Developments in Central and East European Politics

Jacket Description/Back: Praise for "Developments in Central and East European Politics" "3""The agile fine-tuning of [the book's] editors pulls all the material together into a highly readable presentation that suits the need of students with little or no prior knowledge about the region, who are learning for the first time about the complexities of postcommunist development in the many countries that now comprise the central and east European region."--Minton F. Goldman, "Slavic Review"Review Quotes: Praise for "Developments in Central and East European Politics""3""The agile fine-tuning of [the book's] editors pulls all the material together into a highly readable presentation that suits the need of students with little or no prior knowledge about the region, who are learning for the first time about the complexities of postcommunist development in the many countries that now comprise the central and east European region."--Minton F. Goldman, "Slavic Review"Biographical Note: Stephen White is Professor of International Politics and a Senior Research Associate of the School of Central and Eastern Europe at the University of Glasgow. He is the author of "Russia's New Politics: The Management of a Postcommunist Society" and chief editor of the "Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics."Judy Batt is Senior Research Fellow at the EU Institute for Security Studies in Paris. She is the author of "Statehood and European Integration in Central and Eastern Europe."Paul G. Lewis is Professor of European Politics in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Open University in the United Kingdom. He is the author of "Political Parties in Post-Communist Eastern Europe."Marc Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.; Avail. in cloth. Publisher Marketing: The face of Central and Eastern Europe has been dramatically transformed since the collapse of communism. The region faces new challenges, including the needs to find a balance between effective leadership and accountability and to reverse the economic decline of the late communist years. Addressing these concerns and others, "Developments in Central and East European Politics 4 "brings together specially commissioned chapters by leading scholars from both sides of the Atlantic. The chapters, all of which are new to this edition, focus on key features of the political systems that have emerged following the transition to postcommunist rule and the enlargement of the European Union through 2006. Full attention is given to the pattern of events in individual nations, but the main emphasis is on the framework of politics across the region--constitutions, leadership, parliaments, parties, and electoral systems--and the process of politics, as it is revealed in political participation, civil society, economic change, and the quality of democratic government within and beyond the region. Clearly written and well supported with references and suggestions for further reading, "Developments in Central and East European Politics 4" is the ideal guide to the process of change in a group of states that were formerly modeled on the Soviet Union but are now a distinctive and varied presence within a continent that has been redefining its boundaries, its values, its economic systems, and its international allegiances."Contributors." Judy Batt, Dirk Berg-Schlosser, Sarah Birch, Heather Grabbe, Tim Haughton, Krzysztof Jasiewicz, Petr Kopecky, Paul G. Lewis, Frances Millard, Cas Mudde, D. Mario Nuti, Mark Pittaway, Ray Taras, Stephen White, Andrew Wilson, Kataryna Wolczuk

Contributor Bio:  White, Stephen Stephen White is James Bryce Professor of Politics at the University of Glasgow and a Senior Associate Member of its School of Central and East European Studies. He is also Adjunct Professor of European Studies at the Johns Hopkins University Bologna Center and Visiting Professor at the Institute of Applied Politics in Moscow. His most recent books include the edited collections Developments in Russian Politics 7 (2010), Media, Culture and Society in Putin's Russia (2008) and Politics and the Ruling Group in Putin's Russia (2008). Contributor Bio:  Batt, Judy STEPHEN WHITE is Professor of International Politics and Senior Research Associate of the Institute of Central and Eastern Europe, University of Glasgow, UK. JUDY BATT is Senior Research Fellow at the EU Institute for Security Studies, Paris, France. PAUL G. LEWIS is Professor of European Politics, Faculty of Social Sciences, Open University, UK. Contributor Bio:  Lewis, Paul G PAUL G. LEWIS is Professor of European Politics at the Open University. ZDENKA MANSFELDOVA is a Senior Researcher and Head of Department of the Sociology of Politics at the Institute of Sociology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.