Dynamika ekonomických zmien v malých mestských sídlach (Pohľad občanov a predstaviteľov ekonomickej elity sídla)
The Dynamics of Economic Changes in Small Town Settlements (Its Perception by Inhabitants and Local Economic Elites)

Summary/Abstract: The Dynamics of Economic Changes in Small Town Settlements (Its Perception by Inhabitants and Local Economic Elites). The article presents preliminary observations of the local patterns of economic transformation and its social consequences, which influenced the development of structural attributes of economic subjects in Brezno and Banská Štiavnica. Changes of proprietary forms and the variety of organizational forms of these subjects, together with the massive reduction of size of the leading local companies, had a strong impact on the socio-economic situation of town’s population. During the monitored period, a growth of unemployment rate, changes in the working conditions and decrease of the professional career possibilities were observed. Comparison between the selected groups of towns’ populations and the local economic elites signals the increasing differences in their evaluation of work responsibility, different definition of the most dynamic economic factors of work and different attitude towards the claims for a qua-lification and employment career. Despite their concurrence about the difficult situation with job-to-find possibilities, the local economic elites in both towns still consider the self-activity and the self-responsibility to be the most important elements of economic success. Research also focused on the perception of cooperation with local state administration and the local government, related to the emergence of economic problems in both settlements. The different perceptions were observed not only on the level of elite-population but also on the level of the two towns. High expectations of positive economic development were tied to the fact that both, Brezno and Banská Štiavnica, became on July 1st 1998 new county centers, however, this proved to be a rather symbolic and prestigious asset. The article also reflects the evaluation of economic changes and life conditions in the period from 1991 to 1998 as perceived by both, the town inhabitants and the local economic elites. Sociológia 1999 Vol 31 (No. 2: 187-198)

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