The transformation of the regional economy after the closure of the coal mines can be analyzed fr... more The transformation of the regional economy after the closure of the coal mines can be analyzed from Joseph Schumpeter’s perspective as a creative destruction and industrial mutation from the“old” to the“new”. Policy narratives of decarbonization operate with the goals of revolutionizing the economic structure into a new climate-resilient system that will resurrect regional development andprovide new employment opportunities. However, such a process faces multiple challenges as it confronts neoliberal state policies,globalization, market competition, and multiple structural barriers at different levels. In this study, we analyze the Horná Nitra coalregion in Slovakia, where the government, with the support of the European Union, has decided to close the coal mines in 2023. Thetransformation of the regional economy from post-World War II industrialization has been driven by political pressure and purposeful government spending supporting the development of more decentralized economic structures, based primarily on small and medium-sized enterprises. Building on quantitative and qualitative research, the article focuses on mapping and analyzing the structural obstacles and possible factors supporting the transition. In doing so, this article illustrates the possibilities and limitations of targeted interventions in the context of neoliberalism and describes the limits to balancing the social and economic risks that transformation entails.
Slovakia has declared climate neutrality by 2050 as its official goal, joining the club of countr... more Slovakia has declared climate neutrality by 2050 as its official goal, joining the club of countries that already account for 75% of global GDP and are among the world's most advanced economies. Achieving this goal means an unprecedentedly deep and rapid economic and social transformation towards a decarbonised economy. While EU emissions fell by 24% between 1991 and 2019, they are set to fall by a further 31% by 2030. But the low-hanging fruit of relatively simple and cheap solutions is exhausted, and each additional percentage point costs more than the last. This report provides a framing assessment of recent developments in climate policies, discourses and investments in Slovakia in relation to international, European Union and domestic intentions and targets. It is written on the basis of analyses of policy agenda documents and focuses on recent developments in 2021 as a relevant period for progress towards declared climate neutrality. This goal would require fundamental changes in many areas of the economy, and financing this transition would be key. The paper analyses the programming, targeting and coordination between the key financial mechanisms available for climate change mitigation in Slovakia (European Structural and Investment Funds, RRP, State Budget and State Aid) and makes policy recommendations.
Porto Romano, on the outskirts of the Albanian port of Durres on the Adriatic Coast, is an old le... more Porto Romano, on the outskirts of the Albanian port of Durres on the Adriatic Coast, is an old leather-tanning and pesticide-producing complex abandoned since 1990. Following the collapse of the totalitarian regime, waves of rural migrants from northeast Albania looking for economic prosperity settled in the area. In the late 1990s, refugees of the Kosovo conflict also made their home here. Rudňany is a village situated in the eastern part of the Slovak Republic. Migrant workers from the Roma ethnic minority attracted by the 1960s boom in the metal-processing industry settled down on the outskirts of the village.
Investing into water infrastructure and water and sewerage construction is not just a matter of m... more Investing into water infrastructure and water and sewerage construction is not just a matter of meeting the technical standards required by law. In the wider context of local development, it is a local policy of improving the quality of life, creating attractiveness and competitiveness, and last but not least, it is the issue of safe access to drinking water and the prevention of infections and diseases. The investment projects are very costly, amounting to tens of millions of euros. The article focuses on three related research questions: How much investments help local development; how do they fulfil their declared goals and what structural barriers we may identify in their optimal targeting and exploitation. In conclusion, research results indicate the need for better planning of future investments, considering the demographic trends and development potential of the given city or village. Results also point to a low rate of household connection to the newly built infrastructure. Problems of connections and low use indicate growing social disparities and the need to coordinate the construction of water infrastructure with other social and economic investments such as employment support and wage increases.
