Martin Šimon | Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (original) (raw)

Papers by Martin Šimon

GeoJournal, 2020

The aim of this study was to examine the spatial mobility of homeless people in urban areas, expl... more The aim of this study was to examine the spatial mobility of homeless people in urban areas, exploring homeless mobility, its drivers, limits and links to personal attributes, and whether there is an association between the extent of spatial activity and an individual's housing situation. To our knowledge, there has been no prior exhaustive attempt to explore the spatial mobility of homeless people using Global Positioning System (GPS) location devices. The theoretical background of the research was based on time-geography approaches. The research used a mixed method approach involving participatory GPS mapping. Spatial mobility was measured by GPS location devices. GPS tracking made it possible to capture the precise location of a person in time and space, and subsequently to identify the daily and weekly mobility rhythms of such people. The GPS data were further contextualised by conducting interviews with homeless people and asking about their daily mobility. The groundwork for the interviews resulted in printed maps of the participants' daily spatial mobility (n = 598). The combination of time-location data and ethnographic methods presented several technical and organisational difficulties, but the pilot study provided valuable knowledge about the everyday-life mobility of homeless people in cities. A novel understanding of the links between homeless mobilities, urban commons and the life conditions of homeless people can inform current welfare policies relating to the poor.

Regional Statistics, 2018

This study investigates socioeconomic peripherality in Hungary and Czechia. Despite the current a... more This study investigates socioeconomic peripherality in Hungary and Czechia. Despite the current attention devoted to peripheries in post-communist societies, the authors argue that there is a lack of data-driven international comparisons of the socio-spatial outcomes of peripheralisation processes. In the study, the situations in Hungary and Czechia are compared
to assess the validity of peripheralisation as a mutually reinforcing economic, social and demographic decline specifically affecting rural areas. First, the concentration of social problems such as unemployment and poverty is examined in economically weak rural areas. Second, the role of transport accessibility and remoteness is analysed. Third, the links between socioeconomic peripheralisation and population development are explored. The results indicate basic structural similarities in the development of peripherality in Czechia and Hungary; however, the Hungarian case corresponds much more than the Czech case to the concept of peripheralisation defined as interrelated processes of economic problems, the accumulation of poverty and social exclusion, and population shrinkage that especially affect remote rural localities. The authors conclude by discussing the role of historically shaped settlement structures, current population compositions, and overall development at the country level.

Paralely a divergencie (slovensko-české kriminologické dni), 2018

Cílem příspěvku je představit nový analytický přístup měřící spole-čenskou škodlivost kriminality... more Cílem příspěvku je představit nový analytický přístup měřící spole-čenskou škodlivost kriminality v místech, který má praktickou aplikaci v prevenci kriminality a policejní praxi. Rostoucí využití geolokalizovaných dat o kriminalitě a platnost zákona o koncentraci kriminality v místech nám umožňuje exaktně změřit míru společenské závažnos-ti kriminality v jednotlivých ulicích města. K tomu využijeme data o trestné a přestupkové činnosti ze středně velkého českého města za období tří let. Výsledná mapa koncentrace společenské závažnosti kriminality (harmspots) nám umožňuje nejen unikátní srovnání s místy koncentrace kriminality (hotspots), ale i identifikaci lokalit s nejvyšší prioritou pro prevenci kriminality. Uvedená metodika hodnocení společenské závažnosti kriminality v místech je podle našeho názoru vhodná jak pro praxi, tak pro experimentální kriminologický výzkum. | The aim of this paper is to introduce crime harmspots as a new analytical approach measuring the societal impact of crime at places. The crime harm approach has a clear practical applicability in policing and crime prevention. Increasing utilisation of geo-localised crime data and validity of law of crime concentration at places enables us to measure societal impact of crime at the level of individual street segments. The current research is based on geo-localised crime data for medium-sized Czech city for a period of three years. The resulting map of crime harm enables us to compare harmspots of crime with hotspots of crime and thus to identify places with highest demand for crime prevention. The analytical approach evaluation and measuring societal impact of crime is according to our opinion suitable both for praxis and for experimental criminological research.

