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The paper herein presents a summary of research targeting the attitudes of mayors of Czech municipalities towards the financing of municipalities and the submitted legislative determination of taxes. Data reflect expert interviews with a representative sample of nine municipalities in Central Bohemian region. The research was originally incorporated into the doctoral thesis by Ilona Kruntorádová accomplished at the Institute of Political Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University in Prague; it is contextualized in the paper with political debates about the new rules concerning the funding of municipalities. Such rules create divisions among the municipalities as well as the parties within the Nečas coalition government. The main research findings underline the prevailing lack of funds facilitating the development of small municipalities, mediation of the interests of municipalities through personal contacts rather than special interest associations, and deeper divisions between small municipalities and large cities. The research herein should primarily serve as a pre-research for larger inquiries involving a broader sample of municipalities throughout the Czech Republic.

Abstract
Path dependence is a concept often used by scholars in fields such as economics, economic geography, political science, law and sociology to explain recent developments. In this article, we apply the concept to support the hypothesis that the democratic revival after 1990 in the examined Central and Eastern European countries and related set-up of local (self-) government institutions were more influenced by an earlier path taken than by a more recent one. For this purpose, we undertake a content analysis of relevant legal documents and apply an in-depth comparative approach.

The present paper further elaborates on the text addressing the issue of direct democracy and direct elections in the Czech Republic, published in the previous issue of the journal. Besides the theoretical and methodological outputs, the first part contained the summary of data for local referenda and their original typology, collected from the authors' own research. The submitted second part analyzes the factors affecting the validity and outcomes of local referenda, which primarily include a voter's turnout. Furthermore, the second part, in particular, targets the analysis of a political discussion on the direct election of executive positions which structurally correlates with the issue of direct democracy. The conclusion is valid for both parts of the text and aims at the total assessment of the conception of direct democracy within the system of multi-level governance in the Czech Republic and its comparison with the prevailing approaches in other European countries.

The present paper further elaborates on the text addressing the issue of direct democracy and direct elections in the Czech Republic, published in the previous issue of the journal. Besides the theoretical and methodological outputs, the first part contained the summary of data for local referenda and their original typology, collected from the authors' own research. The submitted second part analyzes the factors affecting the validity and outcomes of local referenda, which primarily include a voter's turnout. Furthermore, the second part, in particular, targets the analysis of a political discussion on the direct election of executive positions which structurally correlates with the issue of direct democracy. The conclusion is valid for both parts of the text and aims at the total assessment of the conception of direct democracy within the system of multi-level governance in the Czech Republic and its comparison with the prevailing approaches in other European countries. ; Šiame straipsnyje toliau aptariami ankstesniame žurnalo numeryje pradėti analizuoti tiesioginės demokratijos ir tiesioginių rinkimų Čekijos Respublikoje klausimai. Pirmoje dalyje, be teorinių ir metodologinių įžvalgų, buvo pateikta ir straipsnio autorių surinktų duomenų, susijusių su vietos referendumais ir jų tipologija, santrauka. Antrojoje dalyje analizuojami veiksniai, tiesiogiai veikiantys rinkėjų aktyvumą ir kartu darantys įtaką vietos referendumų svarumui bei rezultatams. Be to, antroje dalyje analizuojamos politinės tiesioginių vykdomosios valdžios rinkimų diskusijos, kurios struktūriniu požiūriu yra susijusios su tiesioginės demokratijos klausimais. Išvados apima abi teksto dalis ir siekia bendrai įvertinti tiesioginės demokratijos koncepciją daugiapakopėje Čekijos Respublikos valdymo sistemoje bei palyginti su kitose Europos šalyse vyraujančiais požiūriais.

The article presents a case study focused on the definition, political discussion, application, and experience with direct elections and referenda on local, regional and national levels of the Czech political system in the context of participation and elements of direct democracy. The first part of the article (Part I) contains theoretical background, research design of the case study and data for local referenda based on authors' own research; they are divided by topics into the original typology. The added value of the article should culminate in its second part (Part II, to be published in the next issue) with the analysis of electoral participation in local referenda, and this will bring us to the direct elections. At the end of Part II, an application of selected elements of direct democracy and direct elections is embedded in a European context and the main trends are analyzed. Such trends as well as the topic itself demonstrate the motivations of political actors and the relations among the different levels of governance in the Czech Republic. ; Straipsnyje pateikta atvejo analizė, kurioje dėmesys sutelktas į vietos, regionų ir nacionalinio lygmens tiesioginių rinkimų ir referendumo sampratą, politines diskusijas, taikymą ir patirtį, atsižvelgiant į dalyvavimą bei tiesioginės demokratijos elementus Čekijos politinės sistemos kontekste. Pirmąją straipsnio dalį (I dalis) sudaro teorinis pagrindimas, atvejo analizės tyrimo konstrukcija ir surinktų vietos referendumo duomenų grupavimas pagal prigimtinę tipologiją. Pridėtinė straipsnio vertė turėtų atsiskleisti antrojoje dalyje (II dalis bus pateikta kitame mokslo darbų numeryje), kurioje analizuojamas rinkėjų dalyvavimas vietos referendumuose, vedantis link tiesioginių rinkimų. Antrosios dalies pabaigoje atrinkti tiesioginės demokratijos elementai ir tiesioginiai rinkimai analizuojami remiantis Europos kontekstu bei tendencijomis. Šios tendencijos, kaip ir pati straipsnio tema, parodo politinių veikėjų motyvaciją ir skirtingų Čekijos valdymo lygių tarpusavio santykius.

Since the fall of the Communist parties' regimes, the Central/South-East Europe countries have, inter alia, tried to reorganize their local government systems in the manner that would be closer to democratic principles or principles that were accepted in so called Western Europe. A comparative analysis of this article is focused on local government systems which have been introduced in the Czech Republic, FYR of Macedonia, Slovakia and Slovenia and, within this context, especially on positions of the political representatives, who are elected at the local levels in these countries. Due to similar socio-political and economic history of these countries in the 20th century as well as due to their efforts to become members of the European Union, it is possible to assume that they have introduced similar local government systems. However, as stressed in the article, similar ideas and comparable ways of their implementation may produce different outcomes in different environments. Thus, despite the fact that the processes, which should lead to their achievement, were often supported by various international organizations and despite a manifested desire of the selected countries to join the EU, they have introduced significantly different local government systems.

Analýza politiky ve světle dosavadních výzkumů -- Význam působení aktérů v sítích zaměřených na konkrétní otázky -- Vliv a strategie nepolitických aktérů v politických sítích -- Role politických aktérů na regionální úrovni -- Role politických aktérů na komunální úrovni: volby a koalice v kontextu teorie analýzy politiky -- Závěrem: analýza politiky a inspirace k dalším výzkumům

Directly elected mayors are political leaders who are selected directly by citizens and head multi-functional local government authorities. This book examines the contexts, features and debates around this model of leadership, and how in practice political leadership is exercised through it. The book draws on examples from Europe, the US, and Australasia to examine the impacts, practices, and debates of mayoral leadership in different cities and countries. Themes that recur throughout include the formal and informal powers that mayors exercise, their relationships with other actors in governance - both inside municipalities and in broader governance networks - and the advantages and disadvantages of the mayoral model. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches are used to build a picture of views of and on directly elected mayors in different contexts from across the globe. This book will be a valuable resource for those studying or researching public policy, public management, urban studies, politics, law, and planning