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This theses analyses a proces of the european financial integration. First part summarises opinions on financial integration among contemporary economists. The following part describes a proces of harmonisation of financial law in EU. Another two chapters briefly analyse consolidation of market structure and supervision. Last part measures the level and speed of financial integration.

This thesis is divided into two parts. The first part analyses recently published data from the Central Grant Registry (CEDR) on state grant distribution in Czechia between 1999 and the present year. In the second part, I link this data to information on political connections established through donations to parties and examine whether politically connected firms are more successful in competing for state grants. I match the donating firms to non-donating but otherwise similar firms using propensity scores based on a number of observable characteristics. The results indicate that donating companies have a 40% higher success rate in receiving state grants compared to non-donating firms. I find that the effect is higher for grants from the state budget than for grants from EU funds, which is consistent with EU-funded grants being subject to stricter regulations. JEL Classification D72, D73, H2, H71, H81 Keywords grants, subsidies, donations, political connections Author's e-mail martin.kopecek@smallhill.cz Supervisor's e-mail miroslav.palansky@gmail.com

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Britain's second attempt to seek membership of the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1967 has widely been regarded as inevitable. This thesis traces the development of Britain's policy towards the EEC from the accession of the Labour Government in 1964 to the failure of the application for membership in December 1967. Drawing primarily on official British records, it takes as its premise that policy decisions must be reconstructed as they appeared to participants at the time. It therefore places as central the roles and attitudes of key ministers and officials. It seeks to elucidate three main historical themes. First, by assessing the detailed progress of policy, it examines Harold Wilson's own ambiguous attitude towards European membership. Second, it considers how the British approached the Community, analysing Cabinet's acceptance of the policy as well as the conduct of Britain's diplomacy towards the members of the Six. Third, it places Britain's turn to Europe within the context of wider decisions about Britain's foreign and economic policies. It shows that Wilson's policy towards membership of the EEC developed only gradually and under duress, as he initially hoped to create a free trade area in Europe. Wilson did agree to study the implications of membership early in 1966, yet the decisive turning point was the July 1966 sterling crisis. It offers a new interpretation of Britain's approach to the Community, arguing that Wilson's attitude towards the tems of entry emerged only gradually. Britain's diplomacy with the Six foundered on Britain's economic weakness and the ability of General de Gaulle to manipulate his European partners. Although this was a period of considerable transformation in Britain's global orientation, British policy did not represent a decisive break with the past. Decisions were taken reluctantly and piecemeal, in response to economic crisis.

This PhD thesis addresses three questions. First, to what extent was the EU’s vision of ‘active ageing’ adopted in EU15 nations between 1995 and 2005? Second, what was the nature of policy reforms in these nations over this time period? Finally, which sub-groups within the older age cohort (here defined as between 50-74)1 were subject to active ageing policies in these countries? The methodology employed was cross-national policy analysis of EU15 nations’ policies for employment and retirement, encompassing the retention and re-engagement of older individuals in the labour market. The policy areas included are unemployment benefits, active labour market policies, state pension ages, early retirement routes and incentives for the deferral of pension receipt, in line with the EU targets and guidelines regarding ‘active ageing’. In addition, model biographies (divided according to age and contribution records) were employed to address the differential policy treatment of individuals within the older age cohort in terms of the various eligibility criteria and policy options available over the ten year period. The data indicates that though EU15 nations have made progress towards the EU policy prescriptions for active ageing, there is variation in a number of respects. First, nations differed in terms of their policy contexts, and as a result had lesser or greater distances to travel towards the EU vision of active ageing. Second, and related, these policy contexts to a degree directed subsequent national reforms and retrenchment, thus resulting in different policy approaches. Finally, at the micro-level, there is variation with regard to the policy treatment of individuals within the age cohort in EU15 nations. As a result, the active ageing policy logic is applied to older individuals differently. In terms of its contributions to knowledge, this thesis therefore provides more nuanced accounts of both the recommodification and reserve army of labour literatures. The recommodification of labour argument suggests that nations are moving away from decommodifying welfare arrangements to focus on the recommodification of labour yet the data demonstrate a great deal of variation in EU15 nations, in terms of their original policies for decommodification, their subsequent retrenchment and the type of policies introduced that recommodify labour. With regard to the reserve army of labour literature, the shift towards active ageing policies is part of a cyclical process whereby older workers are drawn into and ejected from the labour markets in periods of low and high unemployment respectively. The data however indicate that as the political economy of ageing literature suggests, ageing is not a homogenous experience and differential policy treatment within age cohorts maintains and exacerbates divergence at the micro level. Thus whilst the recommodification and reserve army of labour literatures suggest all individuals are being drawn into the labour market, the data emphasises differences at the micro level in terms of policy treatment, in line with the political economy of ageing literature

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Cílem diplomové práce je udělat krátký přehled v politice a právních předpisech týkající se ochrany spotřebitele v ČR, EU a U.S.A. a zároveň blíže nastínit právní úpravu záruky spotřebitelských výrobků v ČR, EU a U.S.A. a provést srovnání těchto právních úprav v otázce záruky. Práce se skládá ze 3 kapitola, 1) ČR, 2) EU, 3) U.S.A. V každé kapitole krom teoretické úvodní části (cíle, politika, dozorové orgány, spotřebitelské organizace), je i přehled právních norem a praktická část ? srovnání dané problematiky s právní úpravou v ČR (v kapitole o ČR podrobnější rozbor právní úpravy týkající se záruky spotřebitelských výrobků).