The prevailing public perception of Luník IX, a Roma district in the Slovak city of Košice, is th... more The prevailing public perception of Luník IX, a Roma district in the Slovak city of Košice, is that it represents the story of an originally urban green space, one of the best for healthy living given its fresh air and proximity to the forest, that was destroyed by 'naïve' decision-makers and 'irresponsible' Roma. This article, based on a combination of qualitative sociological and historical research, questions this narrative and deems it a myth. The district's proximity to a landfill and the consequent environmental effects of this played a decisive role in its ghettoisation, yet these factors have never been systematically analysed and discussed. Although Luník IX was not officially and originally designed as a ghetto, it became one as a result of structural, social, and environmental factors. Utilising the conceptual and theoretical framework of environmental justice, the article focuses on the spatial distribution of the adverse environmental effects in relation to social and ethnic factors. The case of Luník IX, with its roots in the period of a centrally planned economy, provides a unique opportunity to make a comparative study of the social processes from a historical perspective. It allows us to analyse the mechanism of decision-making in an avowedly non-capitalist society, where in reality we see many similarities in how income inequality between richer and poorer neighbourhoods, together with ethnic/racial factors, has shaped the city.
Languages (other than native) written or spoken Membership in umbrella organisations Examples of ... more Languages (other than native) written or spoken Membership in umbrella organisations Examples of key publications CSO's name in local language (most commonly used abbreviated name) Main contact person Individual responsible for the organisation as a legal entity Number of employees, members and volunteers in the CSO CSO priority work topics* * For the specific code list, see the code bar on the cover flap CSO priority key activities*
PROGNOSTICKÉ PRÁCE - PP (FORESIGHT, ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS - FAR)
Cancer is an important group of causes of death in Slovakia, affecting the overall level and natu... more Cancer is an important group of causes of death in Slovakia, affecting the overall level and nature of mortality. They are also an important factor in premature death, resulting in significant direct and indirect economic losses. Good knowledge of appropriate analytical tools is a key element in identifying these impacts. The main aim of this paper is to point out some of the most common and relevant analytical tools and methodologies in connection with research of the mortality process and causes of death, especially those that are subject of interest to the LISPER project. Kľúčové slová mortality, analytical tools, cancer diseases, Slovakia I. Úvod Úmrtnosť predstavuje primárny demografický proces, ktorý priamo vstupuje do populačného vývoja každej populácie. Základným zdrojom údajov v dátových podmienkach Slovenska je vyčerpávajúce zisťovanie každoročne realizované Štatistickým úradom Slovenskej republiky (ďalej ŠÚ SR) ako Hlásenie Obyv 3-12 List o prehliadke mŕtveho a štatistické hlásenie o úmrtí. To pre každú zomretú osobu na území Slovenska musí vyplniť prehliadajúci alebo pitvajúci lekár najneskôr do 3 dní od prehliadky resp. pitvy. Okrem samotného počtu zomretých (pre osoby s trvalým pobytom na Slovensku) uvedené hlásenie poskytuje viaceré veľmi dôležité informácie potrebné pre samotnú analýzu procesu úmrtnosti, jeho vývoja a vplyvu na populáciu. Najčastejšie sú na tieto účely využívané niektoré štrukturálne znaky zomretého, ako je pohlavie, dátum narodenia, dátum úmrtia, z ktorých je následne konštruovaný vek pri úmrtí, rodinný stav, najvyššie dosiahnuté vzdelanie, národnosť, štátne občianstvo. Pri regionálnych analýzach je využívaná informácia o mieste trvalého bydliska zomretého (obec-prípadne mestská časť pri Bratislave a Košíc, okres). Pri úmrtí dieťaťa do 1 roka života je zisťovaná pôrodná hmotnosť, či bol otec dieťaťa manželom matky, kde nastalo úmrtie (doma, v ústave, inde) a ak dieťa zomrelo do 24 hodín, uvádza sa tiež dĺžka života v hodinách. V prípade úmrtia ženatej, vydatej osoby hlásenie tiež informuje o rodnom čísle pozostalého manželského partnera. Z neho následne je možné odvodiť jeho vek
Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change
The quality and implementation of climate change policies generally benefit from the involvement ... more The quality and implementation of climate change policies generally benefit from the involvement of diverse stakeholders. In 2018, the Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic commissioned an elaboration of the National Action Plan (NAP) for implementation of the National Adaptation Strategy to Climate Change (NAS). A structured process, including a panel of experts and the participation of stakeholders, was designed to establish and evaluate policy options for the NAP. The panel members involved high-ranking officials from the relevant ministries and public agencies involved in nature protection, forestry, water management, and public health, as well as academics, representatives of regional and local governments, businesses, and members of non-governmental organisations. Delphi and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) were applied in order to evaluate the policy options. Interactive online tools were developed to perform the Delphi and AHP exercises. In the Delphi process, the participants drafted a comprehensive catalogue of challenges and potential policy activities in relation to adaptation to climate change in Slovakia. The AHP exercise evaluated and ranked 32 policy measures for eight specific policy objectives on the criteria of importance, urgency and feasibility.
