Completed project

Socio-spatial disadvantage of inhabitants in peripheral rural regions

Project duration: 
2015 - 2017

The project addresses the issue of social disadvantage of inhabitants of peripheral rural regions.

Social disadvantage usually entails a spatial component. The spatial concentration of social disadvantage, exclusion and deprivation and the socio-spatial mechanisms that influence disadvantage are among the fundamental themes of sociological and geographical research. This project contributes to a better understanding of social disadvantage in peripheral rural areas in the Czech Republic, its mechanisms, reproduction and manifestation.

Its aim is to contribute to the knowledge of rural social disadvantage by identifying peripheral rural micro-regions in the Czech Republic, through studying the life circumstances of inhabitants located in these micro-regions, comparing them to the life circumstances of inhabitants from other types of regions (urbanized regions and the non-marginalized countryside) and by examining the mechanisms contributing to the social disadvantage of inhabitants from peripheral regions and potentially to their social exclusion.

At the theoretical level, the project will rely on the conceptualization of rural social exclusion as a failure of societal integration mechanisms (Shucksmith, Chapman 1998, Philip, Shucksmith, 2003, Reimer 2004); on the theory of neighbourhood effects (Wilson 1987) and on the theory of “household practices/strategies” materialized by households facing difficult economic conditions (Meert 2000, Smith 2000).

 

 

Topics: 
urban and rural studies
regions
social inequalities
standard of living
Grant agency: 
Czech Science Foundation (GACR)

Project publications (total 5, displaying 1 - 5)

Šimon, Martin, Bernard, Josef

The development of the Czech countryside differs in many ways from trajectories typical for Eastern and Central European rural areas in the last 25 years. In our article, we discuss the nature of the ‘Czech exceptionalism’, with reference to three examples, namely population development, the dynamics of rural/agricultural labour markets and rural governance.

Topic:
urban and rural studies, migration and mobility, regions, social inequalities, sociologická teorie, public administration
Department:
Local and regional studies
Type of publication:
Article with impact factor
Bernard, Josef, Šimon, Martin

The spatial concentration of social disadvantage in rural areas not only poses a risk to social cohesion but also represents a challenge for public policy. This article draws on a multidimensional concept of disadvantage to study spatial aspects of disadvantage in Czech rural areas. Current studies aimed at identifying ‘inner peripheries’ as areas with an increased risk of social exclusion fail to distinguish between different forms of disadvantage.

Topic:
trust/social cohesion, urban and rural studies, migration and mobility, wages and incomes, age and ageing, public policy, standard of living
Department:
Local and regional studies
Type of publication:
Article with impact factor
Šimon, Martin

A key issue in socio-economic geography is to understand how regional and social polarisation shapes the territorial organisation of society. We argue that effects of polarisation are not translated simply and straightforwardly in a whole region, but vary to a large extent with respect to different types of accessibility areas. We applied the time-accessibility framework to classify a territory into urban, peri-urban, rural, and remote rural areas at a national and regional scale.

Topic:
urban and rural studies, methodology, regions, social inequalities, transformation, education
Department:
Local and regional studies
Type of publication:
Article with impact factor
Šimon, Martin

Studium mechanismů, které mohou narušovat sociální soudržnost společnosti, patří mezi základní témata sociologického výzkumu. Riziko sociálního znevýhodnění je ovlivněno dominantně individuálními faktory, ale síla působení těchto faktorů závisí na prostředí, kde obyvatelé žijí. V Česku dochází ke kumulaci různých forem sociálního znevýhodnění ve venkovském území.

Topic:
urban and rural studies, methodology, wages and incomes, regions, social inequalities, public policy, public administration, standard of living
Department:
Local and regional studies
Type of publication:
Other publication
Šimon, Martin

Předchozí výzkum periferních území umožnil identifikovat některá problémová území a zacílit pozornost na jejich studium. Nicméně se jednalo většinou o vymezení jednoho typu periferního území. Uživatel výzkumu tak nemohl identifikovat, zdali je perifernost území způsobována nedostatkem pracovních příležitostí, nebo komplikovanou demografickou situací, nebo nevyhovujícím bytovým fondem.

Topic:
history of sociology, urban and rural studies, methodology, wages and incomes, regions, social inequalities, public policy, public administration, standard of living
Department:
Local and regional studies
Type of publication:
Other publication