Slovakia 2002 - A Global Report on the State of Society

In the year 2002, the Global Report on the State of Society is published for the seventh consecutive year. The book is the result of a collective effort of a team of 61 experts who offer a critically-minded analysis of the development in key areas of public life in Slovak republic. Its structure is similar to those published in previous years. However, this year the book comes out in two volumes, presenting the reader with a more convenient access to an ever-increasing amount of data, analysis and information that often serve as the basis for building of reform strategies that find their implementation in real life. The publication is divided into four basic thematic parts: domestic politics, foreign policy (contained in Volume I of the publication) and economy and the society (contained in Volume II ). The thematic part "Domestic Politics" is an independent block of studies analyzing the most important developments on the domestic political scene in the Slovak Republic in the closing of the year 2001 and during the 11 months of 2002. It covers the following issues: activities of state institutions and political parties, results of elections to the National Council of the Slovak Republic, the rule of law, legislation, upholding of human rights, situation of ethnic minorities, activities of organized interest groups, functioning of public administration, developments in public opinion and political participation of men and women. The thematic part "Foreign policy" provides an external view of the main trends in foreign policy of the Slovak Republic, the participation of the country in integration processes and regional cooperation, the nature of relations of the Slovak Republic with western, central and eastern European countries and the Unites States of America, the economic dimension of Slovakia’s foreign policy, as well as developments in defense. The thematic part "Economy" subjects to analysis the overall development of the Slovak economy, the continuing process of privatization , the state of public finances, dynamics of monetary development, direction the regional policy is heading, as well as the situation in agricultural sector. The thematic part "Society" subjects to analysis trends and developments in different areas of public life, which have a significant effect on the overall development in the society. This year’s edition of the Global Report witnessed the adding of chapters devoted to the formation of the social capital of the country, as well as chapters on gender equality and the position of sexual minorities in the society. Compared to the last year’s report, the following chapters have been added: Results of 2002 Parliamentary Elections; Men and Women in Politics, Regional Policies and Regional Development; Agriculture; Social Stratification and Cohesion in the Society; and Position of Sexual Minorities. The publication also contains separate chapters devoted to education, research and development, as well as chapters on defense and integration of the Slovak Republic into NATO. Authors of the publication have included the program manifesto of the government of the Slovak Republic in regards to its relevance to each particular chapter.

TABLE OF CONTENTS (English edition)
INTRODUCTION 9
BASIC STATISTICS REGARDING THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC 19

PART ONE: DOMESTIC POLITICS
DOMESTIC POLITICS AND THE PARTY SYSTEM 23 - Grigorij Meseznikov
RESULTS OF THE 2002 PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS1 87 -Vladimir Krivy
RULE OF LAW, LEGISLATION, AND LAW APPLICATION 113 - Radoslav Prochazka, Branislav Jablonka, Daniel Lipsic, Vladimir Pirosik, and Ernest Valko
HUMAN RIGHTS 133 - Miroslav Kusy
ETHNIC MINORITIES 145 - Ondrej Dostal
ROMA 163 - Michal Vasecka
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION 183 - Viktor Niznansky and Jaroslav Kling
ORGANIZED INTERESTS 201 - Darina Malova and Marek Rybar
PUBLIC OPINION 219 - Olga Gyarfasova and Marian Velsic
WOMEN AND MEN IN POLITICS 247 - Jarmila Filadelfiova, Zora Butorova, and Olga Gyarfasova
PART TWO: FOREIGN AND DEFENSE POLICY
FOREIGN POLICY: MAIN TRENDS, BILATERAL RELATIONS, REGIONAL CO-OPERATION 261 - Juraj Marusiak, Alexander Duleba, and Zuzana Melisova-Bates
ECONOMIC DIMENSIONS OF SLOVAKIA ’S FOREIGN POLICY 311 - Ingrid Brockova
SLOVAKIA ’S INTEGRATION TO THE EUROPEAN UNION 329 - Vladimir Bilcik
DEFENSE 343 - Vladimir Kmec
SLOVAKIA ’S INTEGRATION INTO NATO 359 - Matus Korba, Juraj Marusiak, and Marek Stastny
PART THREE: ECONOMICS
OVERALL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 375 - Michal Gajdzica, Marek Jakoby, Karol Morvay, and Peter Pazitny
PUBLIC FINANCES 411 - Peter Gonda
MONETARY DEVELOPMENT 429 - Miroslav Beblavy
PRIVATIZATION 441 - Olga Reptova and Martin Valentovic
REGIONAL POLICY AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT 463 - Jaroslav Kling
AGRICULTURE 481 - Alexandra Nyersova
PART FOUR: SOCIETY
ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 499 - Mikulas Huba and Lubica Trubiniova
HEALTH CARE 517 - Rudolf Zajac and Peter PazitnySOCIAL POLICY 539 - Iveta Radicova
SOCIAL STRATIFICATION AND COHESION OF SOCIETY 559 - Imrich Vasecka
EDUCATION 573 - Jan Pisut, Gabriela Gregusova, and Martin Plesch
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 591 - Ivan Kraus
CULTURE 601 - Martin Kovac, Martin Smatlak, and Andrej Zmecek

MEDIA 617 - Zuzana Mistrikova and Miroslav Kollar
NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS AND VOLUNTEERISM 637 - Pavol Demes
PUBLIC SECURITY 657 - Jozef Majchrak
TRANSPARENCY AND CORRUPTION 673 - Daniela Zemanovicova and Emilia Sicakova-Beblava
THE INTERNET AND NEW INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES 693 - Tomas Bella and Marian Durkovic
WOMEN, MEN, AND EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITIES 719 -Zora Butorova, Jarmila Filadelfiova, Olga Gyarfasova, Jana Cvikova, and Katarina Farkasova
THE STATUS OF SEXUAL MINORITES 743 - Anna Daucikova, Zora Butorova, and Viera Wallace-Lorencova
CONCLUSION by Eugen Jurzyca 757
ABOUT THE EDITORS AND AUTHORS 761