Transport infrastructure development is considered one of the basic structural preconditions of c... more Transport infrastructure development is considered one of the basic structural preconditions of competitiveness, growth and economic development in Slovakia. Transport network upgrading in the country has recently been focused mainly on road and motorway networks. The goal of this paper is to contribute to existing approaches to transport infrastructure impact assessment. The paper presents selected results of qualitative research focused on an analysis of the R1 expressway (as a part of TEN-T network) and its impacts on the economic, social and environmental dimensions of life at the local territorial level. The paper also seeks to answer the basic question, whether and to what extent the new section of the expressway brings any stimuli to regional or local development. Qualitative research realized by field sociological methods has shown new data and information necessary for a complex assessment of transport infrastructure impacts on social and economic development of regions. We...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Jun 4, 2021
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
... Social solidarity, human rights and Roma: unequal access to basic resources in Central and Ea... more ... Social solidarity, human rights and Roma: unequal access to basic resources in Central and Eastern Europe Richard Filcˇák and ... European region in which poverty correlates with ethnic marginalisation and exclusion (for example, Barany, 1994, 1998; Emigh and Szelenyi, 2001 ...
The chapter follows the story of a small town, Laborov, Slovakia. The local environmental agenda ... more The chapter follows the story of a small town, Laborov, Slovakia. The local environmental agenda has been evolving around two highly controversial issues: campaigns against a plan to build a coal burning power plant and waste management practices stigmatising local Roma community. The endeavour to prohibit the construction of the power plant can be on one hand considered an example of successful short-term popular mobilisation and community resistance to environmentally irresponsible big capital investment. On the other hand, the story cannot be fully understood without analysing ruling class collective interests as well as the context of local inter-ethnic relations. A constituting feature of local social order is Roma marginalisation and institutional discrimination where waste management plays an important role. Hidden beneath the surface are patterns of class and ethnic oppression - opening an important question of framing environmental justice which can be hardly pursued without achieving social justice.
This paper examines changing regional patterns of energy and emission efficiency in the Slovak re... more This paper examines changing regional patterns of energy and emission efficiency in the Slovak regions in the period of 2008–18. Firstly; we review literature on key approaches to evaluating energy and emission efficiency; followed by discussing the pros and cons of specific methods. A slacks-based model of data envelopment analysis is applied in order to investigate changing patterns of energy and emission efficiency in 79 Slovak regions (LAU 1). Thereafter; changes in energy and emission efficiency are associated with policy interventions supported by the European Structural and Cohesion Funds (ESCF) in the period of 2011–15. The evaluation found no support for the hypothesis with regard to the positive impact of the ESCF on the increase in energy and emission efficiency. Combined support from three ESCF policy measures (€606.44m) was substantial; but accounted for a mere 6.3% of the total firm expenditure on product and process innovations in the period of 2007–15 (€9,573m). Prod...
