The aim of this diploma thesis is an attempt to reveal a regularity and dependence in spatial distribution of the pork barrel (i.e. the parliamentary grants) in the case of Czechia in 2003-2009. Moreover, the thesis attempts to identify some undermining factors of the proven spatial pattern in allocation of pork barrel financial sources. The selection of supported projects highly depends on subjective preferences of particular deputies being influenced by many factors. Accordingly, the diploma thesis examines a role of the spatial distribution of deputies' places of living and their influences on the spatial allocation of the pork barrel through the state budget being approved in the Lower House.

This study is concerned with the role of contemporary Czech geographic and travel writing and its involvement with the creation and reproduction of spatialised identities and imaginative geographies as they relate to the 'developing world'. It employs the method of discourse analysis (mostly research tools taken from Critical Discourse Analysis) to examine the contents of articles from all issues of the magazines Koktejl and Lidé a Země for the year 2012. This is done in order to analyse the portrayals of such spaces within the context of imaginative geography and the post-development critique and bring attention to the kind of popular geopolitics that is being created. The main topics covered includes the construction of identity between the authors, readers and the objects of writing, the linear understanding of the flow of history and progress and the relationship between the writers and their objects (both places and people). The main findings of the research consist in the identification of the continued prevalence of the perception of linearity of history which constitutes the developing places as subjected to a universal historical process whith the European civilisation as the current endpoint of history. These places are therefore considered a legitimate domain of knowledge, appreciation...

Migration and development are a globally recurring topic within media and political discourse. In Europe, the topic gained attention following the so called "refugee crisis", accompanied by rhetoric of solving the root causes of migration and increasing coherence of migration and development policy. Even though the refugee flows mainly avoided Czechia, the crisis had an impact on public and political discourse, including links to migration, development and the need for coherence in policy strategic documents. The diploma thesis analyses trends in Czech migration and development policy and their coherence in the aftermath of global financial and refugee crisis. This thesis aims to assess the progress toward coherence and identify the key areas and causes of incoherence. The concept of policy coherence for migration and development, and a model of policy coherence cycle are used as the main theoretical frameworks. To gain an insight into the process of policy formation, a distinction is made between political commitments and policies on paper, policy coordination and implementation in practice, and the potential impact of the political discourse on this process. This thesis presents attitudes and perceptions of key stakeholders in Czech migration and development policy, based on a series of 20...

A just society, as understood in this thesis, has to deal with several challenges. The society needs to address injustuces which arise from unequal participation on economic system, from cultural (discoursive) practices and from imperfections of democratic participation. Moreover, it has to deal with spatial dimensions of social processes and with variety of geographical contexts. This thesis draws on critical social science traditions. Beside scientific constribution, the aim of the thisis is to point out some hidden or omitted social problems and injustices. In Czechia, transformation processes after 1989 led among other results to increasing income differentiation and discrimination of some population groups. In the housing sector, these processes resulted in creation of segregated socially excluded localities. Devolution of housing policies to local/municipal level created an opportunity for solving these problems with respect to local circumstances. These activities could be supported by the program of new rental housing construction for population with limited income which was provided by the State Fund of Housing Development. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, this thesis answers the question on (i) where was new public housing constructed, (ii) what were the motives of...

This diploma thesis deals with the management of tourism development and destination marketing with a focus on the latest trends in the tourism market and their adoption by the destination management organizations (DMOs) in the regions of Czechia. The thesis is divided into two parts. In the theoretical part general preconditions for successful development of incoming tourism are described and the possible use of specific electronic tools for destination marketing at the international level is outlined. The empirical part is dedicated to the critical evaluation of geographic definition of tourist regions in Czechia and geographic nomenclature in English. Tourist web portals in the Czech regions were analyzed in comparison with portals of selected regions abroad. Attention is also paid to the use of social media in destination marketing. Finally, it outlines suggestions for improving the current situation of digital destination marketing in Czech regions. Key words: Czechia, tourism, destination marketing, information technology, geographic names

