Political Markets of Post-Socialism: Anomalous Development or Evolutionary Trend?

Abstract

Looking at the post-socialist cases of Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Ukraine and Russia, this dissertation asks whether rapid development of political markets in post-socialist polities represents the anomaly of post-socialist transformation or, perhaps, it represents the normal trajectory of the evolutionary development of democratic institutions. The study has a cross-disciplinary approach, incorporating insights and analyses from different disciplines. To answer the research question in this study, a comprehensive (comparative case study) research strategy is employed. The cases were selected based on the notion that they represent a subset of a larger set of post-socialist democratic polities with very similar transformational trajectories although different in a range of historical, cultural, and geopolitical aspects. All selected cases experienced a relatively painful transformation of social, political and economic institutions. However, the success of these transformations varies across these cases. Also there is a substantial variation in the strategies of reforms, pace of changes and extent of public and elite support for the changes.Particular electoral practices and their correlation with distinct institutional and media environments are examined by combining macro-level contextual data with micro-level data. The conclusions about the degree of professionalization, the impact of the ongoing mediatization of electoral politics, the variety of campaign styles and the consequences of these changes in the nature of political campaigns for electoral democracies in post-socialist countries and worldwide are drawn.The study provides empirical support for an argument that rapid development of political markets in post-socialist polities is not an anomaly of post-socialist transformation, but, rather, is a reflection of the radical changes that are being faced by the modern democratic polities. The study suggested potential dangers caused by spread of modern political marketing techniques. This problem is even more acute in post-socialist countries than in established democracies. These countries have not inherited the robust system of democratic guarantees in the form of institutions or traditions. The effects of adaptation of modern forms of political institutions functioning could be much more unpredictable.