Györgyi BARTA, György KUKELY
The role of foreign direct investments in Hungary’s regional development.
With the end of privatization, Hungary has entered a new stage of foreign direct investment. Hungary’s competitive advantages and its attractiveness for foreign investment relative to neighbouring countries have diminished. In terms of regions, foreign direct investments (FDI) are extremely concentrated: 80-85% is located in Budapest, the capital’s agglomeration and the region of Northern Transdanubia. This region has become part of what can be termed a new Central Eastern European growth pole or dynamic area. In contrast, investments have been much smaller in other parts of the country, and no significant changes have been recorded in the spatial structure of investments. Investors give preference to expanding existing companies by means of new investments or increasing their capitalization, as opposed to greenfield investments. For these reasons, substantial modifications in the regional pattern of FDI can hardly be expected in the foreseeable future. Regional development policies have sought to encourage investments in disadvantaged areas by improving the infrastructural environment (primarily by means of constructing motorways and industrial parks), as well as other incentives. At the same time, it is difficult to strike a reasonable balance between the requirements of efficiency and solidarity. The task of improving the relative position of backward regions has certainly slowed down the overall growth of the national economy.

Piotr EBERHARDT
The demographic losses of the Soviet Union in the period of World War II..
A statistical analysis, formulated to determine the demographic losses suffered by the Soviet Union during World War Two, is presented in this article. At the outset, opinions on the subject by Russian demographers and historians are stated. Such assertions become the basis of a critical analysis of the substantive matters, as well as developing the statistical aspects of the issues. The analysis allowed the author to question the scale of war losses, as it was calculated and publicly announced in Russia: determined at the level of 26 million people. After the consideration of various factors, however, the author estimates the irreversible demographic losses of the Soviet Union caused by World War Two, as approximately 22 million. These losses can be subdivided into those in the military – roughly 9 million, and civilian losses at approximately 13 million.

René MATLOVIČ, Alena SEDLÁKOVÁ
The impact of suburbanisation in the hinterland of Prešov (Slovakia).
The impact of suburbanisation on the hinterland of Prešov, the third largest town in Slovakia, is presented in the current study. Significant aspects of suburbanisation – selective migration, the spatial differentiation of housing conditions in the suburban zone, social and economic segregation, as well as commercial activities and their distribution, and/or the collapse of a geographical hierarchy – are singled out for particular attention. A theoretical framework is outlined in the first part, based on a brief review of the suburbanisation process and its conceptualisation, as well as its attributes and spatial forms. The specific situation in post-communist countries is briefly analysed. The empirical research subsequently reported in this study, explores basic processes occurring in the Prešov hinterland due to suburbanisation.

Marie NOVOTNÁ
Methodology of the evaluation of the geographic potential for tourism in the Plzeň region.
A methodology, based on a geographic information system (GIS), was developed in order to map the geographical potential for tourism. The methodology comprises four stages: (1) appropriate variables to evaluate the potential for tourism were chosen; (2) the chosen prerequisites were processed into map layers; (3) the geographic objects were evaluated by the Delphi method; and (4) a general evaluation of potential for tourism was processed using the method of map algebra – an analytic procedure of GIS. The output of the work is a map describing the spatial range and size of tourism potential of a chosen area. The approach is demonstrated in the Plzeň region.

Antonín VAISHAR, Stanislav CETKOVSKÝ, Stanislav MARTINÁT, Helena NOSKOVÁ, Jana ZAPLETALOVÁ
Cross-border region Králíky - Międzylesie.
The paper analyses the situation of the Králíky / Międzylesie cross-border region (Czecho – Polish border). It aims on a common perception of the region which has a physical as well as a historical foundation. The region is peripheral both on the Polish and on the Czech side of the border. Its population was almost completely changed after World War II. The population’s qualification level is not high. Climate and soils are not favourable for agriculture. The peripheral geographical position is responsible for the lack of investments. The region sets upon a certain hope for the future with a development of tourism. Improvement of technical infrastructure is one of preconditions. But tourism could not be the only direction of development. Agriculture is important at least for landscape maintenance. Local industry is suitable for creating jobs for people with corresponding skills. Education services are necessary to keep the cultural level of people. Location of social services is advisable thanks to a tranquil milieu.


REPORTS

Radim BLAHETA
The 25th anniversary of the Institute of Geonics of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.