Non-profit organizations’ participation in the management of public programmes: The case of the Czech Republic

EU Cohesion Policy requires the interaction of public, private and non-profit sectors in policy making. The case of the Czech Republic enables us to identify the major obstacles to the successful implementation of this approach as the Czech population perceives the ability of NGOs to influence policies at the lowest level among all the EU member states. The goal of the study is to identify and explain the determinants of success and failure regarding NGOs’ participation in designing public programmes. The methodology includes a combination of in-depth interviews with NGOs ́' representatives and public servants, a review of official documents, a focus group, and a stakeholders’ review of the study’s conclusions. The main obstacles to the implementation of the partnership principle are the following: insufficient capacities among NGOs; fluctuations in participating public servants and NGO representatives; dependence of partnership on personal contacts; late start and nonconsultative, informative character of partnership

The effect of a large-scale fishing restriction on angling harvest: a case study of grayling Thymallus thymallus in the Czech Republic

In Central Europe, European grayling Thymallus thymallus is an endangered and vanishing fish species with high recreational angling value. For that reason, in January 2016, the minimum legal angling size for grayling was increased from 30 to 40 cm in the Czech Republic. This study evaluated if the increase in minimum angling size had any effect on grayling harvest. Data from 229 fishing sites covering the years 2011–2017 were used in this study. The data originated from individual angling logbooks, collected in the regions of Prague and Central Bohemia, Czech Republic. Over the 7 yr, anglers visited the studied fishing sites 3.6 million times and harvested 105 000 salmonids. Grayling made up only 0.5% of the overall salmonid harvest. The fishing restriction caused a decrease in grayling harvest per visit. It also decreased the contribution of grayling to the overall harvest as well as the number of fishing sites where anglers successfully harvested graylings. Fish stocking was constant during the study period. Increased minimum angling size led to increased average body weight of harvested fish. In conclusion, the increase in minimum angling size significantly affected fish harvest and composition

The effects of environmental factors and fisheries management on recreational catches of perch Perca fluviatilis in the Czech Republic

The Eurasian perch Perca fluviatilis is an important fish species in both commercial and recreational fisheries. However, there is concern that perch populations in Central Europe are decreasing. This study aimed to assess the effects of environmental factors and management on recreational perch catches. Data from individual angling logbooks collected by the Czech Fishing Union on 229 fishing grounds during the period 2005–2016 were used in this study. In total, almost 60 000 perch weighing 17 500 kg were recorded. During the study period, total perch catches decreased by 60%, catch per fishing visit decreased by 70%, average body weight of caught perch increased by 18%, and percentage of fishing grounds with perch catches decreased by 13%. The results indicated that the decreasing catches were due to increasing fishing pressure. Further, fishing grounds with higher fishing visit rates had higher catches in general but lower catch per fishing visit. Larger and more productive rivers also showed higher catches. In contrast, the intensity of fish stocking did not affect catches. In conclusion, perch populations in Central Europe are likely under high fishing pressure, and the pressure is further increasing

Assessing System Justification in Czech Population Using the System Justification Scale

System justification (SJ) is an important construct in social psychology that has received considerable attention over the past three decades. At the empirical level, system justification is examined by means of a specially developed System Justification Scale (SJS), which is designed to explain how individuals accept justice, whether they consider a given social order to be fair, how they evaluate the conditions in the country in which they live, how they accept social change, or to what extent they express compliance with established rules. System justification involves not only those who benefit from the existing social order, but also those who are disadvantaged. In their case, system justification mitigates negative perceptions of objective inequalities and asymmetries. Empirical evidence suggests that system justification may also be associated with higher perceived quality of life. The present study translated and validated the SJS, providing complex and detailed information on the psychometric properties of the scale. In addition, the scale’s internal consistency, unidimensionality, and construct validity were examined. The conclusions presented are based on the results of exploratory factor analysis, internal consistency assessment, analysis of variance, correlation analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis. Results were obtained from face-to-face survey data collected from a sample of 1419 individuals representing the Czech population aged 18–79 years. Since the SJS showed high internal consistency, adequately discriminated levels of system justification, and had robust psychometric properties, it could be recommended for further use

The effects of environmental factors and fisheries management on recreational catches of perch

The Eurasian perch Perca fluviatilis is an important fish species in both commercial and recreational fisheries. However, there is concern that perch populations in Central Europe are decreasing. This study aimed to assess the effects of environmental factors and management on recreational perch catches. Data from individual angling logbooks collected by the Czech Fishing Union on 229 fishing grounds during the period 2005–2016 were used in this study. In total, almost 60 000 perch weighing 17 500 kg were recorded. During the study period, total perch catches decreased by 60%, catch per fishing visit decreased by 70%, average body weight of caught perch increased by 18%, and percentage of fishing grounds with perch catches decreased by 13%. The results indicated that the decreasing catches were due to increasing fishing pressure. Further, fishing grounds with higher fishing visit rates had higher catches in general but lower catch per fishing visit. Larger and more productive rivers also showed higher catches. In contrast, the intensity of fish stocking did not affect catches. In conclusion, perch populations in Central Europe are likely under high fishing pressure, and the pressure is further increasing

The effect of a large-scale fishing restriction on angling harvest: a case study of grayling

In Central Europe, European grayling Thymallus thymallus is an endangered and vanishing fish species with high recreational angling value. For that reason, in January 2016, the minimum legal angling size for grayling was increased from 30 to 40 cm in the Czech Republic. This study evaluated if the increase in minimum angling size had any effect on grayling harvest. Data from 229 fishing sites covering the years 2011–2017 were used in this study. The data originated from individual angling logbooks, collected in the regions of Prague and Central Bohemia, Czech Republic. Over the 7 yr, anglers visited the studied fishing sites 3.6 million times and harvested 105 000 salmonids. Grayling made up only 0.5% of the overall salmonid harvest. The fishing restriction caused a decrease in grayling harvest per visit. It also decreased the contribution of grayling to the overall harvest as well as the number of fishing sites where anglers successfully harvested graylings. Fish stocking was constant during the study period. Increased minimum angling size led to increased average body weight of harvested fish. In conclusion, the increase in minimum angling size significantly affected fish harvest and composition

Non-governmental Organizations as Partners: Obstacles in the EU Cohesion Policy?

EU Cohesion Policy requires the interaction of the public, private and non-profit sectors in policy making. The Czech Republic presents an ideal case study for identifying the major obstacles to the successful implementation of this approach, since Czech citizens evaluate NGOs in their country as having less capacity to influence policies at the lowest level than NGOs in any other EU member state. The goal of the study is to identify and explain the determinants of success and failure regarding NGOs’ participation in designing public programmes. The methodology includes a combination of in-depth interviews with NGOs´ representatives and public servants, a review of official documents, a focus group, and a stakeholders’ review of the study’s conclusions. The main obstacles to the implementation of the partnership principle are the following: NGOs’ insufficient capacities and responsibilities; fluctuations in the participation of public servants and NGO representatives; dependence of partnership on personal contacts; NGOs’ late entry and the non-consultative, informative character of the partnership