1.    BASIC CHARACTERISTIC, MACROECONOMIC INDICATORS, DISTRICTS

BASIC CHARACTERISTIC

In the long time series, an emphasis is placed on the methodological comparability of data in particular. A number of changes occurred over the whole period, which were brought about by the Czech Statistical Service striving for the international comparability of methods and results of surveys. The organizational structure of the national economy saw changes too. This was why the time series of indicators had to be adjusted to correspond the methodology and organizational structure of the latest year published (2002) so that a correct assessment could be placed on the long-term development. However, all the value indicators are given at current prices as sufficient relevant data on price developments in both production and consumption areas have not been available in the regional breakdown needed.

All the data are converted to correspond to the new territorial self-governing units (new administrative regions) in force since 1 January 2000. This adjustment was made by redistributing data on whole districts. On 1 January 1996 the District of Jeseník came into being, whose territory was separated out of the District of Šumperk (now in the Olomoucký Region) and in part from the District of Bruntál (now in the Moravskoslezský Region). The published data on the new district refer to the year of its establishment and later years, as no retroactive conversion of absolute majority of the indicators is possible. Data for years before 1996 are included in the districts concerned.

Due to the conversions some data are not the same as those published before. In some cases the subject-matter contents differ from data revealed in Chapter 14 – Territorial comparisons and, as the case might be, from data in the other chapters. The reason behind is the efforts to achieve long-term comparability.

The time series of regional GDP indicators is fully comparable. The figures on emissions from stationary polluters (REZZO 1 – 3) are comparable in the time series.

Population: the data are comparable in terms of methodology in the whole time series, except for the initial data for which the results derived from the Population and Housing Census held as at 1 March 1991 had to be chosen to depict trends in population and age structure. The data on the population in 2001 already follow up the definitive results of the Population and Housing Census as at 1 March 2001 and also include, in accordance with international conventions, numbers of foreigners staying long in the country. The relative indicators are based on mid-year population figures in respective years and are fully comparable too. The exception is the year 1990, whose mid-year population figure was not updated by the results of the Housing and Population Census taken in 1991.

Labour: there were considerable changes in the borderline between large (surveyed) and small (not surveyed) enterprises. These changes concern the trend in the number of employees in particular and, to a lesser extent, the development of the average monthly wage. Being aware of these problems, we are releasing data dating back to 1994 (those for 1990 broken down by industry cannot constructed in this methodology). The set of reporting units concerned developed as follows:

1995 and 1996
enterprises with 25+ employees incorporated, (in agriculture: holdings with 1 000 ha of agricultural land and over, specialized agricultural holdings; in industry, trade, hotels and restaurants: enterprises with 100+ employees), all entities classified to financial intermediation, all entities classified to non-business sphere, excluding the armed forces;

1997 to 2002
enterprises with 20+ employees incorporated and unincorporated, all entities classified to financial intermediation, all entities classified to non-business sphere, excluding the armed forces.

The data are broken by district of the workplace or, since 2002, by district the head office of the enterprise. The classification to industries is governed by the principal activity of the enterprise.

Unemployment: the data are fully comparable.

Acquisition of tangible and intangible fixed assets: processed by the territorial method (district, place of constructions). The time series is adversely affected by changes in the set of reporting units, as in labour statistics. Due to changes in methodology, these data are not comparable with those shown in Chapter 7.

Agriculture: a significant change in the methodology occurred in 2002. Classified In agriculture according to standards of the EU are units which exceed specified “threshold limits” such as farming on one hectare of agricultural land or breeding one head of cattle or two pigs or 50 hens, etc. Smaller agricultural activities have been have been classified under the household sector as “hobby activities” of the population. However, their extent at the regional level is impossible to establish with sufficient reliability. Any retroactive conversion of time series to a comparable basis is impossible, either.

Industry: only the data referring to years since 1997 are comparable. They refer to enterprises with 100+ employees having their head offices on the territory concerned. Since 1997 industrial activity sales are also monitored, in place of the former production of goods (gross production). In construction, too, fully comparable data are available since 1997 (enterprises with 20+ employees and based on respective territories). On the other hand, the data on housing construction and building permits are comparable in the entire time series rather easily.

Education: the data are not fully comparable in the time series. In each year they reflect the valid breakdown of the system of basic schools, secondary schools and universities. The information is taken from the departmental information system of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the CR.

Culture: the data on the number of establishments and facilities are surveyed directly in individual districts, irrespective of the founder. They are fully comparable in the time series.

Health: the data are taken from the departmental information system of the Ministry of Health of the CR. The time series is comparable, where only health establishment falling under the Ministry of Health of the CR are involved (as opposed to Table 1-1 and Chapters 9 and 14, which deal with establishments belonging to all departments). Besides, detached units of the health establishments are not covered (unlike Chapter 13).

Social security: the data source is the departmental survey taken by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the CR, whose results give a view of social care from the angle of the management structure. Another view is territorial and this is dealt with in Chapter 9.

Crime and accidents: included are data from the departmental information system of the Ministry of the Interior of the CR, which are fully comparable in the time series. Older data are difficult to publish as they are not available itemized by district, which is why data for new administrative regions could not be produced.

MACROECONOMIC INDICATORS

The top-down prorating method was employed to regionalize gross domestic product and gross value added. The method, which uses the volume of wages paid broken down by industry and region for the prorating, was accepted by the Statistical Office of the European Communities (Eurostat) in February 1998. The volume of investments by place of construction was used to prorate gross fixed capital formation.

For the purpose of international comparisons, the data given at CZK basic prices were converted according to PPP (purchasing power standard) using coefficients issued by Eurostat. All the data in the time series are fully comparable.

DISTRICTS

Evaluating the comparability of data on individual districts is governed by the same principles as those applying to time series for the whole region. The time series can be used virtually without any restriction given the fact that the tables deal with the years 2000 - 2002 only.