Jana Vobecká

Rental Housing for Young Households in the Czech Republic: Perceptions, Priorities, and Possible Solutions

This paper describes changes in the housing market after the collapse of communism in Central Europe and analyses the current functions and perceptions of the private rental housing in the Czech Republic. It aims to understand why private rental housing is perceived as a sub-optimal housing solution for young adults, whether this affects their family plans, and which policy design could change that. The article uses qualitative research techniques to analyse mental frames, opinions, and attitudes of both potential tenants and landlords towards rental housing. The authors argue that the main problem of rental housing for young tenants is the short-term lease. Lack of mutual trust between tenants and landlords is a main cause of short-term contracts in the private rental segment. The insecurity it produces among young tenants contributes to delayed family formation. A policy tool aiming to overcome that distrust between tenants and private landlords through the involvement of an independent third party as a guarantor of the relationship is discussed.

Population Trends and Policies in the UNECE Region: Outcomes, Policies and Possibilities

The Report discusses recent trends in population and related outcomes as well as the policies that may influence these outcomes in the UNECE region (Europe, North America, post-Soviet Republics, and Israel), always through a lens focusing attention on the future. The Report is structured into three analytical parts. Part 1 contains a description and analysis of recent trends in population and related matters, as well as future population prospects. Part 2 focuses on analysis of policy responses to these recent demographic trends and challenges, highlighting concrete examples of policy implementation, particularly best practices across the region. We emphasize policies that appear most efficient and the conditions under which such policies best operate. Part 3 extends the two previous parts with a set of policy recommendations derived from the analysis of best practices and a forecast of possible population trends under different policy scenarios.

Socio-Spatial Inequalities in the Czech Metropolitan Areas: The Case of Prague Metro

Social inequalities have increased in the Czech Republic since the collapse of communism. While this has not led to an intensification of territorial inequalities, yet the analysis of the Prague metropolitan area presented in this chapter shows that pressure toward socio-spatial inequalities might increase in the near future. In particular, the abandoning of rent regulations decided by the national government in 2013 is likely to accelerate sorting of residents into affluent and poorer areas. Several features of the Czech local government system will, nevertheless, counteract a deepening of socio-spatial inequalities: centralized redistribution of revenues among municipalities, earmarked central government grants for specific services or investments, as well as centrally regulated municipal expenditures resulting in standardized level of municipal services.

What Made Jews a Demographic Avant-Garde in Modern Europe?

Jews in Bohemia were the forerunners of the demographic transition in Europe, and this chapter brings the main evidence and arguments for that claim. It derives from a detailed analysis of aggregate demographic data of Jews and gentiles in Bohemia between the mid-eighteenth and mid-twentieth centuries that is presented in the book, Demographic Avant-Garde . The chapter firstly presents the key findings on trends in fertility, mortality and migration, as well as change in size and structure of the Jewish population in Bohemia. Second, it highlights the evidence of the early demographic transition among Jews in Bohemia and debates the potential influence of cultural, social, and political factors on early transition trends. It concludes with a discussion of the factors that might be necessary for the demographic transition to be accomplished and highlight why Jews as a religious group were particularly likely to become the forerunners of this transition. Keywords: Bohemia; Demographic Avant-Garde; demographic transition; Europe; Jews