The transformation of the regional economy after the closure of the coal mines can be analyzed fr... more The transformation of the regional economy after the closure of the coal mines can be analyzed from Joseph Schumpeter’s perspective as a creative destruction and industrial mutation from the“old” to the“new”. Policy narratives of decarbonization operate with the goals of revolutionizing the economic structure into a new climate-resilient system that will resurrect regional development andprovide new employment opportunities. However, such a process faces multiple challenges as it confronts neoliberal state policies,globalization, market competition, and multiple structural barriers at different levels. In this study, we analyze the Horná Nitra coalregion in Slovakia, where the government, with the support of the European Union, has decided to close the coal mines in 2023. Thetransformation of the regional economy from post-World War II industrialization has been driven by political pressure and purposeful government spending supporting the development of more decentralized economic structures, based primarily on small and medium-sized enterprises. Building on quantitative and qualitative research, the article focuses on mapping and analyzing the structural obstacles and possible factors supporting the transition. In doing so, this article illustrates the possibilities and limitations of targeted interventions in the context of neoliberalism and describes the limits to balancing the social and economic risks that transformation entails.
Slovakia has declared climate neutrality by 2050 as its official goal, joining the club of countr... more Slovakia has declared climate neutrality by 2050 as its official goal, joining the club of countries that already account for 75% of global GDP and are among the world's most advanced economies. Achieving this goal means an unprecedentedly deep and rapid economic and social transformation towards a decarbonised economy. While EU emissions fell by 24% between 1991 and 2019, they are set to fall by a further 31% by 2030. But the low-hanging fruit of relatively simple and cheap solutions is exhausted, and each additional percentage point costs more than the last. This report provides a framing assessment of recent developments in climate policies, discourses and investments in Slovakia in relation to international, European Union and domestic intentions and targets. It is written on the basis of analyses of policy agenda documents and focuses on recent developments in 2021 as a relevant period for progress towards declared climate neutrality. This goal would require fundamental changes in many areas of the economy, and financing this transition would be key. The paper analyses the programming, targeting and coordination between the key financial mechanisms available for climate change mitigation in Slovakia (European Structural and Investment Funds, RRP, State Budget and State Aid) and makes policy recommendations.
Porto Romano, on the outskirts of the Albanian port of Durres on the Adriatic Coast, is an old le... more Porto Romano, on the outskirts of the Albanian port of Durres on the Adriatic Coast, is an old leather-tanning and pesticide-producing complex abandoned since 1990. Following the collapse of the totalitarian regime, waves of rural migrants from northeast Albania looking for economic prosperity settled in the area. In the late 1990s, refugees of the Kosovo conflict also made their home here. Rudňany is a village situated in the eastern part of the Slovak Republic. Migrant workers from the Roma ethnic minority attracted by the 1960s boom in the metal-processing industry settled down on the outskirts of the village.
Investing into water infrastructure and water and sewerage construction is not just a matter of m... more Investing into water infrastructure and water and sewerage construction is not just a matter of meeting the technical standards required by law. In the wider context of local development, it is a local policy of improving the quality of life, creating attractiveness and competitiveness, and last but not least, it is the issue of safe access to drinking water and the prevention of infections and diseases. The investment projects are very costly, amounting to tens of millions of euros. The article focuses on three related research questions: How much investments help local development; how do they fulfil their declared goals and what structural barriers we may identify in their optimal targeting and exploitation. In conclusion, research results indicate the need for better planning of future investments, considering the demographic trends and development potential of the given city or village. Results also point to a low rate of household connection to the newly built infrastructure. Problems of connections and low use indicate growing social disparities and the need to coordinate the construction of water infrastructure with other social and economic investments such as employment support and wage increases.
The prevailing public perception of Luník IX, a Roma district in the Slovak city of Košice, is th... more The prevailing public perception of Luník IX, a Roma district in the Slovak city of Košice, is that it represents the story of an originally urban green space, one of the best for healthy living given its fresh air and proximity to the forest, that was destroyed by 'naïve' decision-makers and 'irresponsible' Roma. This article, based on a combination of qualitative sociological and historical research, questions this narrative and deems it a myth. The district's proximity to a landfill and the consequent environmental effects of this played a decisive role in its ghettoisation, yet these factors have never been systematically analysed and discussed. Although Luník IX was not officially and originally designed as a ghetto, it became one as a result of structural, social, and environmental factors. Utilising the conceptual and theoretical framework of environmental justice, the article focuses on the spatial distribution of the adverse environmental effects in relation to social and ethnic factors. The case of Luník IX, with its roots in the period of a centrally planned economy, provides a unique opportunity to make a comparative study of the social processes from a historical perspective. It allows us to analyse the mechanism of decision-making in an avowedly non-capitalist society, where in reality we see many similarities in how income inequality between richer and poorer neighbourhoods, together with ethnic/racial factors, has shaped the city.