The role of soft factors in the development of the inner periphery of the Eastern Bohemia Abstract In recent years, research on conditionality process of space polarization and regional development puts emphasis on understanding importance of endogenous and "soft" factors. General theories of regional development (formed mainly on the basis of evaluating "hard" data) are verified by frequent case studies because of their limited explanatory power. In these case studies, especially qualitative approaches of evaluation are applied. Influence and validity of "soft" factors significantly increases with decreasing hierarchical level, so it is desirable to conduct empirical research at the municipal level. Diploma thesis aims to analyze "soft" factors of regional development and understand the nature of differences in socio-economic development at the municipal level in the inner periphery of Bohemia. The concept of the institutional thickness has become the theoretical basis. This concept has logical overlap to the concept of the social capital. The objects of research are the spatial co-operation of actors of regional development (mayors), their reciprocal trust and engagement in local activities. Thesis aims to identify and to explain the nature of relations, direction of interactions and impact of political...

This diploma thesis interprets processes of contemporary economic development in Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, whereas it is focused on the comparision of selected macroeconomic indicators and at the same time some main factors, which significantly influence the economic development in the area, are highlighted. According to the diploma thesis structure - chosen geographical, demographic, social and regional attributes are identified at first. Afterwards a brief view of transformation process to the free market economies leads to the chronologically organized characteristics of an economic development in the territory. The period of a primary interest begins with a phase 2003-2007 while the year 2008 and predictions of an on-coming development are discussed separately. The very last chapter recapitulates a progress in the euro adoption process and then examines an actual convergence criteria fulfilling in countries, which the euro currency haven't adopted (until 1. 1. 2009) yet.

Development of housing construction in the context of regional population development in Czechia Abstract The main aim of the thesis is to analyze and describe the development of housing construction in the context of regional population development in the Czech Republic in the years 2000- 2019. Spatial autocorrelation (LISA) and Webb's graph, which is used in analyzes of regional population development, were used for data analysis. Areas with above-average and, on the contrary, below-average housing construction are observed in four five-year periods. These areas are mutually compared in terms of their population development. The main result of the thesis is the confirmation of the assumption that in most cases, areas with above-average housing construction are also characterized by above-average population growth and are located in the hinterland of large cities (especially Prague) as part of the suburbanization process. Keywords: population development, housing construction, Webb's graph, spatial autocorrelation, Czechia

The presented diploma thesis deals with the effects of the Czech-German relict border on the religiosity and the sacral landscape of the city region called Manetin, which consists of the permanent Czech territory and the Nectiny village of German historical origin. The theoretical introduction of this work therefore includes a part dedicated to the topic of borders, introducing different types of borders, focusing particularly on the terms relict and ethnic borders used in the further study. The second part of the theoretical introduction contains the characteristics of the religiosity and the sacral landscape, its evolution on the national level after the Second World War, highlighting the consequent processes related to the exile of the German population after 1945. The research section of the thesis consists of the micro-regional analysis of the reference region. The analysis is based on the field study which consists of semi-structured interviews, which were complemented by the descriptive statistical analysis and method of observing the condition and location of sacral objects. The main aim of the investigation presented in the thesis is to analyze the differences in the religiosity and the sacral landscape in the regions under study through the chosen methodological approaches and...

How does it happen that somebody is perceived as "Normal" and somebody as "the Other"? It is more likely to encounter Muslim in the media or a pub debate than in the public space. Muslims in Czechia are sometimes defined as an invisible minority; however, their presence arouses strong emotions. In my thesis, which is based primarily on data gained in ethnographical interviews, I am exploring how Czech practicing believers perceive and reflect the influence of the discursive image of the "Muslim" on their lives. I am interested in the consequences of the contemporary dominant discourse on the space in which Muslims negotiate their positions on an institutional and personal level. I am also mapping their reactions to the situation and coping strategies. Keywords: Muslims, Czechia, Discursive Image, Postcolonialism, Post-Christianity, Secularism