Crafting democracy : regional politics in post-communist Europe

Bibliographic Information

Crafting democracy : regional politics in post-communist Europe

Jennifer A. Yoder

Rowman & Littlefield, c2013

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Note

Includes bibliographical references (p. 211-225) and index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

The importance of subnational regions to politics, governance, and economic development in Western Europe has long been recognized. However, far less is known about recent steps to introduce a regional level of politics in East Central Europe. Reforms there are part of the larger process of crafting democracy; that is, regional reforms are linked to the economic and political transition away from communism and toward "Europe," specifically the European Union. Crafting Democracy offers an important comparative analysis of the process and outcomes of region-building in the four Visegrad countries. Jennifer A. Yoder investigates why some but not other post-communist countries chose to introduce a regional level of elected government. In the 1990s, for example, Poland boldly took the lead in regionalization, while the Czech Republic and Slovakia lagged behind. Hungary, meanwhile, declined to create regions. The author argues that these regional reform processes have potentially far-reaching implications for state-society relations, political participation, and policymaking at the domestic level. The emergence of new actors at the subnational level, moreover, creates opportunities for cross-border and European Union-level initiatives.

Table of Contents

Introduction Chapter 1: A Framework for Understanding Region Building in Post-communist Europe Chapter 2: Poland: The Leader of the Pack Chapter 3: The Czech Republic: Reluctant Regionalization Chapter 4: Slovakia: Belated and Incomplete Regionalization Chapter 5: Hungary: The Exceptional Case? Conclusion Appendix A: Snapshots of Regionalization in Western Europe Appendix B: The ECE Regions in the EU Appendix C: Voter Turnout for Regional and National Elections Appendix D: Election Outcomes by Region and Year Bibliography

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