1st Edition
Understanding Post-Communist Transformation A Bottom Up Approach
The fall of the Berlin Wall launched the transformation of government, economy and society across half of Europe and the former Soviet Union. This text deals with the process of change in former Communist bloc countries, ten of which have become new European Union (EU) democracies while Russia and her neighbours remain burdened by their Soviet legacy.
Drawing on more than a hundred public opinion surveys from the New Europe Barometer, the text compares how ordinary people have coped with the stresses and opportunities of transforming Communist societies into post-Communist societies and the resulting differences between peoples in the new EU member states and Russia.
Subjects covered by Understanding Post-Communist Transformation include:
- Stresses and opportunities of economic transformation
- Social capital and the development of civil society
- Elections and the complexities of party politics
- The challenges for the EU of raising standards of democratic governance
- Differences between Russia’s and the West’s interpretation of political life
Written by one of the world's most renowned authorities on this subject, this text is ideal for courses on transition, post-communism, democratization and Russian and Eastern European history and politics.
Biography
Richard Rose is the Director of the Centre for the Study of Public Policy, University of Aberdeen. A fellow of the British Academy and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he has published over 40 books translated into 18 languages.
‘In Understanding Post-Communist Transformation, Richard Rose provides an unrivalled perspective on the postcommunist democratic experience. Using a unique set of surveys conducted over 18 years in all of the post-communist societies, he charts the sometimes uncertain course of the democratic transformation. This book is essential reading for those wanting to understand postcommunist politics and the transition to democracy.’ - Ian McAllister, Australian National University
‘Richard Rose is one of the worlds leading political scientists, and one of those who have the most to contribute to the study of a changing Europe. This new collection has much to say to comparativists who want to make sense of Russia, but just as much to Russianists who want to place their country in a meaningful comparative perspective. Essential reading.’ - Stephen White, Univeristy of Glasgow, internationally known expert on Communist and post Communist societies
