Civil society and interest groups in transitioning regimes
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Civil society and the interest groups they engender are key drivers of economic and political activity in states. Amongst other things, it has been argued that a vibrant civil society is essential for economic development (Fukuyama, 2001), democratic transitions (Fatton, 1992), and democratic consolidation (Diamond, 1994). The interconnectedness between markets and civil society has long been a source of debate amongst scholars, from the likes of Adam Smith and Thomas Paine who considered markets the organizing principle of civil society, to Gramsci who thought of civil society as standing between economic structure and the state. In the words of Keane, ``No civil society, no markets...no markets, no civil society." (Keane 2005, 29). This dissertation explores the landscape of civil society and ensuing interest group activity under transitioning economic regime structures, focusing on the case of the transition from a command economy to a free market economy in East and Central Europe. The dissertation argues that the composition of interest groups arising in the post-communist regime is, in part, a function of the groups that existed under the communist regime, and in part a function of transition in the shadow of European Union integration. Four interest groups stand out as prominent actors in the economic policy making arena: Public Labor, Incumbent Management, New Domestic Capital, and Foreign Capital. These groups gain associational representation through bodies such as labor unions and business and employer organizations. The ability of these groups to affect policy, however, lies in their political strength, which, it is argued, varies both cross-sectionally and temporally in the region. Qualitative case study evidence from three case countries, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia, coupled with quantitative analysis in the form of Bayesian statistical modeling, provides support for the hypothesized key economic groups and their foundations in the communist command economic structure; variation in the political strengths of these groups in the East and Central European region; and, variation in policy outcomes based on political strengths of these groups.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic; electronic resource; remote |
| Extent | 1 online resource. |
| Publication date | 2011 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Associated with | Abel, Andrea Astrid |
|---|---|
| Associated with | Stanford University, Department of Political Science. |
| Primary advisor | Goldstein, Judith |
| Primary advisor | Jackman, Simon, 1966- |
| Thesis advisor | Goldstein, Judith |
| Thesis advisor | Jackman, Simon, 1966- |
| Thesis advisor | Stoner, Kathryn, 1965- |
| Advisor | Stoner, Kathryn, 1965- |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | Andrea Astrid Abel. |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Department of Political Science. |
| Thesis | Ph.D. Stanford University 2011 |
| Location | electronic resource |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2011 by Andrea Astrid Abel
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).
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