Illiberal and authoritarian tendencies in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe (Interdisciplinary Studies on Central and Eastern Europe)

Even though the democratic decline has been deemed a global phenomenon, the question of how it manifests itself in the postcommunist world and how it varies across different regions with divergent levels of democratic consolidation has not been sufficiently addressed yet. This book tries to fill the gap and examines the causes and nature of the deteriorating quality of democracy in Central Europe as well as the reversal or stagnation of democratization processes in Southeastern and Eastern Europe. The political elite plays a key role in initiating legislative changes that may lead to democratic backsliding. Its constant commitment to the rule of law and to the practice of selfrestraint in securing the independence of judiciary and the rights of political opposition appears hence indispensable for sustainable liberal democracy. -- Provided by publisher Cover Contents Part I: Introduction: The State of Democracy and Authoritarianism 1. Introduction (Florian Bieber / Magdalena Solska) 2. Democracy, Dictatorship and Hybrid Regimes: Concepts and Approaches (András Bozóki / Dániel Hegedűs) 3. Between Stalled Reforms and Authoritarian Temptations: Revisiting Debates on Democratization, “Grey-Zone Regimes” and “Bad Leadership” in Eastern and Southeastern Europe (Vedran Džihić / Nicolas Hayoz) Part II: Democratic Decline in Central Europe Central Europe: Regional Overview (Magdalena Solska) 4. Populist, Illiberal and Authoritarian Challenges to Democracy in Slovakia (Grigorij Mesežnikov) 5. The Politics of “Good Change” in Poland (Magdalena Solska) 6. Pioneering Illiberal State Building in the European Union: The Case of Hungary (Dániel Hegedűs) Part III: Competitive Authoriarianism and Democratic Stagnation in the Western Balkans Western Balkans: Regional Overview (Florian Bieber) 7. Serbia – A Regime that Only Seemed Gone (Irena Ristić ) 8. Montenegro between Democracy and Authoritarianism (Jovana Marović) 9. Illiberal Tendencies and the Aspirations for Euro-Atlantic Integration in Kosovo (Arben Hajrullahu / Lirije Palushi) 10. Macedonia: Illiberal Democracy or Outright Authoritarianism? (Ljupcho Petkovski / Dimitar Nikolovski) 11. From International State Building to Domestic Political Clientelism: The Failures of Postwar Liberalization in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Adis Merdzanovic) Part IV: Stalled Democratization in Eastern Europe Eastern Europe: Regional Overview (Nicolas Hayoz ) 12. Ukraine after Euromaidan: Increased Pluralism amid Patronal Politics (Oleksii Sydorchuk / Olexiy Haran) 13. Moldova: From Poster Child to Democratic Decay (Natalia Timuş) 14. Splitting the Apex: Liberal Democracy and Georgian Political Elites (Giga Zedania) Part V: Regional Comparisons and Conclusions 15. Different Faces of Illiberal Party Politics in Central and Eastern Europe (Vlastimil Havlík / Věra Stojarová ) 16. The Role of the European Union in Building Democracy in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union (Cvete Koneska) 17. Conclusion (Florian Bieber / Magdalena Solska) Notes on Contributors