:11 Individuální kontakty obyvatel na česko-německé hranici |
1996:10 Socio-Economic Changes in the Czech Republic with an Appendix concerning the 1996 Elections´ Results |
1996:09 Národní identita |
1996:08 Politics, Skills and Industrial Restructuring. Introductory Findings on Local Institutions of Human Resources Development in Czech Machinery Indrustry |
1996:07 Subjective Mobility and Perception of Life Chances in Eastern Europe. Empirical evidence against a Marxist view of relationships between subjective and objective mobility |
1996:06 Zpráva o vývoji sociální struktury české a slovenské společnosti 1945-1993 |
1996:05 Tripartita jako model prostředkování zájmů v politickém systému České republiky |
1996:04 Národnostní a etnické vztahy v českém pohraničí - obraz Čecha, Němce, Rakušana a Roma ve vědomí obyvatel |
1996:03 The Making of Post-Communist Elites in Eastern Europe. A comparison of political and economic elites in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland |
1996:02 Sudetoněmecká otázka v názorech a postojích obyvatel českého pohraničí |
1996:01 Demografické chování obyvatelstva České republiky během přeměny společnosti po roce 1989 |
1995:08 Česká republika v roce 1994. Politická ročenka |
1995:07 Problém normativity a policejní represe v předlistopadovém Československu |
1995:06 Industriální vztahy a sociálně politické orientace českých dělníků a manažerů |
1995:05 Rozdíly v chování regionálních populací a jejich příčiny |
1995:04 Women, Work and Society |
1995:03 Trh práce a jeho potenciál |
1995:02 Etnické a národnostní vztahy v pánevní oblasti severních Čech (s důrazem na romskou problematiku) |
1995:01 In Search of Explanations for Recent Left-Turns in Post-Communist Coutries |
1994:09 Česká republika v roce 1993. Politická ročenka |
1994:08 Large-Scale Privatization: Social Conflict and Consensus |
1994:07 Economic Inequalities Old and New: The Czech Case |
1994:06 Prostředky kauzálního modelování v sociologii. Shrnující pojednání o postupech a přehled základních pojmů |
1994:05 Regionální diferenciace sociálních problémů v České republice |
1994:04 A Historical Comparison of Social Structures in the Czech Republic in 1984 and 1993 |
1994:03 Přeshraniční souvislosti sociálních změn v oblasti české části euroregionu Chebsko |
1994:02 Social and Political Transformation in the Czech Republic |
1994:01 Lotus Organizátor. Uživatelská příručka |
1993:09 Sociální a mzdové problémy zaměstnanců malých a středních soukromých podniků |
1993:08 Sociální postavení rodiny jako základního činitele a adresáta sociální pomoci |
1993:07 Changing Conditions - Changing Values? Changes in the position and perception of education during the post-communist transformation: the case of the Czech Republic |
1993:06 Perceptions of Justice. Principles of Distributive Justice in Comparative Perspective |
1993:04 Revolution for Whom? Analysis of selected patterns of intragenerational mobility in the Czech Republic |
1993:04 Revolution for Whom? Analysis of selected patterns of intragenerational mobility in the Czech Republic |
1993:03 RODINA ´89. Determinanty ekonomického úspěchu v první fázi postkomunistické transformace. Česká republika 1989-1992 |
1993:02 RODINA '89. Determinanty ekonomického úspěchu v první fázi post-komunistické transformace. Česká republika 1989-1992 |
1993:01 Microsoft Word verze 5.5. Uživatelská příručka |
1992:09 Historical Comparison of Social Stratification Types in Czechoslovakia 1967-1991 |
1992:08 Rodina '89. Úloha mentálních schopností a sociálního původu ve formování vzdělanostních aspirací |
1992:07 The Zero Generation of Small Business Owners in Czechoslovakia |
1992:06 Time Use of Small Business Owners. Results and Methodological Comments |
1992:05 Perception of Changing Inequality in Czechoslovakia |
1992:04 Vybrané kapitoly z uživatelské příručky Microsoft Word verze 5.0 |
1992:03 Politické strany a hnutí v Československu |
1992:02 Politische Partien und Bewegungen in der Tschechoslowakei |
Prague in the New Central Europe. International conference 2-4 June 1990 |
1991:09 Vybrané kapitoly z uživatelské příručky Microsoft Word verze 5.0 |
1991:08 Nultá podnikatelská generace |
1991:07 Rodina '89. Zdroje vzdělanostních nerovností |
1991:06 Hodnotové orientace československé mužské mládeže a jejich vztah k obraně vlasti |
1991:05 Gender and the Employment of Higher Education Graduates in Czechoslovakia |
1991:04 Územní vztahy, územní a státoprávní uspořádání České republiky v názorech obyvatel |
1991:03 Social Problems of Participation in the Changing Czechoslovak Economy |
1991:02 K postavení žen v československé společnosti |
1991:01 Socialist Czechoslovakia - System Error and Premises for Change |
1990:06 Názory na rozvoj soukromého podnikání |
1990:05 Growing interest in informal work - consequences for time use research. XIIth World Congress of Sociology, Madrid 1990, Thematic Group 1, Time Use Research |
1990:04 Value-satisfaction Model and the Value of Innovation |
1990:03 Who Gains and Who Loses in a Socialist Redistribution |
1990:02 Ženy a volby '90 |
1990:01 Beyond Educational Inequality in Czechoslovakia |
1989:02 Československá varianta Mezinárodní standardní klasifikace zaměstnání (ISCO) |
1989:01 Family Effect on Educational Attainment in Czechoslovakia, Hungary and the Netherlands |
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