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This book provides a unique insight into the institution building process and constitutional politics in new democracies of Eastern Europe. For the first time, an in-depth empirical analysis of thirteen individual post-communist countries is provided within a sound comparative and theoretical context.
List of contents
- PART I: INSTITUTIONAL ENGINEERING IN A COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE
- Institutional Engineering and Transition to Democracy
- Constitutions and Constitution-Building: A Comparative Perspective Robert Elgie and Jan Zielonka
- Constitutional Design and Problems of Implementation in Southern and Eastern Europe
- PART II: INSTITUTIONAL ENGINEERING IN A NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
- Estonia: Positive and Negative Institutional Engineering
- Rebuilding Democracy in Latvia: Overcoming a Dual Legacy
- Institutional Engineering in Lithuania: Stability through Compromise
- Bulgaria: The (Ir)Relevance of Postcommunist Constitutionalism
- Constitutionalism as a Vehicle for Democratic Consolidation in Romania
- Ukraine: Tormented Constitution-Making
- Power Imbalance and Institutional Interests in Russian Constitutional Engineering
- Constitutionalism in Belarus: A False Start
- The Czech Republic: From the Burden of the Old Federal Constitution to the Constitutional Horse Trading Among Political Parties
- Slovakia: From the Ambiguous Constitution to the Dominance of Informal Rules
- Slovenia: From Elite Consensus to Democratic Consolidation
- Hungary's Pliable Constitution
- Legitimacy: the Price of a Delayed Constitution in Poland
- Conclusions: On the Relevance of Institutions and the Centrality of Constitutions in Postcommunist Transitions
About the author
Jan Zielonka, Professor of Political Science, Social and Political Sciences and the Robert Schuman Centre, European University Institute
Summary
This book provides a unique insight into the institution building process and constitutional politics in new democracies of Eastern Europe. For the first time, an in-depth empirical analysis of thirteen individual post-communist countries is provided within a sound comparative and theoretical context.
