The Opposition Agreement - Conditions, Forms and Consequences of Party Patronage in the Czech Republic

The thesis deals with the topic of party patronage in the Czech Republic, specifically in the context of the so-called opposition agreement, i.e. the CSSD minority government in the years 1998-2002. Patronage is a concept that has recently been given to the forefront of scientific research. An important part of this thesis is to identify the different concepts of party patronage and to specify the context of clientelism and corruption. Political order as it was designed by the opposition agreement has been subject of many discussions and conformed to cartel party system, the thesis analyzes significant events of this period on the background of the cartel party theory and draws conclusions about the application of this theory in the Czech Republic. The period of the opposition agreement is still remembered in the context of expansion of corruption and clientelistic ties and practices, the thesis is trying to question this relationship and suggest other possible tendencies that can contribute to the extent of these practices in Czech politics. In addition to corruption and clientelism, special attention is paid to the form of party patronage. The first part defines the theoretical concepts, clientelism, corruption, patronage and the cartel party theory. The next section introduces the opposition agreement, the circumstances of its creation and is followed by the application of the theory of cartel parties on the political organization of that period. The last part presents the form of party patronage in the Czech Republic, focusing on the context of the opposition agreement and persistent tendencies