Politics and Government in the Visegrad Countries

Politics and Government in the Visegrad Countries
Author: J. Fitzmaurice
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 221
Release: 1998-09-28
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0230373224

The book aims to offer an accessible, comprehensive and up-to-date one volume comparative overview of the systems of government and politics in the four main countries of central Europe. It will be of use to courses in modern history, politics and government and international relations that wish to integrate study of these future EU members into their courses. It will also be useful to politicians, businessmen and experts who need a handy introduction to the politics of the region. All of the key institutions are analyzed to trace the evolution of these countries from part of the Soviet bloc to independent democratic states. The role of civil society in the period of transition and the countries' future prospects at the heart of Europe are analyzed.

Discourse, Hegemony, and Populism in the Visegrád Four

Discourse, Hegemony, and Populism in the Visegrád Four
Author: Seongcheol Kim
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 334
Release: 2021-08-13
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1000425517

This is the first book-length account of populism in the Visegrád Four (V4) countries — Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia — for the first 30 years of multi-party competition since the transformative events of 1989–91 in Central and Eastern Europe. Advancing a post-foundational approach to populism based on a semi-formal reading of Ernesto Laclau's theory, the book undertakes a detailed examination of how the 'people' has been constructed in populist discourses in the party systems of the four countries since 1989. Drawing on a wealth of source material, the book offers both a wide-ranging and in-depth overview and classification of populism in the V4 in terms of discursive (e.g. centrist, conservative, left-wing, liberal, nationalist, social) and hegemonic type (e.g. authoritarian hegemonic, generational counter-hegemonic) alike. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of populism, party politics, and Central and Eastern Europe.

Regional and International Relations of Central Europe

Regional and International Relations of Central Europe
Author: Zlatko Sabic
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Total Pages: 322
Release: 2012-09-18
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780230360679

Focused on the role of Central Europe in international politics at the turn of the 20th century, the authors take stock of the knowledge about the discipline of IR, enhance the visibility of scholars from Central Europe, and fill the void which has emerged after several researches on Central Europe were completed in the 1990s.

Illiberal Trends and Anti-EU Politics in East Central Europe

Illiberal Trends and Anti-EU Politics in East Central Europe
Author: Astrid Lorenz
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 361
Release: 2020-10-27
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 3030546748

This open access book provides an in-depth look into the background of rule of law problems and the open defiance of EU law in East Central European countries. Current illiberal trends and anti-EU politics have the potential to undermine mutual trust between member states and fundamentally change the EU. It is therefore crucial to understand their domestic causes, context conditions, specific processes and consequences. This volume contributes to empirically informed theory-building and includes contributions from researchers from various disciplines and multiple perspectives on illiberal trends and anti-EU politics in the region. The qualitative case studies, comparative works and quantitative analyses provide a comprehensive picture of current societal, political and institutional developments in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. Through studying similarities and differences between East Central European and other EU countries, the chapters also explore whether there are regional patterns of democracy- and EU-related problems.

Eurasian Integration and the Russian World

Eurasian Integration and the Russian World
Author: Aliaksei Kazharski
Publisher: Central European University Press
Total Pages: 230
Release: 2019-04-10
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9633862868

This volume examines Russian discourses of regionalism as a source of identity construction practices for the country's political and intellectual establishment. The overall purpose of the monograph is to demonstrate that, contrary to some assumptions, the transition trajectory of post-Soviet Russia has not been towards a liberal democratic nation state that is set to emulate Western political and normative standards. Instead, its foreign policy discourses have been constructing Russia as a supranational community which transcends Russia's current legally established borders. The study undertakes a systematic and comprehensive survey of Russian official (authorities) and semi-official (establishment affiliated think tanks) discourse for a period of seven years between 2007 and 2013. This exercise demonstrates how Russia is being constructed as a supranational entity through its discourses of cultural and economic regionalism. These discourses associate closely with the political project of Eurasian economic integration and the "Russian world" and "Russian civilization" doctrines. Both ideologies, the geoeconomic and culturalist, have gained prominence in the post-Crimean environment. The analysis tracks down how these identitary concepts crystallized in Russia's foreign policies discourses beginning from Vladimir Putin's second term in power.

Democratizing Central and Eastern Europe

Democratizing Central and Eastern Europe
Author: Luca Tomini
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 283
Release: 2015-05-22
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1317566742

At first, it was believed that accession to the EU would have a positive effect on the process of democratization in former communist countries. However, over time it became clear that difficulties with the democratic system endured in a number of these countries. This book reconsiders the results of the process of democratization in Central and Eastern Europe and evaluates the nature and effectiveness of the Europeanization process. It comparatively explores the process of democratic consolidation and accession to the European Union in Poland, Slovakia and Bulgaria. Using these case studies, the book assesses the impact of the EU on the accountability and integrity of governments in this part of Europe. This text will be of key interest to scholars and students of democratization studies, European studies, EU studies, transition studies, area studies, and international relations.

European Party Politics in Times of Crisis

European Party Politics in Times of Crisis
Author: Swen Hutter
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 449
Release: 2019-06-27
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1108483798

A study of party competition in Europe since 2008 aids understanding of the recent, often dramatic, changes taking place in European politics.

Antipolitics

Antipolitics
Author: György Konrád
Publisher: Owl Books
Total Pages: 243
Release: 1984
Genre: Europe
ISBN: 9780805003574

Ideologies of Eastness in Central and Eastern Europe

Ideologies of Eastness in Central and Eastern Europe
Author: Tomasz Zarycki
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 309
Release: 2014-03-21
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1317818571

This book explores how the countries of Eastern Europe, which were formerly part of the Soviet bloc have, since the end of communist rule, developed a new ideology of their place in the world. Drawing on post-colonial theory and on identity discourses in the writings of local intelligentsia figures, the book shows how people in these countries no longer think of themselves as part of the "east", and how they have invented new stereotypes of the countries to the east of them, such as Ukraine and Belarus, to which they see themselves as superior. The book demonstrates how there are a whole range of ideologies of "eastness", how these have changed over time, and how such ideologies impact, in a practical way, relations with countries further east.