Languages (other than native) written or spoken Membership in umbrella organisations Examples of ... more Languages (other than native) written or spoken Membership in umbrella organisations Examples of key publications CSO's name in local language (most commonly used abbreviated name) Main contact person Individual responsible for the organisation as a legal entity Number of employees, members and volunteers in the CSO CSO priority work topics* * For the specific code list, see the code bar on the cover flap CSO priority key activities*
PROGNOSTICKÉ PRÁCE - PP (FORESIGHT, ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS - FAR)
Cancer is an important group of causes of death in Slovakia, affecting the overall level and natu... more Cancer is an important group of causes of death in Slovakia, affecting the overall level and nature of mortality. They are also an important factor in premature death, resulting in significant direct and indirect economic losses. Good knowledge of appropriate analytical tools is a key element in identifying these impacts. The main aim of this paper is to point out some of the most common and relevant analytical tools and methodologies in connection with research of the mortality process and causes of death, especially those that are subject of interest to the LISPER project. Kľúčové slová mortality, analytical tools, cancer diseases, Slovakia I. Úvod Úmrtnosť predstavuje primárny demografický proces, ktorý priamo vstupuje do populačného vývoja každej populácie. Základným zdrojom údajov v dátových podmienkach Slovenska je vyčerpávajúce zisťovanie každoročne realizované Štatistickým úradom Slovenskej republiky (ďalej ŠÚ SR) ako Hlásenie Obyv 3-12 List o prehliadke mŕtveho a štatistické hlásenie o úmrtí. To pre každú zomretú osobu na území Slovenska musí vyplniť prehliadajúci alebo pitvajúci lekár najneskôr do 3 dní od prehliadky resp. pitvy. Okrem samotného počtu zomretých (pre osoby s trvalým pobytom na Slovensku) uvedené hlásenie poskytuje viaceré veľmi dôležité informácie potrebné pre samotnú analýzu procesu úmrtnosti, jeho vývoja a vplyvu na populáciu. Najčastejšie sú na tieto účely využívané niektoré štrukturálne znaky zomretého, ako je pohlavie, dátum narodenia, dátum úmrtia, z ktorých je následne konštruovaný vek pri úmrtí, rodinný stav, najvyššie dosiahnuté vzdelanie, národnosť, štátne občianstvo. Pri regionálnych analýzach je využívaná informácia o mieste trvalého bydliska zomretého (obec-prípadne mestská časť pri Bratislave a Košíc, okres). Pri úmrtí dieťaťa do 1 roka života je zisťovaná pôrodná hmotnosť, či bol otec dieťaťa manželom matky, kde nastalo úmrtie (doma, v ústave, inde) a ak dieťa zomrelo do 24 hodín, uvádza sa tiež dĺžka života v hodinách. V prípade úmrtia ženatej, vydatej osoby hlásenie tiež informuje o rodnom čísle pozostalého manželského partnera. Z neho následne je možné odvodiť jeho vek
Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change
The quality and implementation of climate change policies generally benefit from the involvement ... more The quality and implementation of climate change policies generally benefit from the involvement of diverse stakeholders. In 2018, the Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic commissioned an elaboration of the National Action Plan (NAP) for implementation of the National Adaptation Strategy to Climate Change (NAS). A structured process, including a panel of experts and the participation of stakeholders, was designed to establish and evaluate policy options for the NAP. The panel members involved high-ranking officials from the relevant ministries and public agencies involved in nature protection, forestry, water management, and public health, as well as academics, representatives of regional and local governments, businesses, and members of non-governmental organisations. Delphi and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) were applied in order to evaluate the policy options. Interactive online tools were developed to perform the Delphi and AHP exercises. In the Delphi process, the participants drafted a comprehensive catalogue of challenges and potential policy activities in relation to adaptation to climate change in Slovakia. The AHP exercise evaluated and ranked 32 policy measures for eight specific policy objectives on the criteria of importance, urgency and feasibility.