The aim of this article is to investigate the factors that influence the size of activity spaces ... more The aim of this article is to investigate the factors that influence the size of activity spaces of homeless men and women in cities. Vulnerable population groups such as the homeless face the risk of mobility challenges that can exacerbate their social exclusion even more through mobility-driven spatial exclusion. The extent of an in-dividual's activity space is a key precondition for the daily coping strategies and life opportunities of homeless people. This study is the first to combine GPS tracking of homeless people based on a week-long GPS measurement with mobility interviews. The article tests five hypotheses as to the influence of city size, age, gender, housing situation and education on the size of activity space. Data obtained for a large city (Prague) and for a small city (Pilsen) are analysed using three geospatial measurements of activity spaces. In line with mixed-method approaches, the results are further triangulated through mobility interviews. By mapping the objective activity spaces, we were able to evaluate the role of individual and contextual factors in shaping homeless life and discuss the theoretical and practical implications of activity space measurement for social policy and urban planning.

Kriminologické dny 2018. Sborník z VI. ročníku mezinárodní konference Kriminologické dny pořádaný ve dnech 18.–19. 1. 2018 Českou kriminologickou společností ve spolupráci s Právnickou fakultou Univerzity Palackého v Olomouci., 2018

The aim of this paper is to present a proposal for the public presentation of street crime data s... more The aim of this paper is to present a proposal for the public presentation of street crime data suitable for Czech cities. In the first part, the article review current research on street-level crime analyses in scholarly literature. We know from research by Weisburd (2015) and others that if we analyse spatial patterns of crime on micro-level, a half of the crime is concentrated in only five percent of street segments. In general, this conclusion is valid largely also in Czech cities and it has implications for policing and crime prevention. Current projects visualising crime in space such as www.mapakriminality.cz present only data aggregated for large spatial units. Such projects are useful to initiate a public discussion in the first place, but they tend to create misconceptions about the actual spatial distribution of crime in cities. Crime statistics using large spatial units (OOPs, MOPs, districts) provide solid information about macro-regional patterns of crime, but they inevitably and falsely imply that a crime occurs somehow evenly within these large spatial units. Citizens do not have any detailed information about the real distribution of crime in Czechia and tend to fear or act in their lives according to highly biased media representation of crime. A possible solution to this problem is creation of a corrected Street Crime Index based on a multi-year series of crime data that would provide a realistic picture of crime in the territory, but at the same time allow sufficient spatial anonymization of data.

A key issue in socioeconomic geography is to understand how regional and social polarisation shap... more A key issue in socioeconomic geography is to understand how regional and social polarisation shapes the territorial organisation of society. We argue that effects of polarisation are not translated simply and straightforwardly in a whole region, but vary to a large extent with respect to different types of accessibility areas. We applied the time-accessibility framework to classify a territory into urban, peri-urban, rural, and remote rural areas at a national and regional scale. Subsequently, we computed comparative indicators for this territorial classification , measuring three dimensions of peripherality for a period of thirty years. The analysis illustrates how polarisation and peripheralisation works at a detailed spatial level. A case study of the Ústí region shows re-polarisation and bi-polari-sation of the region in its path from socialist urbanisation in the 1980s to regional peripheralisation in 2011. The use of the time-accessibility framework allows to assess regional changes within long-term and broader changes of core-periphery relations at national level and thus allows for a better understanding of the different nature of socialist and post-socialist peripheries. Finally, the article offers methodical procedures and tools allowing for a comparable research of polarisation and peripheralisation. Thus, it is responding to the call for more comparative research of peripheral areas in Europe.

The spatial concentration of social disadvantage in rural areas not only poses a risk to social c... more The spatial concentration of social disadvantage in rural areas not only poses a risk to social cohesion but also represents a challenge for public policy. This article draws on a multidimensional concept of disadvantage to study spatial aspects of disadvantage in Czech rural areas. Current studies aimed at identifying 'inner peripheries' as areas with an increased risk of social exclusion fail to distinguish between different forms of disadvantage. Their methodological approach blends regions struggling with various problems into one category. Contesting the one-dimensionality of peripheries, this article presents an alternative approach that allows the delimitation of multiple types of peripheral areas based on four separate dimensions of disadvantage. It is possible then to distinguish: peripheries characterised by low qualifi cations, lower living standards, and the absence of a middle class; peripheries with an increased risk of social exclusion; peripheries with poor accessibility ; and peripheries facing demographic challenges. Differences in the spatial patterns of the four types of peripheries indicate that different socio-spatial processes contribute to the emergence of different types of peripheries and this calls for varied public policy tools and measures.

