Czech Centre London

Václav Havel European Dialogues / Growth and Inequality in Central Europe: Between Havel’s Vision and Today’s Cleavages

Join us for the fourth edition of the annual Václav Havel European Dialogues, a global series of discussions inspired by Havel’s enduring legacy organised jointly by the Czech Centre London, SSEES and the Research Centre for the Study of Places, Identities, and Memories (PIMs).

Over the last three decades, the Central European countries have experienced some of the fastest economic growths in the world. The region has joined the ranks of highly developed countries, and its citizens are wealthier and living longer than ever before. In Czechia, this transformation was closely tied to the democratic ideals articulated by Václav Havel, whose vision of an open society and civic responsibility shaped the country’s path during the early years of transition. Yet, within a generation, Central Europe has also moved from being one of the most egalitarian regions in Europe to one of the most unequal. This indicates that the growth has not benefited all equally. What are the sources of the Central European miracle, and who are its main beneficiaries? What are the consequences of the increasing inequalities for these societies, especially in the context of growing political polarisation? How can we ensure that future growth in the region will be inclusive? 

The event will be moderated by Jessie Barton Hronešová and will feature an esteemed panel of speakers, including Zsoka Koczan, Lead Economist in the Office of the Chief Economist at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Lubomír Lízal, economist and former director of CERGE-EI, Prague, Pawel Bukowski, co-director of the new Research Center for the Study of Places, Identities, and Memories (PIMs), and a word of welcome by Přemysl Pela, the director of the Czech Center in London.

About the speakers:

Zsoka Koczan is Associate Director, Lead Economist in the Office of the Chief Economist at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. At the EBRD, she edits the Regional Economic Prospects, which review the latest economic developments in the EBRD regions, works on the Transition Report, EBRD’s annual flagship publication, and runs the Life in Transition Survey, a large household survey covering 44 economies. Prior to joining the EBRD, she worked as an economist at the International Monetary Fund in the European and the Research Departments, primarily on the World Economic Outlook. She holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Cambridge

Paweł Bukowski is a Lecturer in Economics at the University College London and the Polish Academy of Sciences. Also affiliated with the London School of Economics. He is a Co-Director of the Centre for the Study of Places, Identities and Memories (PIMs) at UCL. His research focuses on socio-economic inequalities and labour economics. He has won multiple international research grants, founded an expert group – Dobrobyt na Pokolenia and is a member of Concilium Civitas - a group of influential Polish social scientists working abroad. His book, “Inequalities a’la Polonaise”, won the Puls Biznesu Scientific Economics Book of the Year 2024 and the Marcin Król Prize 2025, given for a significant contribution to the humanities and social sciences. 

Lubomír Lízal has been a member of the Czech National Bank Board in 2011-2017; the Board is bank governing body and monetary policy committee. Since 1993 he has worked as a researcher at the Economics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences. In 2003–2008 he has been Director of both the Economics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences and CERGE, Charles University. He is a member of the Scientific Council of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the Czech Technical University, and other scientific boards. He was a member of the National Economic Council of the Government. In years 2018-2019 he has served as the President of the Anglo-American University in Prague. Currently he is an associate professor at the Czech Technical University and at the University of Finance and Administration.
Mr Lízal graduated at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the Czech Technical University. In 1998 he obtained a PhD in economics at CERGE, Charles University and in 2006 he qualified as an associate professor in economics at Charles University. In his research he has focused on transition and environmental economics, recently also on energy economics.

Jessie Barton Hronešová is a Lecturer in Political Sociology at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, UCL, and Co-Director of the Centre for Study of Places, Identities and Memories. In her work, she focuses on victimhood narratives, the politics of memory, transitional justice and dealing with the past in Central and Southeast Europe. She is particularly interested in the political uses of emotionally charged and traumatic memories as well as how victims and survivors navigate politics. She is the author of The Struggle of Redress: Victim Capital in Bosnia and Herzegovina (2020) and Post-War Ethno-National Identities of Young People in Bosnia and Herzegovina (2012) and co-editor of The Nexus between Democracy, Collective Identity Formation, and EU Enlargement (2011). From 2019 to 2021 she was the ESRC Postdoctoral research Fellow at the University of Oxford and then a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow at UNC Chapel Hill and Ca' Foscari. Outside of academia, she is a frequent policy advisor and consultant in international development in Central and Southeast Europe.

