Economics Working Papers 2023, 7(4):5-48 | DOI: 10.32725/ewp.2023.004415

Sustainable development in road management in the Czech Republic

Němec Miroslav

Sustainable development is based on the historical human need not only to exploit but also to protect the environment necessary for life. However, in the context of the current approach, sustainability encompasses much more than this; it covers a wide range of areas where efficiency in management, approach and governance is required, and the national economy is no exception. Sustainable management and maintenance can help reduce the environmental impacts of individual activities and also reduce, eliminate or recycle waste from individual activities within the circular economy. Sustainable management and maintenance are important because they allow to increase the performance and efficiency of business activities, both in terms of the environment, society and economic efficiency. If the societal goal is to have a quality infrastructure, it is necessary to deal methodologically with the way it is maintained, i.e. the choice of approach, but also the risks involved. There are undoubtedly many of these, which is why it is necessary to concentrate on 'risk management', to carry out a risk analysis and to focus on the most serious risks. It is not about the concept of risk within the function of the organisation itself, where the actual system is implemented, but about the level of risk above the organisation itself, in which external factors are also considered. The intention is to apply Risk Management to the specific conditions of an organization operating in the area of management and maintenance of lower category communications and to find ways to make the organization's activities more efficient so that they meet the conditions of sustainability and therefore can lead to social responsibility. The basic hypothesis in this contribution is "Using risk management tools can achieve efficiency and thus contribute to the sustainability of social responsibility in the conditions of an organization dealing with road management." The aim of the thesis is to find a tool for setting up a support system for the implementation of sustainable development in roads sector and intensification of sustainability management at the level of regional roads authorities in the Czech Republic.

Keywords: Sustainable development, circular economy, road management, risk management, infrastructure maintenance

Received: July 12, 2023; Revised: July 12, 2023; Prepublished online: July 12, 2023; Published: June 12, 2023  Show citation