Proofreading: VNT Communications Adam Wasiołka Layout and typesetting: Krzysztofa Frankowska-Piec... more Proofreading: VNT Communications Adam Wasiołka Layout and typesetting: Krzysztofa Frankowska-Piechowicz ExECutivE SuMMary ___________________________________________________________________7 1. StudiES in PubLiC SErviCE SECtor adaPtation to ChangES ____________________________13 1.1. The basics of public sector economics _______________________________________________14 1.2. Public sector and the rationale for its transformation __________________________________18 1.3. The improving public sector _______________________________________________________26 1.4. The evolving contexts and models of public service management ________________________29 1.5 The basics of demography-driven changes in public service economy and management _____35 1.6. Methodology of the study _________________________________________________________43 2. CroSS-anaLySES of LoCaL PubLiC SErviCE CoStS in CEntraL EuroPE ____________________61 2.1. Proxy cost ratios of local public services across Central Europe __________________________63 2.2. Cost-based typology of regions in Central Europe _____________________________________76 2.3. Proxy cost ratios of local public services in regions of CE countries _______________________90 3. EMPiriCaL StudiES on SoCiaL and nEtwork SErviCES and thEir infraStruCturE _____ 109 3.1. Field study areas _______________________________________________________________ 110 3.2. Service delivery and its three perspectives _________________________________________ 113 3.3. The economics of the service delivery: an analytical attempt __________________________ 135 3.4. The influences over future situation in service delivery _______________________________ 157 3.5. In pursuit of drivers of future policy scenarios ______________________________________ 167 bibLiograPhy ______________________________________________________________________ 173 LiSt of tabLES ______________________________________________________________________ 181 LiSt of figurES _____________________________________________________________________ 184 annEx i. nutS3 StatiStiCS on SoCiaL and nEtwork SErviCES -dEMand and SuPPLy PErSPECtivE: data avaiLabiLity CoMPariSon ______________________ 187 annEx ii. ExEMPLary fiELd Study guidELinES _________________________________________ 205 annEx iii. gLoSSary on indiCatorS __________________________________________________ 217 annEx iv. rEgionaL CLuStEring: CoSt-baSEd tyPoLogy in CE __________________________ 241 annEx v. PCrS in thE CEntraL EuroPE PrograMME CountriES: urban / ruraL ovErviEw _ 255

Mikešová, R., Šimon, M., 2015, Teorie ekonomického hlasování a její souvislosti s prostorovými v... more Mikešová, R., Šimon, M., 2015, Teorie ekonomického hlasování a její souvislosti s prostorovými vzorci volebního chování (kapitola 7), s. 117-130. In: Kostelecký, T., Mikešová, R., Poláková, M., Čermák, D., Bernard, J., Šimon, M. Geografie výsledků parlamentních voleb: prostorové vzorce volebního chování v Česku 1992-2013. Praha: Sociologický ústav AV ČR, v.v.i. 209 s. ISBN 978-80-7330-284-9.

Kostelecký, T., Šimon, M., 2015, Geografie politických orientací voličů v letech 1992–2013 (kapit... more Kostelecký, T., Šimon, M., 2015, Geografie politických orientací voličů v letech 1992–2013 (kapitola 5), s. 68-93. In: Kostelecký, T., Mikešová, R., Poláková, M., Čermák, D., Bernard, J., Šimon, M. Geografie výsledků parlamentních voleb: prostorové vzorce volebního chování v Česku 1992-2013. Praha: Sociologický ústav AV ČR, v.v.i. 209 s. ISBN 978-80-7330-284-9.

Čermák, D., Kostelecký, T., Šimon, M., 2014, Prostorové vzorce volebního chování za první republi... more Čermák, D., Kostelecký, T., Šimon, M., 2014, Prostorové vzorce volebního chování za první republiky – popis, proměny a možné příčiny (kapitola 4), s. 83-108. In: Kostelecký T., Mikešová, R., Poláková, M., Čermák, D., Bernard, J., Šimon, M. Koho volí Vaši sousedé? Prostorové vzorce volebního chování na území Česka od roku 1920 do roku 2006, jejich změny a možné příčiny. Praha: Sociologické nakladatelství SLON. 173 s. ISBN 978-80-7419-166-4.

