New states and new citizens?
Interest groups and politics throughout central and eastern Europe in the
context of European Union enlargement
Comparative perspectives on the politics and policies of interest groups
Democracy is intrinsically linked to the existence of multiple structures of participation and representation. From parties to trade unions, from interest groups to single issue movements, from broad association to small protest groups, from institutionalized organization to flexible spontaneous movements, from specific nation issues to regionally encompassed interests, all these elements are embedded in the structure of modern democracy. The analysis of the various mechanisms and opportunities provided by modern democracies for a regular inclusion of the citizenry in its management are of major interest for political science in general and for area studies in particular. The new democracies are from this point of view a breeding ground for challenging research on how democracy evolves in a condensed lap of time: What are the consequences on patterns of interest representation?
Research in the field of (functional) interest representation in Central and Eastern Europe has evolved significantly over the last few years (Pedersen, Ronit, Hausner, 1995; Fink-Hafner, 1998; Pérrez Solorzano, 2001, 2002, 2003). However, it still occupies a minor place when compared with the literature relating to political parties or party systems in this region. Scholars have paid particular attention to the countries known for the dynamism of their civil societies under the communist regimes (Poland, Hungary) or for their democratic tradition before the establishment of communism in the region (Czech Republic).
Accordingly, if in the 1990s researchers initially paid particular attention the emergence of new political actors and to the introduction of a legal framework, their focus of attention shifted to new topics. Firstly, the question of accession to the European Union (EU) and its impact on the domestic politics, policies and polity (Goetz, 2001; Grabbe, 2001; Lippert, Umbach, Wessels, 2001; Papadimitriou, 2002). Secondly, the relationship between state and society in the new Member States of the EU and candidate countries (Terry, Vass, 2000).
One the one hand, the interest of researchers in the process of Europeanization may be explained by the radical transformations undergone in order to accommodate European integration (Pridham, 2002) and by the explanatory power of this concept in understanding the domestic political continuity or change in the applicant countries (Hix, Goetz, 2000). One the other hand, the interest in the state/civil society relationships emerged for two main reasons. Indeed, by paying attention to this research topic, some authors aimed at invalidating (D. Fink-Hafner, 1998; Terry, Vass, 2000) a widespread view in the literature regarding the weakness of post-communist civil societies (Kopecky, Mudde, 2003), while others intended to analyse the impact of European Union integration on interest politics in Central and Eastern Europe (Forest, 2004; Pérez Solorzano, 2002). Therefore, some of them offered a “path dependent” analysis of the emergence of interest groups in the region, trying to explain, through case studies, “the communist legacies susceptible to affect the development of these new actors” (Forest 2004), while others paid particular attention to the hypothetical effects of the socialisation and learning processes resulting from the affiliation of national interest groups to European federations of interest representation.
The aim of this working group is to enlarge this research agenda with a particular focus on the emergence of interest groups, their roles and functions in the policy processes at the domestic level. National case studies and regional analyses are provided.
Our working group seeks to address a wide range of theoretical and empirical questions connected to the broad topic of democracy and interest representation in Central and Eastern Europe. In what follows we outline our concerns and indicate which working papers (WP) deal with them:
- We will undertake a re-examination of the classical distinction between political parties and interest groups or pressure groups. If the canonical definitions of the interest group emphasize the fact that an interest group “does not seek to form a government itself, but to influence public policy” (Jordan, Halpin, Maloney, 2004: 199), could we still use this label to name organizations which act as an electoral machines and as satellites of different political parties? And, if so, could this transformation of the interest groups into satellites of different political parties be an illustrative case for the phenomenon of the ‘partification of politics’ (Linz 1990; Arato 1994; Fink–Hafner 1998) in the post-socialist context? Is there a quasi- monopoly of the political parties in the interest intermediation (cf. WP 2)?
- We proceed to a diagnosis of post-communist democracies from the perspective of conventional patterns of interest representation, namely the relationship between parties, state and citizenry. While sharing similarities in terms of parties’ week social roots, post-communist parties are relatively strong structures in comparison with the pos-communist state, characterized by pervasive boundaries and a generally unorganized citizenry. Against theoretical frameworks that tend to identify a congruence between East and West in terms of parties progressive withdrawal from their classic function of representation, we ask: Are many parties, including populist parties, in Central and Eastern Europe not on a different trajectory. (cf. WP 1)?
