Financování vysokého školství v České republice v letech 2016–2025: SWOT analýza, srovnání se současným nizozemským systémem a návrhy na implementaci vybraných prvků

This thesis examines the financing of public higher education in the Czech Republic in the period 2016–2024. The aim is to identify structural weaknesses of the existing system through a SWOT analysis based on macroeconomic and demographic data and to propose the implementation of selected elements of the Dutch model. The theoretical framework draws on human capital theory (Schultz, Becker), Spence's signalling theory, the concept of education as a mixed good, and the free-rider problem as described by Barr. The analytical section demonstrates that despite nominal expenditure growth exceeding CZK 50 billion for the first time in 2024, the inflationary shock of 2022–2023 caused a real decline in the purchasing power of university budgets and pushed the share of higher education spending in GDP below 0.60%. Simultaneous demographic growth in student numbers produced a scissors effect, steadily eroding per-student expenditure. A cohort analysis of dropout rates revealed that more than 57% of bachelor's-level students do not complete their studies within the standard period, bringing the effective public cost per successful graduate above CZK 1.4 million. A macroeconomic model constructed for the thesis estimates that brain drain inflicts an annual fiscal loss exceeding CZK 7.35 billion on the state budget. Building on these findings, the thesis proposes implementing selected features of the Dutch system, in particular conditional grants modelled on the basisbeurs mechanism and output-based institutional funding tied to the number of degrees awarded.