Transformation of the employment base in Czech rural regions

The transformation process of post-communist economies in Central Europe has entered its third decade. The region has undergone processes such as restructuralisation, privatisation, globalisation and the beginning of the EU integration process. This paper focuses specifically on the transformation process in Czech rural regions, from the perspective of diversification of their economic base and related employment development. It describes two decades of change – 1991–2001 and 2001–2011. In the first decade the changes enhanced centre-periphery divergence, while in the second decade a new opportunity-driven development evolved. The emerging spatial economies are highlighted by comparing case studies of border and central rural regions. The regionalisation is operationalised at the level of LAU 1 regions. The results have policy implications in relation to diversification/specialisation strategies in rural development policy; there are also suggestions for further research on the quality of observed changes.