Tom 23 (2023): Zeszyt 1 (March 2023)

This paper is focused on high-speed railway planning and its general aim is to assess potential commuting behaviour change on the example of planned high-speed railway in Czechia. We used standard geographical methods based on census data from 2011 in relevant ten regional centres and two important railway junctions that will be connected to high-speed railway according to planned network. The rest of three regional centres not planned to be connected to high-speed railway are disregarded. We assessed the attractiveness of relevant centre for commuter mobility change. The results document the strategic position of Prague as the main commuting centre, which relevant indicators significantly exceed all other labour mobility centres (the second most crucial centre Brno is about half the important one). This fact was confirmed by analyzing gradient labour areas and evaluating commuting relations among relevant centres. The assessment of potential impacts of HSR on labour markets is then carried out using the model of the marginal rate of labour mobility, where it is possible to count on positive impacts except for Prague on two other commuter centres, Brno and Pilsen. In the case of other analyzed centres, we can count on increasing the potential of a trip for work to the centres mentioned above.

This article aims two EU member countries (i.e. Portugal and Germany) from different regions in Europe which have, for decades, been following common strategies regarding HSR development. The authors discuss the economic profitability vs. political aims, which were related to rail modernization. The text outlines the historic background of early railway construction, important milestones for a new level of rail planning in the 1980s and 1990s in both Portugal and Germany and delays in the realization of HSR projects, their rising costs, and the opposition of the public against the new lines. The experience of the countries under scope serves as an example for other EU members who have plans to take part in the Trans-European Transport Network.

The aim of the paper is to determine how fast the HSR connection in conjunction with public transport between Brno and Prague should be in order to be time-competitive with car use. Brno and Prague are the largest agglomerations in Czechia and, according to the Czech government’s plan, the first HSR will be built between them. The competitive speed of high-speed trains is derived from mathematical accessibility models created in GIS. The route planner in Google Maps and control supplementary sources were used as a source of data on the speed of public transport connections and the travel time of cars. The effect of a possible relocation of the main Brno railway station is also considered. The derived optimal competitive speed is slightly higher than the current plans assume.

The paper studies the effects of foreign (the US, the UK and the Chinese) and domestic economic policy uncertainty (EPU) shocks on unemployment in Germany, France, Italy and Spain. The analysis is run separately for the rates of adult and youth unemployment. Impulse responses derived from vector autoregressive models show that the magnitudes of the responses of the adult and youth segments of the labour market are quite different. Following an uncertainty shock, the youth unemployment rate increases significantly more than the adult unemployment rate. This is the case for France, Italy and Spain. The German labour market seems to be resistant to foreign (except Chinese) and domestic EPU shocks, while the remaining labour markets, foremost the Spanish and Italian ones, are susceptible to uncertainty shocks, especially to the US EPU shocks.

The paper investigates implemented diversity and inclusion practices’ effect on firm sustainability. The study covers a sample of small and middle-sized automotive firms in Czechia, where diversity and inclusion practices have been implemented in relation to firm sustainability. The paper’s methodology is based on theoretical models of diversity management and firm sustainability in the automotive sector. The paper provides evidence that a low number of firms in the Czech Republic in the automotive sector have been rolling out any diversity and inclusion measures but at the same time, the majority of the selected firms have been considering the development and implementation of human resource management practices in the area of diversity and inclusion as a vital part of attracting more investors and aligning with the global sustainable goals of the United Nations. Moreover, the paper brings evidence that the automotive firms in the Czech Republic are following global and regional trends on diversity and inclusion as an important step for a sustainable strategic development.