Bernard, J., Šimon, M., 2014, Prostorové vzorce volebního chování v letech 1992–2006: popis, prom... more Bernard, J., Šimon, M., 2014, Prostorové vzorce volebního chování v letech 1992–2006: popis, proměny a možné příčiny (kapitola 5), s. 109-132. In: Kostelecký T., Mikešová, R., Poláková, M., Čermák, D., Bernard, J., Šimon, M. Koho volí Vaši sousedé? Prostorové vzorce volebního chování na území Česka od roku 1920 do roku 2006, jejich změny a možné příčiny. Praha: Sociologické nakladatelství SLON. 173 s. ISBN 978-80-7419-166-4.

The development of the Czech countryside differs in many ways from trajectories typical for Easte... more The development of the Czech countryside differs in many ways from trajectories typical for Eastern and Central European rural areas in the last 25 years. In our article, we discuss the nature of the 'Czech exceptionalism' , with reference to three examples, namely population development, the dynamics of rural/agricultural labour markets and rural governance. Firstly, we describe the major driving forces behind rural development in Czechia over the past 25 years and how these forces are reflected in the academic discourse. Secondly, we argue that an important feature of rural regions in Czechia is their population growth combined with a rapid labour market transformation and a low social importance of agriculture. All these changes are interpreted as a shift towards multifunctionality of rural areas rather than as a general trend towards post-productivism; indeed, this is because large parts of rural areas remain economically based on industrial production. The ongoing transformations have been reflected only partially in an academic discourse. In conclusion, we argue that there is a need to reexamine the use of EEC as a concept framing the position of sociology in rural research.

The concept of reurbanisation is discussed in this article from theoretical and methodological pe... more The concept of reurbanisation is discussed in this article from theoretical and methodological perspectives. Reurbanisation has been defined as one of the stages of urban development recently, but it is also tied to processes of gentrification, or perceived as a policy aimed at the revitalisation of inner cities. The main objective of this contribution is to discuss three principal and different perspectives of reurbanisation: firstly, reurbanisation as defined on the macro-scale of settlement system development; secondly, the concept as elaborated at the micro-scale of the transformation of inner cities; and, thirdly, reurbanisation viewed as a specific urban policy at the local government scale of analysis. The authors’ singular understanding of the reurbanisation process – as suburban-to-urban migration – is then presented as an alternative conceptualization of reurbanisation. This paper presents and evaluates the use of the reurbanisation concept in research on residential environments in current conditions in the Czech Republic and relates it to the broader domain of research on post-socialist cities.

The article focuses on Czech/German ethnic boundary from former interwar Czechoslovakia and its p... more The article focuses on Czech/German ethnic boundary from former interwar Czechoslovakia and its persistence
(or transience) in electoral behaviour in selected post-1989 elections. In the analytical part of the article links between
populations in regions and electoral results is discussed in order ‘extract’ phantom borders. The analysis draws on both recent
GIS data on historical spatial units and historical electoral data to explore the concept of phantom borders. The focus
is on phantom borders that can be observed in electoral data and cannot be identified in contemporary socio-economic
data or structures and thus reflect institutional (in)stabilities of regional institutions as reflected in electoral behaviour. In
conclusion, the article notes some methodological problems connected with the delimitation and visualisation of phantom
borders in electoral maps.

Článek se věnuje problematice kontextových vlivů na volební chování. V části českéodborné literat... more Článek se věnuje problematice kontextových vlivů na volební chování. V části českéodborné literatury bylo konstatováno, že vliv prostorového kontextu na volební chování v Česku je nevýrazný a že převážnou část teritoriální diferenciace volebních výsledků lze vysvětlit jako důsledek teritoriálních odlišností sociální skladby, tedy kompozičně. Tato studie zkoumá existenci kontextových efektů v detailním územním členění. Ukazuje, že pomocí metod prostorové statistiky lez na úrovni obcí lze v Česku nalézt různě velké oblasti, v nichž volební výsledky kompozičně vysvětlit nelze a je na místě uvažovat o vlivu prostorového kontextu. Přestože výsledky provedených analýz lze interpretovat jako projev sousedského efektu, jednoznačné potvrzení jeho existence zůstává nadále otevřenou otázkou a tedy příležitostí pro další výzkum.