- We study interest groups and civil society organisations in Central and Eastern Europe in a policy network approach. We consider that policy network analysis (in general) and policy network formation (in particular) will be useful in understanding the way interest groups emerge and interact with state institutions in Central and Eastern Europe. By choosing this approach we would like to think about the applicability of this concept for the post-communist democracies: What might an explanatory and analytical framework, based on our empirical findings, look like (cf. WP 3)?
- We emphasize the consolidation of interest groups in Central and Eastern Europe and provide possible explanations of variations in the influence that these groups are exercising upon adopted policies. Our hypothesis is that changes in party and government strategies as well as their functioning enables a shift in action: Is it the case that interest groups are not longer oriented towards semi-legal, personalized ways of influencing governmental actors but that they direct their efforts to the policy arena (cf. WP 4)?
- We analyze in a historical and comparative perspective the establishment and the transformation of particular interest groups, that is:
- Trade unions in post-communist Romania (cf. WP 5);
- Professional interest groups of architects, lawyers and notaries in Bulgaria during the whole post-socialist period of transition (cf. WP 6).
Working Group coordinator
Damiana Gabriela OTOIU is an assistant professor of Political Sciences at the Bucharest University (Faculty of Political Sciences), a PhD Researcher at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, Center for the Study of Political Life (CEVIPOL) and a Visiting Researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Halle (2006-2007, Marie Curie grant). Damiana holds a BA in Philology (2000) and a BA in Political Sciences (2004) from Bucharest University; a MA in Ethnology and Folklore, Bucharest University (2001) and a MA in Social Sciences, École Doctorale en Sciences Sociales, Europe Centrale et Orientale. Her PhD focuses on The (Re)Privatization of the Cities: Politics and Urban Property in Romania after 1989. In 2005 she set up the Junior Research Group on ‘Property Relations in Central and Eastern Europe’ (Institute for Political Research, Bucharest University)
Nieves PÉREZ-SOLÓRZANO BORRAGÁN is a lecturer in Politics (University of East Anglia, Norwich, School of Political, Social and International Studies) and a member of the ESRC Centre for Competition Policy. She is the editor of the UEA Papers in European and International Studies. Nieves holds a BA in Geography and History from the University of Salamanca; an MA in European Politics and Administration from the College of Europe in Bruges; and a PhD in Politics from the University of Exeter. Her PhD thesis focused on Interest Politics in the Light of the EU's Eastern Enlargement. She has previously taught at the University of Exeter and worked for the King Baudouin Foundation, the Electoral Commission and the College of Europe.
Members
Ramona COMAN is assistant professor of Political Sciences and PhD Student at the Université Libre de Bruxelles. Her PhD research focuses on Interest Politics in Post-Communist Romania. The Case of the Judicial Reform. Ramona holds a BA in Political Sciences from Bucharest University (2001) and a MA in Political Science (2004) from Université Libre de Bruxelles. She is the founding editor of the series “European Studies”, Institutul European Publishing House (Iasi, Romania)
Alexandra Alina IONASCU studied Political Science at the University of Bucharest (BA 2004) and Social Sciences at the École Doctorale en Sciences Sociales, Europe Centrale et Orientale (MA 2005). Currently she is pursuing her PhD in Political Science at Université Libre de Bruxelles, CEVIPOL and at University of Bucharest, Institute of Political Sciences. The PhD research concerns The construction of political careers: an analysis of governmental trajectories in Postcommunist Romania.
Ninucia PILAT is a PhD Researcher at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (MiniArc Scholarship), working on Trade Unions in Postcommunist Romania. Ninucia holds a BA in Political Sciences (2003) from Bucharest University and a MA in Political Science (2004) from Université Libre de Bruxelles.
Petya SLAVOVA is a research assistant at the Bulgarian Academy of Science, Institute of Sociology (Labour and social policy), Sofia. She holds a BA in Sociology from Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski (2000), a MA in Political Science (2002) and a PhD in Political Science from Université Libre de Bruxelles (2006). Petya’s PhD research was focused on Professional Interest Groups in Postcommunist Bulgaria : the case of the Architects
Sorina Cristina SOARE is an assistant professor at the University of Palermo (International Master in Relational Tourism and Territorial Planning). Sorina holds a BA in Political Science from Bucharest University (1998), a MA in Political Science (2001) and a PhD in Political Science from Université Libre de Bruxelles (2003). The topic of her PhD thesis is The Romanian Parties and Party System after 1989. She has previously taught at the Central European University, Budapest (Visiting professor) and at the University Corvinus (Visiting Professor) and she was a visiting researcher (post-doc) in Political Science at Oxford University, St Antony’s College (2004-2005).
last modified: 2006-10-17
