Journal of Economics - Obsahy ročníkov

The paper deals with income of Czech households and their mutual differen¬ces in income among municipality types. The data in the appropriate classification were taken from the SILC sample of 2007 till 2010. Net annual monetary household income in CZK equalized by the number of consumer units as defined by the EUROSTAT was selected as the income measure. Regarding the income level, a significant difference was found between the capital city and other municipalities each year. Head count ratio oscillates around 6% and poverty gap ratio around 20%. The probability of escaping from the group with the lowest incomes grows from 42% in two year period to 80% in four year period. Permanent poor households consist mainly of unemployed and retired. These households are characterized by lower education and three quarters of their income depended on social income. Possibilities of increase of income were limited especially for households of retired people. Keywords: household income, income mobility, poverty, persistent poverty JEL Classification: R20, D12

The paper studies the position of the Slovak economy in global value chains. It focuses on the implications arising from vertical specialisation for value added and employment, especially for the three main exporting industries – motor vehicles, electrical and optical equipment, steel and steel products. For the analysis a multi-region input-output model and data from World input-output database (WIOD) are applied, covering the period 1995 – 2009. The results show that Slovak economy has one of the highest vertical specialisations around the globe. Especially in the motor vehicles production. We show that in the given period this industry was less significant in terms of value added and employment for the Slovak economy when comparing to the electrical and optical equipment and the steel industry. Keywords: vertical specialisation, global value chains, export, input-output analysis, multi-region input-output model JEL Classification: C67, F10, F60

Implementation of day surgery system in Slovakia was launched in recent years but complex analysis of its functionality is not available. To assess current status, expert panel was created to identify principal strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) and multi-level SWOT analysis performed to evaluate the level of functionality/multifunctionality. Total value of weaknesses (W = 4.9176) outweighed total value of strengths (S = 4.79291), while total value of opportunities (B = 108) outweighed total value of threats (R = 71). As such, Slovak day surgery system can be described as functional concept limited by incorrect setting of particular components. Financial issues appear to be leading barrier of its development as current reimbursement policy is demotivating and further investments are needed to improve insufficient and vulnerable infrastruc-ture. Attention should be paid to systematic analysis of feedback data by all important stakeholders involved in the field to provide validated arguments for systemic adjustments. Keywords: day surgery, outpatient surgery, ambulatory surgery, one day surgery, same-day surgery, healthcare system, development barriers, performance efficiency JEL Classification: I13, I15, I19

This paper deals with the potential connections of decentralization with economic imbalances in the European countries. Two indicators have been chosen for measuring economic imbalances: an indicator dispersion of regional GDP per capita as a representative of the performance imbalances within countries (it measures the economic development gap among regions in European countries) and a multidimensional inequality-adjusted human development index as a representative of inequalities in the distribution of wealth in the countries. According to this analysis quite weak links were proved between the tested variables. Decentralization does not belong among the strong factors influencing economic imbalances. Despite this weak link it is still possible to conclude that decentralization is more connected with differences in economic performance than with differences in distribution. Keywords: decentralization, economic development, human development, inequality, regional disparities JEL Classification: R11, R50, O10

This article examines the effects of research and development (R&D) spend-ing on merchandise export by low, medium-low, medium-high, and high technological intensity of the products between OECD countries by panel data econometric approaches using a gravity model. R&D spending is positively associated with merchandise exports, particularly for high technological intensity products in exporting countries. R&D spending can contribute to offsets the effect of distance on merchandise export, except for low technological intensity products. R&D spending fostered catching-up in merchandise export from developing to developed OECD countries in each technological intensity of the products, particularly for high and medium low technological intensity of the products and served in successful import penetration in medium-high and medium-low technological intensity of the products. R&D spending can play important role in strategies of export-oriented industrialization by a shift of merchandise exports towards higher technological intensity of the products and in successful import penetration. Keywords: merchandise exports; technological intensity; research and development spending; OECD countries; panel data analysis JEL Classification: C23, F14, O30, O50