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Focus
The Balkans: Different, but Why and How?
by Venelin I. Ganev,
After more than a decade of study of postcommunist transitions the contention that there are profound differences between “Balkan” and “Central-European” countries has attained the status of an unassailable truth. And yet, comparative studies that purport to describe and explain these differences are often littered with simplistic clichés, disturbing stereotypes and analytical “black boxes.”
published in Vol 2 - No 2 - 2002 // Assistance for Democratization
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ABSTRACT
Some conclusions of the first decade in democracy promotion in South-Eastern Europe can be read in this collection of papers. They were presented at SAR’s international conference co-organized with New Europe College on May 6, 2002. The conference was supported by many generous sponsors, listed below. We thank them and all the participants for making... »
FOCUS
After more than a decade of study of postcommunist transitions the contention that there are profound differences between “Balkan” and “Central-European” countries has attained the status of an unassailable truth. And yet, comparative studies that purport to describe and explain these differences are often littered with simplistic clichés, disturbing stereotypes and analytical “black... »
In the last decade the post-communist world was subject to various attempts to build institutions, largely by implanting with little adaptation imports from the Western world. Most of the time, these well-intended efforts have failed, as we can see in the case of Russia. It is about time the international assistance shifted its focus from... »
Some lessons have been learned – or should have been – by the providers of assistance for democratization in the post-communist world. First, while the international community was instrumental in ensuring the elections are free and fair, party building was a disappointing affair. In spite of the large amounts of resources invested, for example, in... »
After the special UN administration was instituted in Bosnia and Kossovo, the international community, political researchers and local citizens have been faced with a very serious problem, having both theoretical and practical consequences for the process of democracy building: government by decree. The magnitude of crises and the high number of issues that had to... »
The latest wave of democratization brought many disputes between the specialists. The criteria for a “consolidated democracy” especially after a decade since the fall of communist regimes, are those liberal democracy deals with: rule of law, economic reforms and ethnic and religious conflicts. The states from Eastern Europe, as Bulgaria and Romania, are dealing with... »
The only way to offer universality for one’s scientific judgement is to use other disciplines that can contribute to that judgement – or, at least, this seems to be the latest consensus among scholars. Economics is a complex domain which cannot function well without the help of other sciences. Cultural variables are relevant for the... »
PAPERS
The fall of authoritarian regimes in South America, Eastern Europe and other parts of the world was not followed by open and articulated debates on the recent past, for fear they would destabilize the societies and postpone the healing of old wounds. Instead, the societies preferred the policy of oblivion – not unlike the Western... »
Scholars on both sides of the Atlantic are increasingly interested in explaining volatility in popular support for the European Union’s eastward enlargement. While a rich body of research documents attitudinal trends in existing member states, remarkably less effort has been devoted to integrating what we know about citizen preferences in candidate states into the mainstream... »
The only way to offer universality for one’s scientific judgement is to use other disciplines that can contribute to that judgement – or, at least, this seems to be the latest consensus among scholars. Economics is a complex domain which cannot function well without the help of other sciences. Cultural variables are relevant for the... »
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