The Master's Thesis deals with a potential impact of an introduction of the electronic voting on voter turnout of university students. First section focuses on theoretical foundation and academic debate of this subject. Additionally the current level of implementation of the electronic voting in the Czech Republic, Estonia and worldwide is explored. The hypothesis is formulated as a question whether the introduction of the electronic voting could potentially influence voter turnout of university students. The study is based on a questionnaire survey.

The aim of this thesis is to evaluate the formation and the development of the electoral system to the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, with a focus on the impact of the decisions of the Constitutional Court on the current variables of an electoral system. The first part (the theoretical one) offers an explanation of the main terms used in the area of electoral systems. It especially deals with a classification of electoral systems by presenting the two main families of the electoral systems. Furthermore, an explanation of the basic terms used in the area of electoral systems is provided. The two main formulas for a seat allocation to parties are explained. The second part of the thesis is broader. It concentrates on the electoral system used in the Czech Republic for elections to the Chamber of Deputies. First of all, it pays attention to the formation of a constitutional provision concerning the electoral system. After that, it examines the electoral law relating to elections to the Czech Parliament, taking into account amendments of this piece of legislation. This part of the thesis also provides an in depth analysis of the decisions of the Czech Constitutional Court relating to the dimensions of the electoral law. Moreover, extensive parts are devoted not only to the implemented reforms of the electoral systems, but also to the ones that were not put into practice. Finally, recent proposals for amendments of the variables of the electoral systems are mentioned and evaluated.

This thesis focuses on the phenomenon of strategic manipulation in collective decision making, i.e. situations where it is beneficial for certain members of the group to derive from their sincere preferences in the voting process. This manipulation complicates the process of collective decision making, leading to situations where lying becomes a successful strategy that some mambers of the group can use to gain an advantage over others. In the thesis, examples of strategic manipulation and a summary of up to date research in the field of social choice theory are included. The main objective is to create a simulation model that can be used to quantify the probability of a successful manipulation. A Monte Carlo simulation using this model is performed on ten voting procedures. Analysed procedures include the most common and intuitive ones, more sophisticated systems created by experts of social choice theory and the most modern attempts to improve democracy by Karel Janeček.

The mail goal of this work is to provide enough arguments, on which basis we can come to a conclusion if an act about limits on election costs of political parties in the Czech Republic could bring a positive effect. The work compares data on economic activities of political parties in the Slovak Republic with political parties in the Czech Republic. Experts on election costs define some interest groups which can benefit from this law. These groups include large and small parties, incumbents and challengers parties. The work does not neglect the analysis of non-governmental organizations that have attempted to monitor the implementations, effects and loopholes of such a law. The conclusion brings the finding that the voters may be influenced by a number of important factors, such as political and social situation in the country, by the well prepared and carried out campaign i.e. it is also found out that election costs does not play such an important role that is assigned to them. Regulation in the form of an upper limit of election expenses can be considered as another marketing tool that is used to obtain political party voters.

This diploma thesis focuses on political-business cycle which is a theme frequently omitted in discussions about economic situation in the Czech Republic. Theoretical part of the work will provide readers with the topic of political-business cycle and its basic models which will serve as a support to the statistical research in the analytical part. Is fiscal policy in hands of Czech politicians an efficient tool to manipulate voters? The aim of the work is to answer this question and thus give a detailed look of political-business cycle on example of four regular electoral periods of Czech Parliament. To reach the goal of diploma thesis, we used regressive analysis to examine hypothesis if the date of elections influences certain folders of income and expenses of government budget. This hypothesis was not accepted on the significance level of 5 per cent. The reasons are mainly short time series of tested indicators.

Diploma thesis Italy in the 90's - political earthquake and it's impact on the European Parliament elections focuses on political and social changes that Italy experienced during the early 90's and their impact on election campaigns and European Parliament election results in 1994 and 1999. The paper recaps evolution of powers of the European Parliament, legal base for EP elections in Italy and it summarizes both internal and external factors that led to radical changes in political and partisan system and eventually to the end of the First Italian Republic. It depicts collapse of party system and rise of new political parties and leaders on the background of international context, judical investigation into political corruption Mani Pulite and offensive of organized crime as a reaction to it. The key part of the thesis is dedicated to the European elections in Italy in 1994 and 1994, it analizes election campaigns led by the Italian political parties and the electoral results. The main objective of the thesis is to confirm or disprove initial hypthesis that Italian political parties perceived the European elections as a tool to reach their domestic aims, as research revealing distribution of powers in the national arena.

The thesis "The Developement of the Electoral System in Estonia and it's Influence on the Party System between the Years 1990 and 2007" deals, after the first chapter about the theoretical attitudes to the influence of the electoral systems on the party systems, with the, firstly historical background of this interwar, independent, and democratic baltic state. The following chapters drala with the changes on the electoral rules in Estonia since 1990 and first of all about the influence of these changes on the stability of a party system and government.

This master´s thesis deals with application of guerrilla marketing at the election campaign. The first part contains the theoretical basis, which explain the marketing communication, current trends in marketing communications and define the concept of guerilla marketing, including establishment of this marketing trend. The practical part at first analyse a real election campaign, at the development and application I have participated. The campaign took place before the municipal elections in Humpolec in the autumn 2014. Then the work continues by a questionnaire survey, where I want to examine the knowledge of the term guerilla marketing to the general public, including opinion on a particular campaign, which took place in the city. In conclusion, I included proposals to improve the campaign for its next use.

Election campaigns in the Czech Republic are undergoing a major professionalization process since 2006. The most noticeable proof of this trend is the Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD), which is effectively cooperating with foreign agencies. In 2006 CSSD followed the example of British Labour Party and applied market-oriented party concept to its behaviour. The strategy of a market- oriented party is to identify public priorities, analyze them and to create an election program; since voter's satisfaction is crucial for a market-oriented party, it uses a wide variety of marketing services and techniques. I am analyzing the election campaigns of Czech Social Democratic Party in 2006 and 2010 using the Market-Oriented Party Model published by Jennifer Lees-Marshment in 2006. My goal is to find out whether CSSD followed the Market-Oriented Party Model in 2010 and whether it is going to keep applying the concept in the future. Key words: Election campaign, Czech social democratic party, political marketing, election management.

In the last few decades there has been an expansion of institutions of direct democracy in most developed countries. The Czech Republic has been no exception and over the past 25 years, there has been a rise of direct democracy in the Czech Republic. The aim of the dissertation is an analysis of the use of direct democracy in the Czech Republic. Although the analyses are based mainly on data from the Czech Republic, the aim is also to contribute to scholarly debates in the field of direct democracy research. I focus on the following questions: Who supports the use of direct democracy and who participates in it in the Czech Republic? How do voters form opinions and what are the characteristics of direct democracy campaigns? What is the effect of direct democracy on other forms of political participation? I view direct democracy as an institutional innovation and evaluate it based on three criterions: inclusiveness, competence and efficiency. First, I focus on who supports the expansion of direct democracy. I also study the patterns of turnout of various social groups in direct democracy (inclusiveness). Second, I analyse the processes of opinion formation in direct democracy campaigns to find out, whether it can be regarded as competent or not. Last, I analyse whether direct democracy leads to increased or...