Government Structure in the New Slovak Republic, The (original) (raw)

Czechoslovakia: State Formation and Administrative-Territorial Organization

The paper traces the evolution of administrative-territorial units in Czechoslovakia since the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy and relates them to the process of state formation. Debates on Czechoslovakia's political-administrative organization are resumed, beginning from the Czech lands and Slovakia in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, to the first Czechoslovak Republic (1918-38), the Communist period (1948-89) and the developments after 1989.

“State administration” vs. self-government in the Slovak and Czech Republics

Communist and Post-Communist Studies, 2008

In the transition experience, the Czech and Slovak Republics have made some effort to achieve fiscal decentralization. From independence to EU accession, the devolution of power designed to strengthen the autonomy of local governments according to the principles of subsidiarity have also included a reform of public administration. The nature of reform efforts and their implications for fiscal decentralization are analyzed. The failure to achieve a robust autonomy for subnational governments is due to the ongoing adherence to the notion of “state administration” as opposed to self-government in both republics.

States' Disintegration – Myth of Nationalism? The Case of Czechoslovakia

The paper herein is a contribution to the debate on the causes of the disintegration of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic. It accentuates the development of the Slovak nation prior to November 1989 and accompanying circumstances of this fact that were instrumental in the system transformation after November 1989. Emphasis has also been placed on the key moments of development in 1990-1992, which illustrate a lack of political experience and diversity of transition programmes on the Czech and Slovak political scene, and on the role of specific actors in this process. The basic argument in the text is the idea that in a moment of transition the Slovak nation corresponded to the classification of a fully formed nation; however, this fact alone (independent variable) was not sufficient enough to cause the disintegration of the federal state.

“People, Your Government Has Returned to You!” The Czech Constitution of 1992 as Return to Constitutional Tradition

Unlike many of its Eastern European neighbors, the Czech Republic originates from a healthy constitutional tradition. Upon the creation of Czechoslovakia and through the modern day, the Czech Republic has had four constitutions, with major amendments to the documents of the Communist era. Three constitutions, from 1920, 1948, and 1960, served as guidelines for the creation of the 1992 constitution. Because the Czech Republic had not foreseen the Velvet Divorce from Slovakia, government officials found themselves in a rush to create a constitution for the new Czech state. The new document responded to the many injustices of the Communist era and adopted most of the precedents set in the 1920 constitution. The Czech Republic’s democratic and constitutional past sets it apart from other Eastern European countries, especially in terms of contemporary political and economic liberty.

Transition, dysfunctionality and change in the Czech and Slovak Republics

Crime Law and Social Change, 1994

The paper considers the problem of creating a market economy and democratic polity simultaneously in a post-Communist state. In the context of weak inherited political and judicial systems, the attempt at rapid transition to a market economy is likely to have unfavourable consequences in terms of corruption. This prediction is supported by preliminary evidence from research on the privatisation process and its “control framework”.

The Dissolution of Czechoslovakia

This paper firstly will focus on the historical background of Czechoslovakia and relations between Czechs and Slovaks. In the second part, the main topic will be the break up of these two nations and the fundamental reasons behind the separation -especially economic and political reasons- will be examined with details. And the paper will be concluded with searching for answers to questions like why did this separation take place in a peaceful way rather than violence, and are they better off in two separate countries.

Constitutional Stability and Dynamics in the Czech Republic

International Comparative Jurisprudence, 2019

This article discusses the stability and dynamics of the Czech constitution, especially the ‘frame of government’. First, the circumstances of the adoption of the Czech Constitution from 1993 are described, as well as the initial problems with the implementation of bicameralism. Second, the rigidity of the constitution in formal and material sense is analysed. Here, the article demonstrates that the procedural rules for adopting constitutional acts (qualified majorities in both chambers of the Parliament) have to be considered in connection with the electoral and political system in the Czech Republic in order to get a good picture. By an overview of constitutional acts adopted since 1993, it is shown that the constitutional system has not been subject to major changes and remained rather stable. Two important exceptions, i.e. moments of constitutional development are discussed in detail: the cancellation of early election in the Chamber of Deputies by the annulment of a constitutio...