Politikwissenschaft

Formal Institutions … in Central and Eastern Europe

Oktober 26, 2006 at 11:13 am | In Aus dem Institut, Neuerwerbungen | Keine Kommentare

Formal Institutions and Informal Politics in Central and Eastern Europe : Hungary, Poland, Russia and Ukraine / Meyer, Gerd (ed.). – Opladen & Farmington Hills : Budrich, 2006. – 329 Pages 3-86649-060-7 59,00 € Signatur in der Bibliothek: G XX 400

Auszug aus der Verlagshomepage:
“The book gives an introduction to the relationship between formal institutions and informal politicas in Central and Eastern Europe between 1989 and 2005. The book wants to illucidate “what really happened” during and after the period of transformation within and beyond the formally institutionalised structures. How do informal practices influence the distribution of political power and the decision-making process? Which elements are more temporary, which are more permanent features of political life in these systems?
The book is an introduction to the subject. It sets out to be innovative in the way it combines what is often separated in country studies, formal institutions and informal politics, like leadership styles, instrumental use of institutions, clientelism or the role of oligarchs. Based on a systematic explication of central concepts, the book analyses (1) the character and main mechanisms of informal politics as performed by power elites in different institutional settings, (2) the multi-faceted personalization of politics, and (3) the building of legitimacy in the context of national political cultures and their legacies. The authors look at the functions as well as the democratic quality of these phenomena within the changing constitutional frameworks since the 1990s.

From the contents:
Gerd Meyer, Formal and informal politics: Questions, concepts and subjects
András Bozoki & Eszter Simon, Formal institutions and informal politics in Hungary
Aleksandra Wyrozumska & Gerd Meyer, Formal institutions and informal politics in Poland
Aitalina Azarova, Formal institutions and informal politics in Russia
Kerstin Zimmer, Formal institutions and informal politics in Ukraine”