Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2017, 53(1): 3-28 | DOI: 10.13060/00380288.2017.53.1.299

Inner Peripheries in the Czech Republic: The Multidimensional Nature of Social Exclusion in Rural Areas

Josef Bernard, Martin Šimon

Sociologický ústav AV ČR, v.v.i, Praha

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. Their methodological approach blends regions struggling with various problems into one category. Contesting the one-dimensionality of peripheries, this article presents an alternative approach that allows the delimitation of multiple types of peripheral areas based on four separate dimensions of disadvantage. It is possible then to distinguish: peripheries characterised by low qualifications, lower living standards, and the absence of a middle class; peripheries with an increased risk of social exclusion; peripheries with poor accessibility; and peripheries facing demographic challenges. Differences in the spatial patterns of the four types of peripheries indicate that different sociospatial processes contribute to the emergence of different types of peripheries and this calls for varied public policy tools and measures.

Keywords: peripheries, disadvantage, area deprivation, public policy, rural areas, social exclusion, Czech Republic

Published: February 1, 2017Show citation