Přemysl Pela is the Director of the Czech Centre London and the Programme Director of Czechia EXPO 2025 in Osaka. Premysl has served as the Director of the Czech Center in New York and worked for, among others, the Charles University's CERGE-EI Institute and the Czech Academy of Sciences. In the private sector, he has held various international top managerial roles. He also headed the Strategy and Innovation Department at the Czech Centre's HQ in Prague and developed innovative projects presenting scientific creativity through advanced digital technology. He holds graduate degrees from the University of Wisconsin and Ostrava University and has completed academic and professional programmes in New York University, Michigan University and the Civil Management College in London.

More information:

https://london.czechcentres.cz/en/program/vaclav-havel-european-dialogues-2025

 

#vaclavhaveldialogues #inequality #centraleurope

(when) Art Talks: Filomena Borecká

Inspired by her father’s bedtime stories, Czech Christmas traditions, and the stillness and ever-presence of breath, Czech artist based in Paris Filomena Borecká, created paintings and a sculpture that, together with works by four other artists, fill the spaces of the Vitrínka and Bouda galleries. Today she joined our podcast series to tell us more about her art and sources of inspiration.

Silent Systems: Breathing Devices at Vitrínka and Breathing with Breaths – Air Bladders at Bouda run until 16 January and are part of the 29th Made in Prague Festival. Listen to our newest episode and take a glimpse into what’s awaiting you in the Czech Centre London’s galleries!

https://london.czechcentres.cz/en/program/silent-objects-breathing-devices

https://london.czechcentres.cz/en/program/breaths-air-bladders

 

#(when)arttalks #filomenaborecka #breathsairbladders #silentsystemsbreathingdevices #madeinpraguefestival

Echoes of Exile: A Family’s Odyssey through the Holocaust and Cold War

Book launch conversation with Daniela Spenser, chaired by Jana Burešová

Join us for a compelling evening with historian and anthropologist Daniela Grollová Spenser, as she discusses her new book Echoes of Exile: A Family’s Odyssey through the Holocaust and Cold War.

Blending personal history with political insight, Spenser traces three generations of her family across some of the most turbulent chapters of the 20th century: from the devastation of the Holocaust and wartime imprisonment, through the vibrant intellectual and political life of 1960s Czechoslovakia, to the trauma of exile after the 1968 Soviet invasion. At the heart of the story are her mother, translator Ruth Tosková, and her stepfather, editor and journalist Vladimír Tosek, whose lives intertwined with prominent figures such as Jiří Pelikán and the émigré journal Listy.

The book—published in Czech by Argo (2025) and in English by the University of Alabama Press (2025)—offers a deeply human perspective on survival, displacement, and the shifting relationship between political exiles and Czech society after 1989.

The conversation will be chaired by Jana Burešová and will open a window into how private lives intersect with history on a global scale.

About the author:
Daniela Spenser is a fellow at CIESAS (Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropología Social) in Mexico City. She is also the author of The Impossible Triangle: Mexico, Soviet Russia, and the United States in the 1920sand Stumbling Its Way Through Mexico: The Early Years of the Communist International.

Supported by the BCSA.

More information:

https://london.czechcentres.cz/en/program/echoes-of-exile

#czechcentrelondon #booklaunch #conversation

(when) Art Talks: Design and Transformation

The new exhibition at Bouda Gallery, Design and Transformation, offers a fresh perspective on Czech design by exploring the relationship between design and social change. Showcasing six inspiring Czech companies and highlighting 30 years of both tradition and innovation, the exhibition combines storytelling with behind-the-scenes insights into some of the most iconic Czech brands. Presented as part of the London Design Festival, it captivates visitors with its unique approach. Curator Tereza Vernerová Volná and creative director of the short films Michaela Režová share what makes this exhibition special and why it’s definitely worth a visit!

https://london.czechcentres.cz/en/program/design-and-transformation

#(when)arttalks #designandtransformation #terezavernerovavolna #michaelarezova

(when) Art Talks: Panoptikum

In the latest episode of (when) Art Talks, renowned Czech choreographer Lenka Vagnerová shares her insights into this year’s Fringe Festival and the powerful story behind Panoptikum, a haunting dance theatre performance inspired by the “freak shows” of the late 19th century in the UK and US.

Don’t miss Episode 6!

https://london.czechcentres.cz/en/

#(when)arttalks #panoptikum #lenkavagnerova