The book presents an introductory information about demographic change in Central Europe. It is p... more The book presents an introductory information about demographic change in Central Europe. It is particularly targeted at practicioners and policy makers at local and regional level who deal with impacts of changing populations in their work. It presents an overview of population and policy development in Central Europe and provides a deeper insight into selected regions dealing with population shrinkage and population ageing. Demographic change is seen as an important challenge for sustainable development and social cohesion in many regions in Central Europe.

The overall purpose of this book is to analyse population development and policy in shrinking regions and cities in Central Europe. The book was developed as part of the ADAPT2DC project where it served as a departure point for related analyses and activities, but the authors are convinced that it can be further utilised by various national, regional and local stakeholders, planners and policy makers, who deal with the consequences of demographic change in their everyday praxis. The depiction of the demographic situation in the regions in Central Europe was a precondition for subsequent analyses, including a comparative statistical analysis of infrastructure and service costs in Central Europe, microeconomic analyses of selected samples of infrastructure in pilot regions, and an analysis of opinions of stakeholders in the regions, etc. The book also served as the basis for the development of evidence-based policies that make planning and management of social and economic development more efficient and thus more resilient to development volatilities such as an economic crisis. This book includes: a) background statistical analysis of shrinking regions in Central Europe (chapter 1), b) definitions of shrinking regions at i) the NUTS 3 level and ii) at the sub-regional level (chapter 2), c) analysis of policy documents (chapter 3) and d) case studies of pilot regions (chapter 4). The territorial coverage of this book is the Central Europe area6 and its regions. The area includes the relatively heterogeneous group of former state socialist countries and western countries with market economies. The time frame used in the book is the last 10-20 years.

Urban-rural research in post-socialist countries has focused on urban transformation, the impact ... more Urban-rural research in post-socialist countries has focused on urban transformation, the impact of international migration and the spread of suburbanisation; little attention has been paid to counterurban migration. The aim of this article is to propose a typology of counterurban migration strategies based on quantitative research in rural areas in the Czech Republic. Firstly, the article discusses the differences and similarities of counterurbanisation in western and post-socialist countries by bringing together counterurbanisation and post-socialist research literature. Secondly, detailed information about the counterurbanisation migration stream is provided on the basis of extensive field research. Thirdly, the article presents four basic types of counterurbanisation migration strategies, two lifestyle-oriented types and two economic-oriented types, based on household motivation, preferences and household employment location. The research demonstrates both general and specific features of counterurbanisation stream in the Czech Republic.

No. 3, pp. 231-255. -This paper presents an overview of past and current debates over the concept... more No. 3, pp. 231-255. -This paper presents an overview of past and current debates over the conceptualization of migration into rural areas -counterurbanization. It begins with the history of the term itself, leading us from its original use to the contemporary plurality of its meanings. Key issues in the process of defining counterurbanization are examined, in light of the term's historical development. The article illustrates a shift in counterurbanization research from the study of the settlement system to the study of local dimensions of counterurbanization and finally to the discursive production of counterurbanization. Secondly, contemporary residential decentralization in Czechia and the theoretical framing of counterurbanization are linked together in order to discuss the relevance of the counterurbanization research agenda in Czechia. The article concludes by stating the need for new ways to approach migration into rural areas. KEY WORDS: counterurbanization -suburbanization -migration into rural areas -amenity migration -post-productivist transition -neo-ruralism.

GeoJournal, 2020

Regional Statistics, 2018

Paralely a divergencie (slovensko-české kriminologické dni), 2018

This paper reports on a new empirical study evaluating crime concentration at places in a post-so... more This paper reports on a new empirical study evaluating crime concentration at places in a post-socialist city. We use principles of the law of crime concentration at places and the Cambridge Crime Harm Index to measure crime count and crime harm concentration at the level of street segments. The research found differences between crime concentration in a post-socialist city and crime concentration reported by recent studies from US or UK cities. Both crime and harm concentration are consistently less spatially clustered than expected by the theory in a post-socialist city. This finding has significance for both international criminology and national policing authorities, as the success of place-based policing is highly dependent on strong spatial clustering of crime. The study underlines the importance of experimental criminology and theory testing for the transfer of crime prevention approaches from their original contexts.

