Open Access Article SciPap-866
Nongovernmental Nonprofit Organisations in Social Services: Theories Versus the Real Situation in the Czech Republic
by Jakub Pejcal 1,* and Jakub Dostál 2

1 Faculty of Economics and Administration, Department of Public Economics, Masaryk University, Lipová 41a, Brno 602 00, Czechia

2 Department of Economic Studies, College of Polytechnics Jihlava, Tolstého 16, Jihlava 586 01, Czechia

* Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Abstract: The national economy can be divided by theory into four segments - public sector, the nongovernmental non-profit sector, the nongovernmental for-profit sector, and the household sector. For a long time, the nongovernmental nonprofit sector has been considered to be a very active and important segment in the area of providing public services. In this paper, we outline the actual situation in the Czech Republic, the role and scope of Czech nongovernmental nonprofit organisations in the field of social services that is significant. On the basis of official statistics of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the Czech Republic (The Register of Social Service Providers) and other databases (Register of Economic Entities and Public Register), we show that almost two third of all social services (approximately 5,600 services) is provided by nongovernmental nonprofit providers (especially by Public beneficiary corporations, Churches and religious communities and Societies). The contribution also include detailed characteristics of these organizations (their legal form, the location of their seat, number of provided services, etc.). The findings and results of our research are then critically discussed with regard to relevant theories and results of previous studies.

Keywords: Public Services, Distribution Of National Economy, Nongovernmental Nonprofit Sector, Nongovernmental Nonprofit Organisations, Social Services

JEL classification:   A13 - Relation of Economics to Social Values,   L31 - Nonprofit Institutions • NGOs • Social Entrepreneurship

SciPap 2017, 25(2), 866

Received: 30 December 2016 / Accepted: 20 March 2017 / Published: 2 June 2017