Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(6)

An Examination of Legislative Roll-Call Voting in the Czech Republic Using Spatial Models

Pat Lyons, Tomáš Lacina

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(6): 1155-1190 | DOI: 10.13060/00380288.2009.45.6.01  

It is not clear from previous research if influential spatial techniques for analysing roll-data used in the Houses of Congress in the United States are appropriate in European multiparty systems. This is because the results of spatial analyses of roll-call data from the United States are interpreted in terms of ideological preferences. Within Europe party discipline is also a central feature of legislator behaviour. Consequently, spatial models of roll call behaviour in European legislatures should be explained in terms of party cohesion and discipline. This means that the correct interpretation of spatial models of roll-call data in places such as...

Housing Affordability in Czech Regions and Demographic Behaviour - Does Housing Affordability Impact Fertility?

Tomáš Kostelecký, Jana Vobecká

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(6): 1191-1214 | DOI: 10.13060/00380288.2009.45.6.02  

The article examines the relationship between housing affordability and fertility in the Czech Republic after 1989. An analysis of national data suggests that improving housing affordability might be a factor behind the rise of fertility that has been observed since the beginning of the 2000s. The regional variation in fertility is generally lower than the regional variation of indicators of both housing affordability and the economic situation. Although the number of children born increased noticeably, total fertility did not increase at the same pace, and its regional patterns remained rather stable. The most important factor that influences the...

Religion: An Unsolved Problem for the Modern Czech Nation

Olga Nešporová, Zdeněk R. Nešpor

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(6): 1215-1238 | DOI: 10.13060/00380288.2009.45.6.03  

The Czech Republic is widely known as 'the least religious' country in the world and most Czechs are quite proud of that fact. The authors, however, challenge both of these characteristics. Czechs might better be considered unchurched than atheist, with various forms of modern New Age spirituality steadily gaining in popularity. Moreover, their reputation for irreligiosity is somewhat questionable, since it is most often based upon communist (and other more historically deep-rooted) anticlerical notions, while people have little real knowledge of the ideas which they so readily reject. These assertions are based both on quantitative data, provided...

'We Women Are No Good at It': Networking in Academia

Zdenka Šadl

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(6): 1239-1264 | DOI: 10.13060/00380288.2009.45.6.04  

In this article the author investigates networking in an academic milieu in Slovenia to obtain information on the academic staff's perceptions of how formal and informal connections in academia influence the success of a person's academic career. The analysis is based on ethnographic research and in-depth interviews with academics in the middle of their academic career. The results of the analysis reveal the existence of two kinds of social networks: one based on patron-client relations, and another based on equal and 'floating' partnership cooperation and autonomy. The article focuses on gendered dimensions of academic networking and criticises the...

Stochastic Frontier Analysis of the Efficiency of Czech Grammar Schools

Michal Franta, Tomáš Konečný

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(6): 1265-1282 | DOI: 10.13060/00380288.2009.45.6.05  

The study focuses on the evaluation of the relative efficiency of Czech grammar schools ('gymnázium') at preparing their graduates for admission to university programmes, taking into account the relative demand for the programmes, grammar school endowments, and a number of other relevant external factors. The authors argue that a comparison of secondary schools based exclusively on university acceptance rates or other direct measures of study achievements might be misleading, given that such approaches ignore many aspects related to the educational process, such as differences in the level of non-cognitive skills of students, family background, overall...

Work-life Balance: Societal and Private Influences

Věra Kuchařová

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(6): 1283-1310 | DOI: 10.13060/00380288.2009.45.6.06  

This article is intended to contribute to the discussion about the possibilities for supporting work-life balance. It has two basic objectives. The first is to assess the dependence of work-life balance on economic conditions and the character of the given welfare/family regime. The second is to evaluate how much work-life balance is influenced by private-life determinants and how much by external, that is, structural and institutional, factors. The analysis is based on a comparison of the situation in the Czech Republic with selected countries. Success at achieving a work-life balance is examined both from a subjective perspective and in relation...

János Kornai: By Force of Thought: Irregular Memoirs of an Intellectual Journey

Richard Rose

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(6): 1311  

Achim Goerres: The Political Participation of Older People in Europe: The Greying of Our Democracies

John A. Vincent

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(6): 1312-1315  

Tomasz Inglot: Welfare States in East Central Europe, 1919-2004

Tim Goedemé

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(6): 1316-1317  

Tomila V. Lankina and Anneke Hudalla, with Hellman Wollmann: Local Governance in Central and Eastern Europe: Comparing Performance in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Russia

Seán Hanley

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(6): 1318-1321  

Martin Horak: Governing the Post-Communist City. Institutions and Democratic Development in Prague

Simon Smith

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(6): 1322-1325  

Melissa Feinberg: Elusive Equality: Gender, Citizenship, and the Limits of Democracy in Czechoslovakia, 1918-1950

Alice Szczepaniková

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(6): 1326-1328  

Irena Kogan, Michael Gebel and Clemens Noelke: Europe Enlarged: A Handbook of Education, Labour and Welfare Regimes in Central and Eastern Europe

Eszter Zólyomi

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(6): 1329-1330  

Joseph D. Lewandowski and Milan Znoj (eds.): Trust and Transitions: Social Capital in a Changing World

Jan Fidrmuc

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(6): 1331-1333  

V. Burau, H. Theobald and R. H. Blank: Governing Home Care - A Cross-National Comparison, Globalization and Welfare

Frédérique R. Hoffmann

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(6): 1334-1335  

Jan Drahokoupil: Globalization and the State in Central and Eastern Europe. The Politics of Foreign Direct Investment

Marian Gorynia, Katarzyna Blanke-Ławniczak

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(6): 1336-1338  

Manuela Sofia Stănculescu and Tine Stanovnik (eds.): Activity, Incomes and Social Welfare

Márton Medgyesi

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(6): 1339-1341  

Georgina Waylen: Engendering Transitions: Women's Mobilization, Institutions, and Gender Outcomes

Umut Korkut

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(6): 1342-1344  

Reviewers of Articles in 2009

Redakce

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(6): 1345-1352