The role of experts in forming family policy under an adversarial subsystem in the Czech Republic

0559540 - SOÚ 2024 RIV GB eng J - Journal Article
Saxonberg, S. - Formánková, Lenka - Hašková, Hana
The role of experts in forming family policy under an adversarial subsystem in the Czech Republic.
International Journal of Social Welfare. Roč. 32, č. 1 (2023), s. 101-112. ISSN 1369-6866. E-ISSN 1468-2397
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA17-21259S
Institutional support: RVO:68378025
Keywords : Czech Republic * expert commission * family policy * father leaves * gender * participatory observation
OECD category: Social topics (Women´s and gender studies; Social issues; Family studies; Social work)
Impact factor: 1.9, year: 2022
Method of publishing: Open access
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ijsw.12550

This article analyzes the interplay between policymakers and scientists in devel-oping the Family Policy Plan for the Czech Republic in 2017. As former membersof the government commission that developed the plan, we base the article onparticipatory observation. When we joined the commission, a‘window of oppor-tunity’hadopenedasthecountryforthefirst time ever had feminist-friendlyminister and vice-minister of labour and social affairs. We explain why due tothe inter- and intra-party dynamics, the parental leave reform to introduce‘daddy months’failed. We argue an adversarial subsystem existed in that thethree coalition partners disagreed onthe reform. According to Ingold andGschwend (2014), under such circumstances, scientists play a strategic role, espe-cially if there is unity among them. However, although there was basic unityamong the scientists in the commission,the coalition partners at the governinglevel were able to block or water down the reform proposal under the study.
Permanent Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0332808