Transport infrastructure development is considered one of the basic structural preconditions of c... more Transport infrastructure development is considered one of the basic structural preconditions of competitiveness, growth and economic development in Slovakia. Transport network upgrading in the country has recently been focused mainly on road and motorway networks. The goal of this paper is to contribute to existing approaches to transport infrastructure impact assessment. The paper presents selected results of qualitative research focused on an analysis of the R1 expressway (as a part of TEN-T network) and its impacts on the economic, social and environmental dimensions of life at the local territorial level. The paper also seeks to answer the basic question, whether and to what extent the new section of the expressway brings any stimuli to regional or local development. Qualitative research realized by field sociological methods has shown new data and information necessary for a complex assessment of transport infrastructure impacts on social and economic development of regions. We...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Jun 4, 2021
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
... Social solidarity, human rights and Roma: unequal access to basic resources in Central and Ea... more ... Social solidarity, human rights and Roma: unequal access to basic resources in Central and Eastern Europe Richard Filcˇák and ... European region in which poverty correlates with ethnic marginalisation and exclusion (for example, Barany, 1994, 1998; Emigh and Szelenyi, 2001 ...
The chapter follows the story of a small town, Laborov, Slovakia. The local environmental agenda ... more The chapter follows the story of a small town, Laborov, Slovakia. The local environmental agenda has been evolving around two highly controversial issues: campaigns against a plan to build a coal burning power plant and waste management practices stigmatising local Roma community. The endeavour to prohibit the construction of the power plant can be on one hand considered an example of successful short-term popular mobilisation and community resistance to environmentally irresponsible big capital investment. On the other hand, the story cannot be fully understood without analysing ruling class collective interests as well as the context of local inter-ethnic relations. A constituting feature of local social order is Roma marginalisation and institutional discrimination where waste management plays an important role. Hidden beneath the surface are patterns of class and ethnic oppression - opening an important question of framing environmental justice which can be hardly pursued without achieving social justice.
This paper examines changing regional patterns of energy and emission efficiency in the Slovak re... more This paper examines changing regional patterns of energy and emission efficiency in the Slovak regions in the period of 2008–18. Firstly; we review literature on key approaches to evaluating energy and emission efficiency; followed by discussing the pros and cons of specific methods. A slacks-based model of data envelopment analysis is applied in order to investigate changing patterns of energy and emission efficiency in 79 Slovak regions (LAU 1). Thereafter; changes in energy and emission efficiency are associated with policy interventions supported by the European Structural and Cohesion Funds (ESCF) in the period of 2011–15. The evaluation found no support for the hypothesis with regard to the positive impact of the ESCF on the increase in energy and emission efficiency. Combined support from three ESCF policy measures (€606.44m) was substantial; but accounted for a mere 6.3% of the total firm expenditure on product and process innovations in the period of 2007–15 (€9,573m). Prod...
The political decision to phase out coal mining in Upper Nitra (Slovak Republic) has been made an... more The political decision to phase out coal mining in Upper Nitra (Slovak Republic) has been made and discussion is now focused on policies , activities and steps in the transition. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are seen to be the key stakeholder in the process. Although the regional position of the mining industry has been steadily declining, it remains the economic backbone of the region. Mechanical calculations would tell us that immediate total closure of the HBP coalmine would most likely increase the regional unemployment rate in the Prievidza district from the current 4.68 % (February 2020) to an estimated range of 8-10 %, depending on the effects of indirect employment from the coal mining. Moreover, future impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on the local economy is difficult to foreseen at this point. The main goal of this publication is to conduct an in-depth analysis of the SME sector in the Upper Nitra region and, through the collection and interpretation of quantitative and qualitative data, provide additional data and information for shaping economic and social policy, planning and programming for the future interventions. Closure of the mines is an opportunity for bigger ambitions than just replacing one sort of job with others. It may be seen to be a challenge of transforming the economy into a low-carbon, climate-change-adapted system.
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