Crisis and Quality of Democracy in Eastern Europe

Crisis and Quality of Democracy in Eastern Europe PDF Author: Miodrag A. Jovanović
Publisher: Eleven International Publishing
ISBN: 9789490947675
Category : Constitutional Law
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
There has been an erosion of trust in elected institutions in both well-established democracies and in new democracies. Whether this 'crisis of democracy' is caused by the current financial crisis or is due to the structural features and quality of democracy in general, political bodies are in need of strategies for overcoming this crucial problem of contemporary politics. Crisis and Quality of Democracy in Eastern Europe addresses this need by bringing together political, legal, and economic scholars and analysts who tackle this worrisome backsliding of democracies, placing special emphasis on East European, post-communist States. The book is organized around three central themes. The first provides a theoretical assessment of the crisis and quality of democracy with an examination of the tension between democracy and capitalism, the sources of disenchantment and cynicism about democratic politics, and a conceptualization of quality of democracy. The second theme is the state of constitutionalism, democracy, and the rule of law in Eastern Europe, which is organized around four case-studies: Hungary, Serbia, Poland, and Macedonia. The final subject matter is the nature of a connection between economic performance and democratic mechanisms in the post-communist states. Ranging over political theory, political science, constitutional law, and economics, this book will be appealing to theorists, as well as to empirical or policy-oriented experts working within democratic studies.

Crisis and Quality of Democracy in Eastern Europe

Crisis and Quality of Democracy in Eastern Europe PDF Author: Miodrag A. Jovanović
Publisher: Eleven International Publishing
ISBN: 9789490947675
Category : Constitutional Law
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
There has been an erosion of trust in elected institutions in both well-established democracies and in new democracies. Whether this 'crisis of democracy' is caused by the current financial crisis or is due to the structural features and quality of democracy in general, political bodies are in need of strategies for overcoming this crucial problem of contemporary politics. Crisis and Quality of Democracy in Eastern Europe addresses this need by bringing together political, legal, and economic scholars and analysts who tackle this worrisome backsliding of democracies, placing special emphasis on East European, post-communist States. The book is organized around three central themes. The first provides a theoretical assessment of the crisis and quality of democracy with an examination of the tension between democracy and capitalism, the sources of disenchantment and cynicism about democratic politics, and a conceptualization of quality of democracy. The second theme is the state of constitutionalism, democracy, and the rule of law in Eastern Europe, which is organized around four case-studies: Hungary, Serbia, Poland, and Macedonia. The final subject matter is the nature of a connection between economic performance and democratic mechanisms in the post-communist states. Ranging over political theory, political science, constitutional law, and economics, this book will be appealing to theorists, as well as to empirical or policy-oriented experts working within democratic studies.

Democracy Between Consolidation and Crisis

Democracy Between Consolidation and Crisis PDF Author: Leonardo Morlino
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191521205
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 406

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Book Description
The second half of the twentieth century has witnessed several waves of democratization in Europe, the Americas, and in other regions of the world, such as South East Asia. Although for the most part these democratic regimes are no longer haunted by the prospect of a return to authoritarianism, severe economic and social problems have posed serious challenges, creating a situation where change is often achieved through alternating periods of consolidation and crisis. Drawing on a systematic, empirical analysis of four key Southern European countries, Portugal, Spain, Greece, and Italy, Morlino identifies several key aspects of democratic consolidation: consensus and legitimation, party system and party organization, and the ways in which organized and non-organized interests are related to parties and the institutions of state. The resulting models of consolidation are analysed and the mechanisms and patterns of their unfolding crises identified, taking care to disentangle the pragmatic reactions against the regime, often related to corruption, from more ideological ones grounded in differences in values. Finally, the author addresses the question of the `quality' of democracy, examining how this is related to the outcome of processes of consolidation and crisis. This insightful study offers the first extensive, comparative analysis of consolidation and crisis in these countries, and features a wealth of up-to-date information on party organizations, interest associations, the media, and public opinion. Although clearly focusing on Southern Europe, the author's findings are extremely relevant for understanding the politics of several other regions, including Eastern Europe, Latin America, and South East Asia.

