On the periphery of the state: spatial and social dimensions of state authority. The case of the Polish-Czech border debt

Abstract

The article constitutes an attempt at explaining the issue of the so-called border debt which emerged in Polish-Czech relations and the manner in which the administrative authorities of each state compete for the preservation of their own prestige. The lives of ordinary citizens resident on the lands debated by Prague and Warsaw unfold betwixt two states engaged in a territorial wrangle, and thus amid an interstate dispute about the course of the border. Awareness of the consequent threats evolving among the residents of the currently negotiated area has triggered a grass-roots social protest movement which now is an important element of the political game. The resultant sovereignty conflict between the local authorities and the central government resident in the capital city has led to the latter’s capacity being to some extent questioned, as its competency with respect to the demarcation of state borders has come under criticism.