The Economics of Waste Management: Evidence from the Czech Republic and Slovakia

2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 431-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beata Mikusova Merickova ◽  
Juraj Nemec ◽  
Jana Soukopova
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Economies Of Scale ◽  
Cost Curve ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Optimum Mode ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Management Services

This article investigates conditions in the Czech Republic and Slovakia to answer the following questions: Is there any evidence of an optimum mode of waste management provision? Do economies of scale exist in waste management in the Czech Republic? Data from the Czech Republic and Slovakia did not confirm internal or external provision of waste management services as better. The analysis of waste management costs in the Czech Republic did not confirm the existence of economies of scale; however, in municipalities with fewer than 4000 inhabitants, the cost curve is U shaped with an optimum somewhere at the level of 2000 inhabitants.

scholarly journals Subjective equivalence scales using EU-SILC panel data for Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary

2017 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 585-604
Author(s):  
Leszek Morawski ◽  
Małgorzata Kalbarczyk-Stęclik ◽  
Rafał Miśta
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Marginal Cost ◽  
Economies Of Scale ◽  
Equivalence Scales ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Second Child ◽  
Minimum Income ◽  
Section Data ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

Equivalence scales are commonly employed in income analysis to compare the wealth of households of various compositions (e.g., 0-child, 1-child). The choice of weights for this type of analysis is not self-evident. In this paper, subjective equivalence scales for households in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary are estimated. We use longitudinal EU-SILC data for 2005–2012 following the approach of Goedhart et al. (1977) as employed by Bishop et al. (2014). The use of longitudinal data shows that previous results on the subjective minimum income that were based on the OLS estimates for cross-section data overestimated the impact from current income and underestimated the role of economies of scale. Subjective equivalence scales imply a decreasing marginal cost of children in the three countries, which makes them distinct from the OECD scale. The marginal cost of a first child is similar to the values assumed in the OECD scale, but the cost of a second child is much lower.

scholarly journals Local Governments and Local Waste Management in the Czech Republic: Producers or Providers?

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Soukopová ◽  
Daniel Klimovský
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Economies Of Scale ◽  
Open Data ◽  
Waste Collection ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Ministry Of Finance ◽  
Relationship Of

AbstractLocal governments are responsible for the delivery of a large variety of very different public services. The article is focused on two issues: 1) we try to discover whether the local governments in the Czech Republic prefer to be “producers” or “providers” of the waste-collection services; 2) we test and compare the efficiency of “production” and the efficiency of “provision”, and for this purpose we take into account various factors, inter alia inter-municipal cooperation, the existence of hybrid organizations, economies of scale etc. A main goal is to find out what the local governments in the Czech Republic prefer if they decide on the delivery of local services linked to waste management and what factors are the most important ones from the perspective of their potential influence on efficiency. Concerning the data, we analyse linked open data on municipal solid waste expenditure collected by the Ministry of Finance of the Czech Republic and data relating to features of waste collection obtained via a questionnaire-based survey which was carried out at the turn of 2015 – 2016. The results of the presented analysis show a clear relationship of dependence between the inter-municipal cooperation and the relevant costs, and it confirms the assumption that the Czech local governments undoubtedly prefer the position of “providers” in the field of the local waste management. Paradoxically, the results show that neither internal nor external provision of waste-collection services is a key factor of cost-efficiency.

scholarly journals Methods for Estimating Avoidable Costs of Excessive Alcohol Consumption

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 4964
Author(s):  
Beata Gavurova ◽  
Miriama Tarhanicova
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Excessive Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Cost Of Disease ◽  
Lost Productivity ◽  
Excessive Alcohol ◽  
The Cost

Background: Alcohol is a risk factor with serious consequences for society and individuals. This study aims to present methods and approaches that might be used to estimate the costs related to excessive alcohol consumption. It emphasizes the need for general methods and approaches that are easily applicable, because the level of digitalization and data availability vary across regions. The lack of data makes many methods inapplicable and useless. The ease of applicability will help to make cost-of-illness studies and their results comparable globally. Methods: This study is based on data from the Czech Republic in 2017. Drinking alcohol results in costs of healthcare, social care, law enforcement, and administrative costs of public authorities. To quantify the cost of drinking in the Czech Republic, the top-down approach, bottom-up approach, human capital approach and attributable fractions were used. Results: In 2017, the cost related to alcohol was estimated at 0.66% of the national GDP. Lost productivity represented 54.45% of total cost related to alcohol. All cost related to alcohol is considered to be avoidable. Conclusions: The methods and approaches applied to estimate the cost of disease or any other health issue should be generalized regarding the availability of data and specifics of provided services to people who are addicted or have any kind of disability.

scholarly journals Economies of Scale on the Municipal Level: Fact or Fiction in the Czech Republic?

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lenka Matějová ◽  
Juraj Nemec ◽  
Milan Křápek ◽  
Daniel Klimovský
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Elementary Education ◽  
Economies Of Scale ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Local Administration ◽  
Government Performance ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Territorial Structure ◽  
Pros And Cons ◽  
Municipal Level

AbstractMany countries have carried out extensive amalgamation-related territorial reforms at the level of local self-government and created relatively large municipalities. The Czech Republic is one of the few remaining European countries with a fragmented territorial structure. There is a lot of discussion in the country about the need for amalgamation, but this discussion is mainly based on political arguments rather than on empirical evidence about the feasibility of amalgamation and its potential to improve local government performance. This paper analyses economies of scale on the local level as a factor that should be reflected in debates about the pros and cons of amalgamation in the Czech Republic. To add to the existing knowledge about the reality of economies of scale on the municipal level in the Czech Republic, we processed the municipal costs of three selected areas on a representative sample of municipalities in the South Moravian Region. The analysis showed that economies of scale can be identified for collecting local fees and for pre-school and elementary education, but not for local administration. Our results suggest that the existence of too small municipalities in the Czech Republic results in inefficiencies and should be addressed.

