Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series

Némethová, Jana; Svobodová, Hana; Křejčí, Ondřej; Věžník, Antonín

2020 Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series

doi: 10.2478/bog-2020-0028

AbstractThe V4 countries went through a transformation of their entire economies, including the agricultural sector, in the 1990s. Each of these countries approached the transformation of agriculture differently, but later the V4 countries’ approach to agricultural development was unified by the EU's common agricultural policy. The aim of the paper was to compare the development of the production (sown area and hectare yield) of selected most commonly cultivated crops in Slovak and Czech regions (NUTS 3) in the period between 2004 and 2017. The development of production in these two countries was also evaluated against the trends of V4 countries. Based on these analyses, common and specific agriculture development trends in V4 countries were revealed. A chronological average was used to evaluate the average values of the monitored indicators in the period from 2004 to 2017 in Slovak and Czech regions. To express the development of the given indicators between 2004 and 2017, the change index was used and visualised cartographically. Regression analysis was used to show the development trends of agricultural production in the V4 countries. In general, the agricultural sectors in the V4 countries show similar characteristics with similar trends, and the average hectare yield has a modest growing trend. In terms of the structure of the cultivated plants, the size of the cultivated areas, the volume of production and the average hectare yields, there have been considerable changes to crop farming in Slovak and Czech regions. The study showed that the changes in the agrarian sector after the year 2004 conditioned by the entry of Czechia and Slovakia into the European Union were reflected in a decrease in crop production and an increase in regional disparities. From the point of view of the production indicator expressing the hectare yield of crops, Czechia achieves better indicator values than does Slovakia.

Chebotarov, Viacheslav; Chebotarov, Iegor

2020 Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series

doi: 10.2478/bog-2020-0029

AbstractThe paper clarifies the conditions and factors of the development of the institutional environment through modern interdisciplinary analysis. The authors revise the studies of the problem under consideration in the history of science and reveal the decisive role of religion in the development of national business cultures. The study highlights the fundamental postulates, i.e. the canons of theology, and argues for the need to consider them in the context of the analysis of national business cultures. The authors put forward and prove theoretical and methodological principles of the determinant influence of national business cultures and religion on the development of countries (the socio-economic phenomenon of the “economic miracle”). The content of the category “Polish economic miracle” is revealed through analysis of the influence of Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Protestantism on other “economic miracles” known from history. The authors conclude that Catholicism currently encourages entrepreneurial initiative of both individuals and organisations, which contributes to the sustainable economic development of countries.

Feltynowski, Marcin

2020 Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series

doi: 10.2478/bog-2020-0030

AbstractPoland's Village Fund (Fundusz Sołecki) is an instrument operating at the level of the so-called sołectwo, into which local-administration units known as gminas may be further sub-divided. These are therefore auxiliary administrative units in rural areas whose receipt of means from the Fund in question allows for the activation of local communities. Against that background, the research detailed here sought to examine Village Fund by reference to the greenspace-related projects pursued using it in the rural gminas of Łódzkie Voivodeship. Additional aspects are the classification of the tasks carried out, presentation of the statistical analysis applied, and consideration of the breakdown obtained for indicators relating to the share of funds allocated to green areas – by reference to the properties of the normal distribution curve.

Bastos, Suzana Quinet Andrade; Gama, Fabio; de Paula Assis, Tiana; Milosz, Matheus

2020 Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series

doi: 10.2478/bog-2020-0031

AbstractOur paper aims to analyse the hypothesis that locations with a higher Human Development Index (HDI) present lower rates of motorcycle use. For this we use an econometric model for 117 countries on five continents for the years 2013, 2015 and 2018. We assume that when a country reaches a higher level of development, its population is more likely to experience improvements in the quality of life, which also affects the quality of individual transportation, public transport and roads. Increases in income discourage the use of motorcycles, mainly due to their low safety and comfort features. Our results indicate that rates of motorcycle use in countries increase as HDI rises, before reaching a maximum point and then declining. Therefore, this evidence suggests that a certain degree of development discourages the use of this means of transport in favour of others.

Bednarek-Szczepańska, Maria

2020 Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series

doi: 10.2478/bog-2020-0032

AbstractThe article concerns the legal dimension of local communities’ participation in selected aspects of shaping space in Poland. The results of the review of legal regulations are presented, including interpretations of regulations made by other authors. Examples taken from previous research were used to show the functioning of these regulations in practice and their consequences. The aim of the article is to assess the legal conditions for the participation of local communities in spatial planning, planning of protected areas and location of investments in Poland, in relation to selected theoretical concepts, as well as to assess the consequences of these conditions. In the legal dimension, the participation of the local community in shaping space is symbolic, in the terminology of the Arnstein ladder. The dominant model is a non-binding opinion on ready-made projects and plans, instead of collaboration in their creation.

