I21 - Analysis of EducationNávrat zpět

The paper poses the question whether the economics of science could be the key to economic methodology. First, the sociology of science, which tries to put science in social context, is described. Then, the economic approach to science, inspired by Tullock, Stigler and Becker, is explained. We point out the problem of circle, according to which putting science in context does not imply relativism as concerns the truth. This conclusion underlines the Popperian message of the paper.

This article focuses on common and different attributes of education and health from economic and social perspective. Education and health are not usually analyzed together so this could be considered to be an innovative approach. Article contains knowledge which reflects empirically known dependencies in the area of education and health determinants and relationships of education and health to human capital. It also emphasizes and argues for the importance of lifelong learning and availability of high-quality health care as economic development prerequisites. While the education and health is by its own nature bound to an individual and its investments, the question of equal chances to educate and consume health care is highly important in the modern society. Based on the identified attributes and relationships of education and health, the article shows their economic characteristic, social aspects and summarizes their importance for the economic development.

The impact of different financing alternatives on two simple models of the university system is analysed in this paper. Both models are agent - based, the reason is that we analyse a system of heterogeneous universities instead of a representative university. Models differ in the rules for the decision-making of universities. In the first - optimising model - each university in each period maximalizes the probability of survival, control variables are the income of universities and the salary of teachers. In the second model we implicitly assume constrained rationality or shortage of relevant information and each university in each period reacts according to simple rules on the difference between the number of applicants and its capacity. Basic result is that the behaviour of models in different situations differs with the financing alternatives and it would be an oversimplification to generalize that some of the financing alternative is always the best.

The article consists of theoretical and analytical part. Theoretical part provides a brief review of the academic literature dealing with human capital, it's accumulation and obsolescence. In The second part analyses selected qualitative characteristics of adult population in the CR and compares them with their average level in the European Union. Analysis shows that the strong positive attribute of the CR is a high share of population with secondary education. In 2005 this indicator reached 77% in the CR, the EU-25 average was only 48 %. The other CR' advantage is high average level of quantitative literacy and also high rate of population who took place in the two highest proficiency level of quantitative as well as document literacy. On the other hand the weak point is low share tertiary educated population, low level of prose literacy and ability to speak in a foreign language. CR lacks also in percentage of households having access to the personal computer and to the Internet at home. Population of the CR shows relatively low level of job mobility as well as readiness to move to find job if they were unemployed.