Regional Economics

Our aim is to develop the analytical and research potential of PhD students, so that they can independently solve problems in Regional Economics and become real experts that can work as analytical, research and management specialists not only in Czech, but also in European organizations. We teach our students how to use the system approach as an effective tool that should solve scientific and research issues related to regional and local development and its broader context.

Available dissertation topics

Cooperation on innovation activities in regions of the Czech Republic

Annotation: The innovation activity is not evenly distributed across the regions, and the individual regions also differ in the intensity of their cooperation among innovation actors. Developed cooperation between actors is considered a fundamental prerequisite for innovation in current regional theories. Cooperation is perceived as an essential form of mutual learning and dissemination of tacit knowledge and as a unique competitive advantage of the region. The primary prerequisite for the development of cooperation is a sufficiently developed demand (enterprises) and supply (knowledge organizations) subsystem of the regional innovation system. If a component is not present sufficiently, this can also be addressed through cooperation with actors outside the region. Cooperation takes place both between the enterprises themselves, and between enterprises and research organizations. Cooperation also varies across sectors, with spatial proximity playing a vital role in some sectors. The dissertation should help to solve the lack of information on the intensity and forms of cooperation between innovative actors in regions.

Aim: The dissertation thesis will aim to analyse the intensity, importance, source of financing (private vs. public sources) and forms of cooperation on innovation activities in the selected region(s) of the Czech Republic. During its elaboration, the student will define the geographical area, forms of cooperation, or economic sectors that he/she will deal within his/her research.

The supervisor for this topic is associate professor Viktorie Klímová. Detailed information about the supervisor, her publications and research projects are available here.

Transformation of Traditional Industrial Towns/Regions

Annotation: Old industrial towns and regions in Central and Eastern Europe suffered from socioeconomic decline after 1989. Transformational experience of their western predecessors could be applied only partly just because of different origin as well as character of their troubles. The thesis should deal with selected aspects of the transformation of old industrial towns and regions. It should also monitor the path of their development as well as the degree of adaptation to contemporary socioeconomic conditions.

Objective: The objective of this thesis consists in the analysis and delimitation of similar or identical attributes and differences in the transformation of selected old industrial towns/regions. There will be identified factors and mechanisms at the urban/regional and national level that affected the course of transformation in chosen towns/regions. These findings enable to formulate particular recommendations for actors influencing the development in observed towns/regions.

The supervisor for this topic is Professor Jan Sucháček. Detailed information about the supervisor, her publications and research projects are available here.

Urban Marketing in the Czech Republic

Annotation: Urban marketing becomes increasingly popular and dynamically developing concept. In this thesis, there will be analyzed reasons for the creation and extension of this concept. Attention will be devoted also to the elements, processes and activities that belong to urban marketing. Apart from theoretical aspects and continuities of urban marketing one cannot omit its practical implications as they become an inseparable part of urban managements more and more. This thesis will focus on analysis and evaluation of urban marketing considering different size and location of our towns.

Objective: The objective of the thesis is to analyze and assess activities of urban marketing in the selected towns of the Czech Republic. An emphasis will be put on the comparison of marketing activities in towns of different population size and located in different regions. Afore mentioned size and spatial differentiation facilitates the categorization of basic attributes of urban marketing in the country.

The supervisor for this topic is Professor Jan Sucháček. Detailed information about the supervisor, her publications and research projects are available here.

Contemporary post-industrial city

Annotation: The concept of post-industrial society began to emerge around the turn of the 1960s and 1970s. In the post-industrial period, the combination of science, technology, and economics has developed, especially in the area of research and development and innovation. Demand for services is increasing significantly at the expense of tangible goods, which does not mean that the industry is completely disappearing. Production becomes dependent on theoretical knowledge, which is becoming strategic resources of advanced societies. Among other things, requirements for the qualification of the workforce are changing as a result of the innovation of the technologies used, and the dependence of countries on natural conditions and natural resources decreases. The process of globalization significantly influences the economic structure of countries or regions. The importance of large cities, metropolises and agglomerated areas are growing, where management functions, capital, financial flows, as well as social and cultural activities, administration, public administration, etc. are concentrated.

Aim: The dissertation thesis aims to describe the concept of post-industrial society and post-industrial city at the theoretical level, and to identify and analyse the most significant economic, social, environmental and other changes compared to the industrial period. The thesis can encompass a comparison of post-industrial development of selected cities in the Czech Republic, student’s own research in a model city or cities, or the comparison with urbanized areas that have already coped with their industrial past.

The supervisor for this topic is associate professor Josef Kunc. Detailed information about the supervisor, her publications and research projects are available here.

Possibility to use models for evaluation of financial solvency of local self-governments

Annotation: Modelling of processes, which are increasingly being applied in public administration, enables the collection and analysis of data and the creation of explanatory models. These models allow to capture the real state of the situation, identify influencing factors, and determine other effective procedures. Models, including also prediction, make it possible to identify, for example, the bad financial development of a subject in time. These trends are also reflected at the level of local selfgovernments, especially in the area of financial management. The implementation of international accounting standards in 2008 facilitated comparisons of the financial performance of local selfgovernments within one country and also on the international level. The most complicated part of modelling is to investigate causal relationships between individual financial indicators and quantify the effects of these individual indicators. The theoretical part will be focused on models of financial situation evaluation of municipalities and regions. The empirical part will be to evaluate the development of indicators at the level of local self-government in selected countries.

Aim: The dissertation thesis will aim to evaluate the financial management of local self-governments in selected countries through selected types of models. The analysed countries, as well as models assessing the financial standing of local self-governments, will be selected by the student based on the theoretical background of the dissertation thesis.

The supervisor for this topic is associate professor Viera Papcunová. Detailed information about the supervisor, her publications and research projects are available here.

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