“Small Is Beautiful”

2016 ◽  
pp. 113-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juraj Nemec ◽  
Lenka Matejova ◽  
Jana Soukopová
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Public Services ◽  
Economies Of Scale ◽  
Scale Economies ◽  
Optimal Size ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Municipal Expenditures

This chapter discusses the problem of territorial fragmentation and summarizes the arguments for and against a solution in the form of territorial consolidation regarding the example of the Czech Republic. The main reason for the consolidation of municipalities are the benefits derived from the theory of the economies of scale. Linked to this is also the question of how to determine the optimal size of a municipality in order to make the best use of the principles of scale economies. The second part of this chapter shows an analysis of Czech municipal expenditures on selected public services that municipalities provide, and based on the results, determine the optimal size of the municipality for the analyzed services. Data from the Czech Republic do not clearly support the economic arguments for territorial consolidation

scholarly journals The use of controlling in agricultural enterprises and their competitiveness

2014 ◽  
Vol 60 (No. 7) ◽  
pp. 314-322
Author(s):  
A. Foltínová ◽  
J. Špička
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Slovak Republic ◽  
Fixed Costs ◽  
Gross Margin ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Agricultural Enterprises ◽  
Cost Controlling ◽  
Break Even Point ◽  
The Cost

The article aims at the evaluation and comparison of the structure of costs linked to the milk production in the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. The paper focuses on the potential of the cost controlling in agricultural production. The analysis is based on data from the comparable sample surveys of costs and yields of agricultural commodities carried out by the Institute of Agricultural Economics and Information, Prague, and the Research Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics, Bratislava, in the period 2007–2012. The authors apply the contribution margin calculation and the gross margin calculation. Using target costing, the upper limits of variable and fixed costs are set to reach the break-even point. One of the main finding is that the average costs per litre of milk are by 15.3% higher in Slovakia than in the Czech Republic. It is caused by a significantly lower milk yield in Slovakia. Cost controlling based on the knowledge about the structure of the average costs of milk production can help farmers to better manage their business.  

scholarly journals Changes of the varietal structure of vineyards in the Czech Republic

2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (No. 12) ◽  
pp. 557-565 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Chládková ◽  
P. Tomšík ◽  
J. Sedlo
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Future Development ◽  
Market Research ◽  
Consumer Behaviour ◽  
Cabernet Sauvignon ◽  
Production Potential ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Current Production ◽  
Total Acreage ◽  
The Cost

The paper describes changes in the structure of varieties grown in the Czech Republic. The authors examine the development taking place in this domain within the last 14 years (i.e. from 1997 to 2010). The paper analyses the reasons of these changes and tries to describe the future development expected after 2010. The article also examines the cost and profitability of growing grapes and wine prices. The current production potential of the Czech Republic is 19 633.45 hectares of vineyards. As compared with 1960, the total acreage of vineyards increased nearly three times and the number of the most frequent varieties has also increased. As far as the percentages of Müller Thurgau, Green Veltliner, Italian Riesling and Sankt Laurent varieties is concerned, it is anticipated that their acreages will further decrease, whereas those of Rhein Riesling, Sauvignon, Lemberger and Zweigeltrebe are expected to grow. The results from the survey of consumer behaviour in the wine market in the CR point to the connection between the structure of the vineyards and consumer demand. Lemberger, Cabernet Sauvignon, Müller Thurgau, Grüner Veltliner, Pinot Blanc, Saint Laurent, Blue Portugal, Chardonnay, Riesling and Bohemia Sekt have been the most popular varieties of the market research.  

The Operational and Environmental Consequences of the Polystyrene Insulation Disposal

2016 ◽  
Vol 824 ◽  
pp. 180-187
Author(s):  
Jan Pasek ◽  
Martin Casensky ◽  
Jakub Stransky
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Thermal Insulation ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Construction And Demolition Waste ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Demolition Waste ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Future Production

In connection with the significant volume of polystyrene embedded in buildings as thermal insulation, in the next few years it will be needed to solve the matter of its disposal after the end of its life cycle. Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD) has been used as a flame retardant in polystyrene thermal insulation (EPS and XPS) for the last 50 years. The internationally recognized Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants prohibits future production, use and recycling of materials that contain HBCDD. It also, to a large extent, limits the options of waste management of such materials. European legislation, in particular Regulation (EC) No 850/2004 and the so called REACH Directive, established a binding legal framework for EU Member States which reduces waste management options of material containing HCDBB practically only to incineration. In the coming years, this fact requests fundamental changes in disposal of construction and demolition waste containing the polystyrene insulation and related processes on construction sites in the Czech Republic. The research is based on the analysis of the international and the Czech legislation related to this issue, and the analysis of material and technological context. The paper focuses on possible operational, economic, energy and environmental impact on the construction industry and environment, and compares the current situation in the Czech Republic with other European countries, and assesses the readiness of the Czech Republic to deal with the upcoming legislation changes.

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