Vliv neformálních institucí na ekonomickou výkonnost vybraných okresů České republiky v období 2007 - 2023

The bachelor thesis examines the relationship between informal institutions and the economic performance of selected districts of the Czech Republic in the years 2007–2023. It is based on the framework of institutional economics, in which informal institutions are understood as long-term norms, values and behavioural patterns that shape trust, cooperation and the willingness to invest. Economic performance is measured by a custom index of district GDP derived from regional GDP and the number of employed persons (insured employees and the self-employed) using data from the Czech Statistical Office and the Czech Social Security Administration. The relationships between this index and indicators of crime, migration, marriage rate, share of births out of wedlock, unemployment, net change in self-employed persons and garden area are estimated using a pooled OLS panel regression with yearly dummy variables and robust standard errors. The main model for twelve districts shows in particular a strong negative relationship between the share of births out of wedlock and economic performance; crime, marriages and garden area are also statistically significant. Splitting the sample into six regional groups reveals substantial regional heterogeneity: some variables (e.g. crime, unemployment) have relatively consistent effects, while others change sign depending on the type of region and its historical and cultural background. The results confirm that informal institutions can co-determine regional differences in economic performance, but their influence is strongly mediated by economic structure, the degree of urbanisation and proximity to large cities. The thesis concludes by discussing implications for regional development and economic policy.