Geografie, 2020

This article contributes to the discussion of the segregation of immigrants by presenting evidenc... more This article contributes to the discussion of the segregation of immigrants by presenting evidence from a new destination country of international migration. It explores residential patterns of immigrants, defined by citizenship, and their development in selected large Czech cities. The analysis is focused on six main immigrant groups. New register data provided by Alien Police of the Czech Republic are utilized for the computation of geospatial grid data. The changes in population distribution are measured by the dissimilarity index, which is commonly used in segregation research. The main result indicates a major trend of decreasing spatial dissimilarity between the Czech majority and immigrant groups. The steady and slow inflow of immigrants does not lead to distinct patterns of segregation in the country – with a few specific exceptions.

Urbanismus a územní rozvoj, 2020

V současném Česku dlouhodobě roste počet bydlících cizinců a otázka jejich soužití s majoritou se... more V současném Česku dlouhodobě roste počet bydlících cizinců a otázka jejich soužití s majoritou se dotýká řady oblastí, od trhu práce, bydlení, přes sociální integraci až po bezpečnostní politiku státu. Veřejná správa, samospráva, odborníci, ale i laická veřejnost se zajímá o to, zda jsou nově příchozí obyvatelé přínosem pro českou společnost a zdali se do ní integrují. Jednou z možných indikací disfunkce integračních procesů je rezidenční segregace, tedy stav, kdy cizinci bydlí výrazně jinak a jinde než členové většinové společnosti. Článek seznamuje s novými daty o vývoji rozmístění cizinců a představuje je pomocí nové metody založené na populačním rastru. Tato metoda měří rezidenční segregaci na základě tzv. individualizovaných sousedství, která zohledňují prostorovou blízkost jednotlivých buněk rastru a nejsou závislá na administrativně-správním členění území. Využití různě velkých nejbližších sousedství umožňuje zohlednit různé vývojové trendy na mikro, mezo či makro úrovni. Z hlediska výsledků článek ukazuje obecný trend poklesu rezidenční segregace, kdy zvyšující se počet cizinců vede spíše k jejich plošnějšímu rozmístění než k vytváření lokalit s vysokou koncentrací.

The aim of the article is to examine the spatial mobility of homeless persons in urban areas. Thi... more The aim of the article is to examine the spatial mobility of homeless persons in urban areas. This study explores homeless mobility, its drivers, limits and links to personal attributes and whether there is an association between the extent of spatial activity and an individual's housing situation. To our knowledge, there has not been any prior thorough attempt to explore the spatial mobility of homeless people with GPS location devices. The theoretical background of the research is based on time geography approaches. The research uses a mixed method approach-participatory GPS mapping. Spatial mobility is measured by GPS location devices. GPS tracking makes it possible to capture the detailed location of a person in time and space and subsequently to identify the daily and weekly mobility rhythms of such persons. The GPS data are further contextualised by interviews with homeless people about their daily mobility. The groundwork for interviews are printed maps of participants´spatialparticipants´spatial mobility for each day (n=598). The combination of time-location data and ethnographic methods presents several technical and organisational difficulties, but the pilot study provided valuable knowledge about the everyday life mobility of homeless people in cities. A novel understanding of the links between homeless mobilities, urban commons, and the life conditions of homeless people can inform current welfare policies relating to the poor.

SPSW Working Paper No. CeSo/SPSW/2019-03, 2019

The aim of this article is to investigate the factors that influence the size of activity spaces ... more The aim of this article is to investigate the factors that influence the size of activity spaces of homeless men and women in cities. Vulnerable population groups such as the homeless face the risk of mobility challenges that can exacerbate their social exclusion even more through mobility-driven spatial exclusion. The extent of an individual’s activity space is a key precondition for the daily coping strategies and life opportunities of homeless people. This study is the first to combine GPS tracking of homeless people based on a week-long GPS measurement with mobility interviews. The article tests five hypotheses as to the influence of city size, age, gender, housing situation and education on the size of activity space. Data obtained for a large city (Prague) and for a small city (Pilsen) are analysed using three geospatial measurements of activity spaces. In line with mixed-method approaches, the results are further triangulated through mobility interviews. By mapping the objective activity spaces, we were able to evaluate the role of individual and contextual factors in shaping homeless life and discuss the theoretical and practical implications of activity space measurement for social policy and urban planning.