Geografie 2004, 109, 15-26
Regional disparities in Czechia in 1990s in modern development context
Using a wide scale of indicators (economic, social and demographic) and different statistical methods for measuring variability (coefficient of variation, Gini's coefficient, Theil's index and standard deviation) this article tries to describe the evolution of regional variability during the 1990s in the Czech Republic in the context of long-term trends. Special attention is paid to a comparison of the variability figures in the 1990s with those in the 1920s and 1930s. An evaluation of the suitability of different indexes used in measuring regional variability is also made. The analysis proves that contemporary regional differentiation in the Czech Republic is not exceptional from the long-term perspective. The article also discusses the influence of the vertical and horizontal position of the regions on the success of their development in this respect. A brief international comparison at the end shows the position of Czech regional disparities within the group of EU countries.
Keywords
regional disparities, long-term trends, 1990s, statistical methods, Czechia, EU.
Funding
Autor děkuje za finanční podporu Grantové agentuře UK, projekt č. 224/2003/B-GEO/PrF.
