Challenges to Democracy: Eastern Europe Ten Years After the Collapse of Communism

Sten Berglund, Frank H. Aarebrot, Henri Vogt, Georgi Karasimeonov

ISBN 10: 1840642939 / ISBN 13: 9781840642933

Published by Edward Elgar Publishing, 2001

About this Item

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: Challenges to Democracy: Eastern Europe Ten Years After the Collapse of Communism
• Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
• Publication Date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1840642939
• ISBN 13: 9781840642933
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Good

About this title

Synopsis

The euphoria evidenced in the aftermath of the collapse of communist regimes in the late 1980s and early 1990s sometimes conveyed the impression that the process of democratization would be achieved without difficulty or tribulation. This book sets out to provide a thorough comparative analysis of the challenges which face the emerging democracies of Central and Eastern Europe and considers the impact of political change.

Drawing heavily on available survey data, the book provides an in-depth account of how the new democracies of Central and Eastern Europe have coped with four major challenges: political fragmentation, nationalism, lack of respect for human rights, and poorly developed civil service systems. The book demonstrates that although the first few years of the 1990s were marked by increasing disenchantment with the new regimes, the change of governments as a direct result of the electoral process and the prospects for European integration have served to reverse this negative trend. Indeed, the authors find that the new political systems have managed to cope with the challenges so effectively that striking similarities with Western democracies are now apparent.

Offering new insights into democratic transition, Challenges to Democracy will appeal to political scientists, diplomats and policymakers, and economists with an interest in European and comparative politics.

About the Author

Sten Berglund, Professor of Political Science, University of Örebro, Sweden, the late Frank H. Aarebrot, formerly Professor of Comparative Politics, University of Bergen, Norway, Henri Vogt, Professor of International Politics, University of Turku, Finland and Georgi Karasimeonov, formerly Professor of Political Science, University of Sofia, Bulgaria