13. Effective Public Policies and Contemporary Society
RESEARCH PROGRAMME
EFFECTIVE PUBLIC POLICIES AND CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY
COORDINATOR
doc. Ing. Daniel Münich, Ph.D.
CERGE-EI
GOALS
- To examine socio-economic, normative and philosophical factors and problems that dynamically affect public policies
- To provide insight into the causality of social phenomena and processes
- To present the results and scientific knowledge to the wider public in a comprehensible form
- To participate in public debates and contributing with independent and critical insights
Participating CAS Institutes
Institute of Ethnology
Institute of Philosophy
Economics Institute
Institute of Sociology
Institute of Contemporary History
Institute of State and Law
Cooperating partners
Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the Czech Republic and labour offices
Czech Social Security Administration
Expert Committee on Pension Reform
Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic
Czech School Inspectorate
Ministry of Regional Development of the Czech Republic
Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic
Ministry of Justice of the Czech Republic
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
Technology Agency of the Czech Republic
Establishes advisory bodies of the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic
Public Defender of Rights
Union of Towns and Municipalities of the Czech Republic
Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions
The Czech Chamber of Commerce
Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic
European Commission
Council of Europe Development Bank
OECD
International Monetary Fund
Czech and foreign universities and other institutes
The programme aims to help the wider public, as well as the academic community, to understand the complex and rapidly changing 21st century society in which we live in. The programme’s interdisciplinary research projects are looking for answers to key questions about how today’s society and public policies function, for example: To what extent do taxes and benefits influence economic behaviour and lead to ineffectiveness? Does the latest knowledge in physics, evolutionary theory, and neuroscience shift the boundaries of human freedom, and how? What are our attitudes towards morality, ethics and the law, and how do those attitudes affect our behaviour? Has the concept of free will changed the meaning and purpose of responsibility in civil and criminal law, and the meaning and purpose of punishment? How extensive is the shadow economy and to what extent is corruption slowing down business? What are the pros and cons of public support for home ownership and rental? Can social and housing policy react on local and global crises? What are the benefits from education, how high they are and how does education affect employment and long-term economic and social development? What effects does the minimum wage have? What threats and opportunities do immigration and emigration present? What kind of social and economic phenomena does the demographic aging represent and how can public policies react to it? Which forces keep heterogeneous societies together and which forces divide them?
The programme puts strong emphasis on public policies in various areas. The scientific outcomes are therefore widely communicated with the policy makers, stakeholders as well as general public. The knowledge gained from our research provides independent feedback and contribution to more effective governance of our democratic society. The programme will also contribute to training the next generations of researchers in the social sciences, who will become familiar with both Czech and international contexts, as well as with modern methodological approaches and standards in scientific research.
Website of the programme