Browsing: institutional support

Introduction.The decisive support of sport in the Czech Republic is achieved from public financial means through municipal budgets. According to studies and statistic data, 4/5 of the total support is provided by municipalities and 1/5 is represented by direct expenses from the state budget, which is primarily aimed on the support of professional sport and national representation. Municipal financial means aim on the broader support of all sport activities of their citizens, including their active recreation.

Aim of the study. The case study proposes a new approach to restructuring of sport financing for a municipality with 24 thousand inhabitants. The methodical approach is based on the analysis of financial flows of institutional and non-institutional sport support, analysis of municipal budget, analysis of current sport infrastructure and current grant policy. By using comparative methods with other cities in the Czech Republic, it was discovered that Litoměřice has above average percentage share for the operating financing of sport (2.9 – 11.3 % of the municipal spending), high ratio of institutional subsidies (72 – 97%) and low but increasing share of non-institutional sport support (3 – 28%). Based on the analysis, there is no need to increase financial means for sport, which could have negative budget impacts in the future. Instead, the proposal focuses on rebalancing the institutional support in favour of demand driven non-institutional support – in particular the use of grant policy with the help of program financing.
Keywords: institutional support, budgetary implications, municipal sport, grants, municipalities.
JEL Classification: D61, D62, H71, H75, I38.

Introduction. Currently, the small and medium enterprises sector is a factor of sustainable development, with a significant contribution to GDP creation and providing jobs in most economies. Economic strategies and policies in the European Union, USA and Japan lay major emphasis on encouraging entrepreneurship and the development of the small and medium enterprises sector as a balancing factor at micro- and macroeconomic level.

Aim of the study. The paper approaches important issues on the small and medium enterprises sector as a vector of economic development in the contemporary period. It presents the SMEs delimitation criteria in the microeconomic landscape used in the European Union, USA and Japan. It also highlights the preoccupations manifested at European and world level in terms of promoting entrepreneurship activities, materialized in organizing summits and major events dedicated to small and medium enterprises, as well as in the operationalization of funding programs for them. The last part of this paper reflects issues related to the support SMEs receive at institutional level, emphasizing areas of assistance, support programs and services that various institutions and bodies offer to develop the small and medium sector.
Keywords: SMEs, defining criteria, financial support, institutional support, programs, areas of assistance.
JEL Classification: L25, L26, M10, M21, O10.