<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>This paper studies 38 splits that occurred between 1995 and 2020 in the Czech Republic. Although the initial splits, that took place during the time of democratic transition, were driven by perceived local identity and the historical memory of being a former independent municipality, the splits after 1995 were predominantly driven by economic factors, be it objective underinvestment and a perceived grievance that the mother municipality was not taking care of its fringe parts. In all cases, the mother municipality had failed to communicate with the initiator of a referendum. However, if the central municipality invested in its parts and its political leaders communicated with its citizens, the municipality did not lose its part despites the attempts of secessionist leaders.</p>
</abstract>

This paper studies 38 splits that occurred between 1995 and 2020 in the Czech Republic. Although the initial splits, that took place during the time of democratic transition, were driven by perceived local identity and the historical memory of being a former independent municipality, the splits after 1995 were predominantly driven by economic factors, be it objective underinvestment and a perceived grievance that the mother municipality was not taking care of its fringe parts. In all cases, the mother municipality had failed to communicate with the initiator of a referendum. However, if the central municipality invested in its parts and its political leaders communicated with its citizens, the municipality did not lose its part despites the attempts of secessionist leaders.

<bold>Local Identity</bold> or Economic Benefits? The Municipal Splits in the Czech Republic

Department of Politics and European Studies

Miscellanea Geographica

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

 or Economic Benefits? The Municipal Splits in the Czech Republic

This paper studies 38 splits that occurred between 1995 and 2020 in the Czech Republic. Although the initial splits, that took place during the time of...

Local Identity or Economic Benefits? The Municipal Splits in the Czech Republic

Published Online: Jan 20, 2021

Page range: 18 - 27

Received: Apr 23, 2020

Accepted: Nov 03, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/mgrsd-2020-0042

Keywords
Municipal splits, economy of scale, the Czech Republic, municipal fragmentation, territorial reform, local competition

© 2021 Jakub Lysek, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Local Identity or Economic Benefits? The Municipal Splits in the Czech Republic

Published Online: Jan 20, 2021

Page range: 18 - 27

Received: Apr 23, 2020

Accepted: Nov 03, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/mgrsd-2020-0042

KeywordsMunicipal splits, economy of scale, the Czech Republic, municipal fragmentation, territorial reform, local competition

© 2021 Jakub Lysek, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
Municipal splits, economy of scale, the Czech Republic, municipal fragmentation, territorial reform, local competition