RESEARCH PROJECTS

Project Summaries

CORASON
International project

Socio - Economic Development of Rural Area and Agricultural in the Czech Republic

Social and Regional Development of Rural Areas in the Czech Republic

Small entrepreneurship in rural area
Municipal development
Current rural area
Life of young and old people in the countryside

The Czech and Slovak Countryside

Regional and Social Development of Rural Areas

Trends of Social changes in Agricultural and Rural Areas

Social Changes of Czech Villages

CORASON
A cognitive approach to rural sustainable development - the dynamics of expert and lay knowledge (International project of European Union 6th Framework Programme )

Term of running: 1.9.2004 – 31.8.2006

The study of changes towards sustainable development in rural Europe as a means of illuminating the shape and dynamics of European knowledge society more generally. We define a knowledge society as one which contains not just one but a plurality of knowledge, expert and lay. These range from the scientific, economic, administrative, and managerial to local, practical, and ecological knowledge, traditional repertoires, trial and error or experientially-based discoveries. We further define sustainable development as a knowledge-based set of practices, within which the expert form of knowledge has been dominant, but to which non-expert forms may make a significant contribution. We seek to identify the dynamics of these different forms of knowledge, and their functioning in relation to economy and society, through case studies in 12 different European countries of rural development projects oriented towards increasing sustainability.

Picture of member of teams from meeting in Dublin

More information: www.corason.hu

Socio - Economic Development of Rural Area and Agricultural in the Czech Republic
Financial source: Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs
Term of running: 2004 – 2008

The aim of the project is complex and systematic collection and analysis of information related to social-economic and demographic phenomena and processes in Czech agriculture and rural areas. The research will cover basic spheres of work and life of agricultural workers and inhabitants of rural areas with regard to their living conditions in rural areas, stabilization of rural settlement and creation of prerequisites for ecologically sustainable social and economic development of the region. The research will have such structure that it will be possible to integrate additional spheres of problems into individual research phases, which will touch the Czech countryside after joining EU . The outcomes of the individual phases will be published and presented for immediate use by local administrative and executive authorities to choose suitable policies for rural development.

1. Name of research: Development of Rural Society

Year	2005
Method research	Literature search, analyze of own exiting dates
Topic	Development of rural society, un/importance of agriculture in rural context
Publication:	Majerová V. a kol.: Český venkov 2005, Rozvoj venkovské společnosti, PEF CZU Praha 2005, ISBN 80-213-1274-2

Social and Regional Development of Rural Areas in the Czech Republic
Financial source: Ministry of Education Youth and Sports MSM 41110001
Term of running: 2001 – 2004

Partial annual projects:

1. Name of research: Institutions

Data collection	2001
Method research	Literature search, analyze of literature, background research
Topic	Small entrepreneurship, structure, results, issues in business, entrepreneurial climate, valuable orientations of entrepreneurs
Publication:	Majerová V. a kol.: Český venkov 2001, Instituce, PEF CZU Praha 2001, ISBN 80-213-0863-X

2. Name of research: Small entrepreneurship in rural area

Data collection	November – December 2001
Realization of data collection	Agency Median s.r.o.
Method of data collection	Semistandardise questionnaire
Respondents	Number = 505, small entrepreneurs in two selected categories (without employees and till 9 employees) from villages till 5000 people in South Bohemia
Topic	Small entrepreneurship, structure, results, issues in business, entrepreneurial climate, valuable orientations of entrepreneurs
Publication:	Majerová V. a kol.: Český venkov 2002 ? Podniky a podnikání, PEF CZU Praha 2002, ISBN 80-213-1002-2

TOP

3. Name of research: Current rural area

Data collection	June 2003
Realization of data collection	Agency STEM s.r.o.
Method of data collection	Semistandardise questionnaire
Respondents	Number = 1324, municipal managers of villages till 2000 people Number = 1634, inhabitants of villages till 2000 people in age between 25 and 64
Topic	inhabitants, family houses and flats, municipal facilities, infrastructure, financial sources, development, social life and participation in, issues
Publication:	Majerová V. a kol.: Český venkov 2003 Situation před vstupem do EU, PEF CZU Praha 2003, ISBN 80-213-1121-5

4. Name of research: Life of young and old people in the countryside

Data collection	May - June 2004
Realization of data collection	Agency STEM s.r.o.
Method of data collection	Semistandardise questionnaire
Respondents	Number = 1518, inhabitants of villages till 2000 people in age categories 18 - 30 and 60 - 75 years
Topic	family and household,.......
Publication:	Majerová V. a kol.: Český venkov 2004 Life of young and old people in village, PEF CZU Praha 2003, ISBN 80-213-1121-5

The Czech and Slovak countryside

Financial source	Internal Grant Agency of the Faculty of Economics and Management CUA
Term of running	2002
Realization of data collection	PhD. students from Department of Humanities
Method of data collection	Semistandardise questionnaire
Respondents	Number = 300, inhabitants of two villages in the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic
Topic	family and household, labor and conditions, opinion and purposes to changes after 1989, perception of Czech and Slovak relationships
Publication:	Majerová V. a kol.: Closing report

Regional and Social development of Rural Areas

Financial source	Open Society Found Praha
Term of running	2001
Realization of data collection	research team of Sociological Laboratory,
Method of data collection	interviews
Respondents
Topic	unemployment in rural areas
Publication:	Proceeding of contributions from discussion meeting

Trends of Social Changes in Agricultural and Rural Areas

Financial source	Ministry of Education Youth and Sports, VS97097
Term of running	6. 11. 1997 - 31.12.1999
Realization of data collection	Agency Median s.r.o.
Method of data collection	questionnaire
Respondents	Number = 2142, inhabitants of villages till 2000 people in age more than 18 in whole CR
Topic	labor, family and household, incomes and expenditure, living conditions, small entrepreneurs, relationship, political and social life, restitutions, life values
Publication:	Majerová V. a kol.: Basic Informations - Closing report, ISBN 80-213-0915-6

Social Changes of the Czech Villages

Financial source	Czech Science Foundation, GACR 403/98/1309
Term of running	1998 - 1999
Realization of data collection	research team of Sociological Laboratory
Method of data collection	focus group, questionnaire, interviews
Respondents	Number = 300, inhabitants of 3 villages (in each 100 respondents more than 18 years)
Topic	labor, family and household, incomes and expenditure, living conditions, small entrepreneurs, relationship, political and social life, restitutions, life values, regional diffrences
Publication:	Majerová V. a kol.: Three Czech Villages - Comparison, ISBN 80-213-0848-6

I. Czech Countryside

II. Czech Villages

III. Project Photos – Social Changes of the Czech Villages

HOME					CZECH VERSION
ABOUT US	RESEARCH PROJECTS	PUBLICATIONS	CONFERENCE	AUTUMN SCHOOL	CONTACT