The Quality of Democracy in Eastern Europe

The Quality of Democracy in Eastern Europe PDF Author: Andrew Roberts
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521110335
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 253

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Book Description
This book presents a positive assessment of democratic quality as it has developed in ten postcommunist countries.

Czech Democracy in Crisis

Czech Democracy in Crisis PDF Author: Astrid Lorenz
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030400069
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 287

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Book Description
"Democracy theories and comparative political science have been challenged within the last decade by an unexpected democratic deficit and the rise of populism in the new EU-member states. This volume written by German and Czech scholars gives some food for thought for solving these research problems by means of thorough analyses of the polity, the politics and selected policies of the Czech Republic since 1990."Dieter Segert, retired Professor of Political Science (Area Studies on Eastern Europe), University of Vienna, Austria "Czech Democracy in Crisis is a long-overdue comprehensive study of the Czech political system. Using institutional approaches to change, it explores crucial policy outcomes. A perfect book for academics and practitioners who want to understand the challenges of democratic consolidation in a new democracy."Lenka Bustikova, Associate Professor of Political Science, Arizona State University, USA, and author of Extreme Reactions: Radical Right Mobilization in Eastern Europe The image of the Czechs as a poster child of democratization has changed into a crisis narrative in recent years. This edited volume traces this change and examines the suitability of different theories to explain developments in Czech democracy. The contributors, all renowned experts in their fields, offer well-founded and compact insights into the post-1989 Czech political system. They cover political institutions and parties; civil society; the media; and selected policy areas such as foreign, economic, migration and regional policy. The book takes into account processes of democratization and Europeanization, explaining the political picture at various stages of development. Finding that many of today’s problems—fragmented political parties, government instability, inefficient state administration and low quality of governance—have not been new developments but have constantly existed, the authors present a plea for theoretical adjustments that should be read by all academics, students, practitioners and readers with an interest in Czech politics and society.

Achieving Democracy Through Interest Representation

Achieving Democracy Through Interest Representation PDF Author: Patrycja Rozbicka
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030555216
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 238

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Book Description
This book assesses the quality of democracy through the study of organized interests in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) since the collapse of communism in 1989 up to 2017. It offers a much-needed comprehensive look into formal interest representation in CEE countries and compares this with the model in Western democracies. Drawing on democratic theory and comparative analysis, the authors explore the effects of a legal framework, political as well as social contexts. The volume contributes to debates on the performance of young democracies in CEE, where scholars argue that there is a ‘democratic crisis’ and democratic fatigue while the interest group system is often labelled as weak and, in some cases, underdeveloped. Although great efforts have been made to deepen our understanding of interest organization and lobbying tools, the current literature fails to provide a comprehensive answer on the influence of unsupportive environments on population ecology. The case of CEE countries shows significant effects of political and social contexts on interest representation, stimulating a debate about the quality of democratic institutions following the collapse of communism.

The Quality of Democracy in Eastern Europe

The Quality of Democracy in Eastern Europe PDF Author: Andrew Lawrence Roberts
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781107202566
Category : Democracy
Languages : en
Pages : 239

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Book Description
"How does democracy work in the new democracies of Eastern Europe? Do the people actually rule as one would expect in a democracy or do the legacies of communism and the constraints of the transition weaken popular control? This book presents a new framework for conceptualizing and measuring democratic quality and applies this framework to multiple countries and policy areas in the region. It defines democratic quality as the degree to which citizens are able to hold leaders accountable for their performance and keep policy close to their preferences. Its surprising conclusion, drawn from large-N statistical analyses and small-N case studies, is that citizens exercise considerable control over their rulers in Eastern European democracies. Despite facing difficult economic circumstances and an unfavorable inheritance from communism, these countries rapidly constructed relatively high-quality democracies"--Provided by publisher.

