Development and Crises in East Central Europe

Lecturer: Miklós Rosta, associate professor

During the course Central- and Eastern European economic and political systems are analyzed
by the methodology of political economy. In the focal point of our analysis stands the
relationship between the political and the economic systems of the CEE countries. Using the
framework of political economy, we scrutinize the impact of EU accession of these countries
on the operation, structure, development and performance of their states. Why does populism
strengthen and why do illiberal or managed democracies emerge is also a crucial question of
the course. We do not only focus on explanation of the rise of illiberal states, but we also want
to understand the possible impacts on the development of societies and economic systems of
these countries. During the course we study Jelcin’s and Putin’s Russia, Mečiar’s and Fico’s
Slovakia, Tudjman’s Croatia, Illiescu’s Romania, Kaczyńskis’ Poland and Orbán’s Hungary.

The students must prepare from the literature given for every week. In the seminars one group
of students (max. 2-3 students per group) deepens into the topic of the week (read the
compulsory paper of the given week and try to collect other relevant articles as well) and
makes a 20-25 mins presentation. After the presentation the whole group - together with the
professor - makes a debate on the specific topic. During the lectures I will present some of the
other papers listed in this syllabus. The aim of the lectures are to broaden the knowledge of
the students and show them the necessary approaches how to elaborate social questions.

Till the end of the course the students are going to write a 20 000 char. paper about the
political and economic development of a freely chosen CEE country. The paper must
correspond to the scientific expectations (references: APA).

On the last class (12.12), students will write an exam from the compulsory readings.

The final grade: presentation (20%), paper (50%), exam (30%).

All students must be able to critically read, write and present in English.

The literature treated during the course is comprehensive. The students may elaborate them
according to their commitment and interest.

Topics:

09.12.) Theories of Illiberal state / Managed democracy

- Gilbert, L., & Mohseni, P. (2011). Beyond authoritarianism: The
conceptualization of hybrid regimes. Studies in Comparative International
Development, 46(3), 270.
- Zakaria, F. (1997). The rise of illiberal democracy. Foreign affairs, 76(6), 22-43.
 - Szelenyi, I., & Csillag, T. (2015). Drifting from liberal democracy. Neo-conservative
ideology of managed illiberal democratic capitalism in post-communist Europe.
Intersections. East European Journal of Society and Politics, 1(1).
- Brown, A. (2001). From Democratization to" Guided Democracy". Journal of
Democracy, 12(4), 35-41.
- Krastev, I., & Holmes, S. (2012). An Autopsy of Managed Democracy. Journal of
Democracy, 23(3), 33-45.

09.19.) Democracy and economic growth

- Hamm, P., King, L. P., & Stuckler, D. (2012). Mass privatization, state capacity,
and economic growth in post-communist countries. American Sociological
Review, 77(2), 295-324.
- Glaeser, E. L., La Porta, R., Lopez-de-Silanes, F., & Shleifer, A. (2004). Do
institutions cause growth?. