Suchergebnisse

This article seeks to describe the influence of the existing industrial structure on regulatory efforts & provisions to shape public policy regarding science & technology (S&T). Two transition events have been crucial for the formulation of the present innovation policy: (1) the transition from specific regulatory & self-regulatory practices (& available resources) to quasi-capitalist regulatory & self-regulatory practices that appeared out of the radical economic reform in the first half of the 1990s; & (2) the transition to a standard (modern) regulatory framework based on the mobilization of economic (capitalist), political, & industrial resources as well as a combination of regulatory practices in the market, democratic policy, & the expert-based activities of executive bodies. The article discusses a conceptual framework for analyzing innovation activities in a postsocialist environment -- specifically in the Czech Republic, & analyzes the current situation of innovation policy in the Czech Republic. The author then identifies key factors of restructuring the domestic S&T resources, & assesses their impact on the formation of the national innovation system. The concluding part outlines, among others, issues of current innovation policy with regard to challenges & constraints in its transition to its modern forms, & regulatory practices, which are common to memberstates of the European Union. 5 Tables, 46 References. Adapted from the source document.

A review essay on a book by Martin Potucek et al, Pruvodce krajinou priorit pro CKeskou republiku ([A Guide in the Landscape of Priorities for the Czech Republic] Prague: Centre Social & Economic Strategies, 2002). This publication presents the results of a 2-year forecasting project initiated (& funded) by the Czech government & prepared by a wide circle of academic & executive experts. The review follows two aims: to (1) introduce the reader to the structure & complexity of the text & to present the reviewer's evaluation of it, & (2) outline the role of forecasting studies in modern societies & their specific evolution & current situation in the domestic (academic & political) context. The review appreciates that the preparation of the study was based on the interaction of actors in academic, executive, & political spheres who see a stake for themselves in future studies. The critical assessment focuses on the theoretical claims of the study, which suggest understanding current transformations with reference to debates about modernity.

This book explores how identities, public spheres and collective memories are being transformed in cross-border areas, contributing to the broad sociological context of Europeanization. Offering case studies on the German-Czech-Austrian, and Czech-Polish-German borderlands, the book introduces original primary data on cross-border cooperation. This data is interpreted using the concept of active borders, which approaches borders as a source of multicultural competence and cognitive capacity. In turn, the authors argue that Europeans need to treat borders, both territorial and symbolic, as specific cultural forms. Active borders allow an unprecedented level of cross-border cooperation and integration, and foster a better understanding of differences, rather than re-embedding them or constructing others. Accordingly, the authors contend that active borders promote more dynamic, open and resilient societies, and represent crucial prerequisites for the success of the European integration project

The article attempts to offer a framework for understanding the interdependence between modern civil society and the democratic state in its complexity. The author seeks inspiration mainly from two very significant sources-in Toqueville's social theory and in Giddens' theory of reflexive modernity. In the first stage the author summarises basic arguments in empirical discussions on the civil society concept. In the second stage he offers the overview of a robust normative perspective of the concept and, in the third stage, he tries to outline the complex interpretative framework for an empirical analysis of state-civil society relations. The author follows the ambition of overcoming to a certain extent the crucial sociological paradox between the macro- and micro- sociological approaches and considering both the functional-structural perspective and the empirical point of view of the civil society concept. Figures, References. Adapted from the source document.

Draws on recent modernization theory & discussions of postmodernity to suggest a theoretical approach to the analysis of postcommunist institutional change in Central & Eastern Europe. Modernization is taken to be an evolutionary process in the direction of societal subsystem functional differentiation with institutional features such as economic extensification & intensification, social mobility, specialization, functionalization of values, & (sometimes) institutionalization of conflicts. This framework is applied to assess intended & unintended social consequences of economic transformation in the Czech Republic. It is concluded that simultaneous economic & political modernization are causing interinstitutional conflicts, resolution of which requires a legitimate arena for voicing social claims &/or the creation of intermediary capacities to avert direct institutional confrontation.

A review essay on books by (1) Ondrej Cisar, Politicky aktivismus v Ceske republice ([Political Activism in the Czech Republic] Brno: CDK, Center for Democracy and Culture, 2008); (2) Radim Marada, Kultura protestu a politizace kazdodennosti ([Brno: CDK, Center for Democracy and Culture, 2003); (3) Jiri, Priban, Pravi symbolismus: O pravu, casu a evropske identite ([Legal Symbolism: On Law, Time and European Identity] Prague: Filosofia, 2003); (4) Jacek Raciborski [Ed], Elty rzqdowe III RP 1997-2004 ([Government Elites of the Third Polish Republic 1997-2004] Warsaw: Trio, 2006) & (5) Jadwiga Staniszkis, O wladzy i bezsilnosci ([On Power and Powerlessness] Krakow: Wydawnictwo Literackie, 2006).