The State of Democracy in Central and Eastern Europe

The State of Democracy in Central and Eastern Europe PDF Author: Ramona Coman
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317379888
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 135

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Book Description
The State of Democracy in Central and Eastern Europe brings together scholars specialising in the study of Central and Eastern Europe, and provides a comprehensive analysis of some of the major issues in the democratic make-up of the EU’s new member states. The book covers the main dimensions of the state, and contributors discuss questions about the development of democracy in Central and Eastern Europe over the past twenty years. What is the present state of democracy in Central and Eastern Europe more than twenty years since the end of communist regimes? What is the actual functioning of the political institutions of these countries? How is political participation structured, and what role do political parties play in these democracies? What guarantees are provided to limit governmental powers and abuse? What is the role of the judicial system, and the relationship between justice and politics? How can we evaluate the EU’s influence regarding democratic consolidation? What is the role of the public opinion? This book was originally published as a special issue of Europe-Asia Studies.

Coalition Politics in Central Eastern Europe

Coalition Politics in Central Eastern Europe PDF Author: Torbjörn Bergman
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1003809014
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 410

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Book Description
This insightful book brings the study of coalitions and coalition governance in Central and Eastern European democracies up to date, with an analytical focus framed by difficult economic and social periods, such as the end of the economic crisis and the Coronavirus pandemic. The volume posits insights from a plethora of experts on party politics and coalition studies from their respective countries, with chapters on Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Embellished with illustrative tables and extensive datasets throughout, each chapter maps the developments of party system change, covering the coalition life cycle from the early 1990s until the end of 2021, and explores whether there has been transformation of the coalition, governance and dissolutions patterns due to heightened pressures. This book will be of key interest to scholars and students of coalition politics, representative democracy, governance, political parties, European Union politics, East and Central European politics, and comparative politics.

Crisis and Reform in Eastern Europe

Crisis and Reform in Eastern Europe PDF Author: Ferenc Feher
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000675270
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 441

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Book Description
Communism in Eastern Europe is in crisis. Its dimensions are social and economic; its manifestation is political. This volume, a collection of essays by leading authorities, describes the symptoms of the crisis, diagnoses the causes of the malady, and offers alternative scenarios for therapy. A unique dimension of this collection is its avoidance of one-dimensional explanations. The contributors approach the subject from very different angles, and start from very distinct sociopolitical premises. The volume includes original accounts of unexplored aspects of East European communism as well as classic interpretations of the economic crisis and social stagnation that characterize the area. Contributions not only examine the sociopolitical behavior of the ruling apparatus, but also analyze its strategies, political culture, and the opposition. Both the professional and the general reader seeking more information about Eastern Europe will find this volume an extensive, in-depth portrait of the current situation in what many observers predict may develop into the major area of tension in post-World War II Europe.

Depleting democracies

Depleting democracies PDF Author: Michael Minkenberg
Publisher: Manchester University Press
ISBN: 152616017X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
Depleting democracies provides an analysis of the radical right’s interactions with mainstream parties and the effect they have on setting political agendas in sensitive areas such as minority policies and asylum regulations. It asks to what extent the radical right has changed the quality of democracy in Eastern Europe: does its electoral strength, its capacity for political blackmail and its coalition potential actually translate into impact? The book compares three groups of countries that are distinct in terms of the relevance of radical right parties: Bulgaria and Slovakia; Hungary, Poland and Romania; and the Czech Republic and Estonia. It follows a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative analysis of survey data with qualitative, comparative analysis of archival material and other texts to determine the causal role radical right parties play in influencing parties, policies and ultimately democratic quality in the seven countries. Depleting democracies advances theory on radical right actors in the political process and contributes to empirical research across the region. Its results are particularly relevant to the debate on democratic transformation and the effects of radical right parties.