Dobronosov, Vitaly; Tebieva, Delyara; Kebalova, Lyubov’

2020 Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series

doi: 10.2478/bog-2020-0033

AbstractThe paper reflects the dynamics of changes in standard of living in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania during the post-Soviet period.BackgroundThe more than twenty years that have passed since perestroika failed to lead to the expected positive shifts in economy in RNO-Alania. In ratings of regions by population living standards, the republic was consistently among the last places.AimTo show the discrepancy between the modern level of economic development and the standard of life in the RNO-Alania.MethodThe work uses comparative analysis of indicators of living standard and indicators reflecting the structural and dynamic characteristics of economic processes.ResultsOfficial statistics show growth in almost all socio-economic indicators in RNO-Alania. This apparent increase in living standards does not correspond to the low ranking of RNO-Alania, which is consistently in the bottom ten of the rating of Russian regions. The analysis of other indicators determining the population's quality of life, such as: the ecological condition of the territory, the developmental level of health and education institutions, life expectancy, and availability of transport, information and communication networks all correlated weakly with the real socio-economic situation in the region. The study of the republic's districts showed a high unemployment rate due to the lack of industrial and agricultural production, the underdevelopment of small and medium-sized businesses, and low wages. There is an outflow of working-age population to the city of Vladikavkaz and from the districts to outside the republic.ConclusionsThe deficit in the republic's budget persisted during the research period, despite the apparent growth in the gross product and revenue part of the budget, but the volume of expenditures is growing at a faster rate. The main reason for this is the sharp decline in industrial production, and the influence of loss-making enterprises that do not generate income in the budget. Living standards are rising only thanks to grants from the federal centre.RecommendationIn order to remove the republic from its depressed state it is necessary to increase the fixed capital, to control the process of effective use of the available production capacities, and to invest in a recreational industry that uses natural resources and does not require significant investment.

Ďurček, Pavol; Nováková, Gabriela; Horňák, Marcel; Kusendová, Dagmar

2020 Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series

doi: 10.2478/bog-2020-0034

AbstractDynamic economic expansion of metropolitan regions in post-communist central Europe induces dynamic traffic growth, which calls for new transport network solutions and improvements to existing transport infrastructure within the regions. This is also the case of Bratislava as the capital city of post-communist Slovakia, which has recently been facing new economic and urban development challenges. A booming labour market, intensive suburbanisation processes, traffic expansion and urban (re-)development bring new conflicts and demand for grand-scale transport projects. An ongoing upgrade of the motorway system in the region of Bratislava will result in the construction of a substantial part of an orbital motorway surrounding the southern and eastern parts of the city. The potential effects of the motorway network-upgrade projects on the city urbanism are probably immense. This paper attempts to evaluate the possible changes in accessibility within the road network after completion of motorway upgrading project D4/R7 in the metropolitan area of Bratislava. The interaction potential of both population and jobs was applied here to assess possible impacts of road network enhancement on accessibility of places of residence and of work.

Guzal-Dec, Danuta; Zbucki, Łukasz; Kuś, Agnieszka

2020 Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series

doi: 10.2478/bog-2020-0035

AbstractThe work aimed to determine the scope of the good governance approach in the local development planning of local governments of rural and urban-rural gminas in the eastern peripheral voivodeships of Poland (Lubelskie, Podlaskie and Świętokrzyskie Voivodeships) and how the implementation of good governance principles in the process of elaborating and implementing local development strategies correlates with assessments of the strategy's suitability as a development management tool. The research used methods of analysis and criticism of the literature, statistical analysis and a survey method using an interview questionnaire addressed to local government authorities. According to our research, especially at the stage of developing the strategy, actions were taken regarding local-community and local-authority participation and active communication between the two, but a lower level of community participation was found at the implementation stage. There was a statistically significant relationship between adopting the principle of participation and accountability in preparing and implementing the strategy and how suitable the strategy was assessed to be as a tool for development management. It seems reasonable to apply the principles of good governance more widely in planning local development, not only while developing the strategy, but also in its implementation.

Kociuba, Dagmara; Maj, Małgorzata

2020 Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series

doi: 10.2478/bog-2020-0036

AbstractUnderstanding the city as a whole, its functioning, and needs of its inhabitants is currently becoming an important issue. Solutions introduced in cities based on the principles of the concept of walkable city and universal design are becoming more and more popular around the globe. Both topics have been so far discussed separately, although due to the requirements of social life and introduction of new legal regulations, they should be analysed together. The objective of the paper is to examine the impact of the design concepts of walkable city and universal design on the practical aspects of life of people with disabilities in selected cities, with particular consideration of obstacles existing in public spaces. The main contribution of this study is twofold. In the methodological aspect, a synthetic index was developed based on the ‘Ten Steps of Walkability’. In practical terms, it was analysed from both the spatial aspect using UD principles (field inventory) and social perspective (semi-structured interviews with experts and a questionnaire survey). As a result, a mental map was developed, presenting obstacles and barriers in public spaces and in buildings relevant for people with and without disabilities (hearing, movement, and visual impairments). The results can be used for universal design worldwide to improve the accessibility of walkable spaces for people with special needs.

Goliszek, Sławomir; Połom, Marcin; Duma, Patryk

2020 Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series

doi: 10.2478/bog-2020-0037

AbstractThe article presents the accessibility of workplaces in Szczecin using the method of potential and cumulative accessibility for commuting by public transport. The public transport commuting times used in the study were generated using the public transport model, which was developed based on data in the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) format. The results of potential accessibility by public transport were calculated for several selected time thresholds in the morning rush hours between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.. On the other hand, cumulative accessibility is characterised by variability of travel times for 8 a.m., which is calculated in 10- to 60-minute intervals of travel time. The aim of this study is to identify workplaces in Szczecin that are situated in areas where accessibility is more dependent on the parameters of the public-transport timetable. In addition, a possibility to define the optimal journey length was assumed so that it would regard the largest number of jobs. The use of the two indicated research methods for the accessibility of workplaces in Szczecin provides a result in the form of better- and less-accessible areas of the city as regards the labour market. The results regarding the accessibility of workplaces using the two methods identify places of increased demand for commuting by public transport during the morning rush hours.