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The article describes the development of Czech social policy & the issues that have surrounded it since 1989. The author begins by describing the character of the communist welfare state & outlining its theoretical alternatives. Despite the introduction of energetic changes during the early years of transition, since the mid-1990s the area of social policy has been dominated by stagnation, & instead of any real & specific efforts in this area there are only debates. Despite all the problems that plague the current social policy, at present the system performs satisfactorily, as is evident in the very low rate of poverty. However, in the long run, concerns may arise over inadequate family situations, a frozen pension system, & poor work motivation. The 'reform' year of 2005 has seen the emergence of many different efforts relating to social policy, but it has not heralded any substantial changes aimed at a more efficient functioning of the system.

EU programme documents designed to influence the social policies of the member states are filled with concepts of social exclusion and social inclusion. This paper aims to clarify these concepts as they are employed in academic and public policy discourse and to discuss the societal function of this discourse and the impact of the European agenda of social inclusion. The authors show that although concepts of social exclusion and social inclusion are far from straightforward in meaning, their influence on public policy discourse and agenda is evident. The reason is that they redirect social policy towards a multidimensional approach, towards balancing rights and obligations, and towards more complex but also local and individualised policies, though the corresponding discourse bears the normative features of a social 'vision'. The EU's social policy agenda exhibits aspirations towards and some potential for achieving real policy change. On the other hand, there are reservations about its true impact. In this respect, the specifi c societal and political context of its implementation plays a crucial role.

The aim of this text is to briefly introduce practically oriented discipline called policy analysis, and to do so in the perspective of (applied) social anthropology.After the introductory definition of terms, which are crucial within the area of public policy, such as policy, policy studies, policy evaluation and policy analysis, I continue with the definition of the very policy analysis of which the explanation of its types and gradual steps towards reaching it are the necessary parts. Another part of the study summarizes the interrelation, interconnection and the enrichment of both disciplines – the policy analysis and the social and cultural anthropology. Several roles in which an anthropologist can assert himself/herself are presented in conclusion. ; The aim of this text is to briefly introduce practically oriented discipline called policy analysis, and to do so in the perspective of (applied) social anthropology.After the introductory definition of terms, which are crucial within the area of public policy, such as policy, policy studies, policy evaluation and policy analysis, I continue with the definition of the very policy analysis of which the explanation of its types and gradual steps towards reaching it are the necessary parts. Another part of the study summarizes the interrelation, interconnection and the enrichment of both disciplines – the policy analysis and the social and cultural anthropology. Several roles in which an anthropologist can assert himself/herself are presented in conclusion.

The article begins by citing selected examples of state intervention in the area of housing in the Czech Republic, which dates back to the founding of the First Czechoslovak Republic in 1918, & a brief description is provided of the most important milestones in the evolution of housing policy since 1989. The second part of the article is devoted to empirically testing the effectiveness of selected housing subsidies applied in the Czech Republic at the end of the 1990s. Housing affordability declined after 1989 & required the introduction of new social & housing policy tools. However, the goals of the new housing assistance programmes have often been laid out in very general terms, which, combined with the lack of data on the recipients, has complicated the execution of any kind of effective analysis. For this reason the selection of programmes submitted to the empirical analysis of effectiveness was limited to the following: housing allowance, rent regulation, & the tax deduction of interest from mortgages & housing saving scheme loans. The analyses showed that only the housing allowance met the selected effectiveness criteria.

Intro -- Obsah -- Předmluva -- Teorie sociálního státu a historický výzkum -- O pojmu sociální stát -- Interpretační přístupy v sociálních vědách -- Obecné typologie a leninský typ sociálního státu -- Podmínky budování sociálního státu v Československu po druhé světové válce -- Politické podmínky -- Hospodářské souvislosti -- Sociální transformace -- Vývojové tendence zaměstnanosti a sociální politiky -- Dědictví minulosti a představy o budoucnosti -- Politika zaměstnanosti -- Sociální politika v lidové demokracii -- Sociální politika jako nástroj perzekuce a preference -- Systémové pilíře československého sociálního státu -- Zdravotnictví a zabezpečení v nemoci -- Rodinná politika -- Vzdělávací politika -- Sociální péče a zaopatření válečných poškozenců -- Důchodové zabezpečení -- Bytová politika -- Závěr -- Zkratky -- Seznam tabulek -- Seznam grafů -- Prameny a literatura -- Archivní prameny -- Periodika -- Elektronické databáze -- Publikované neperiodické prameny a sekundární literatura -- Rejstřík -- Resumé.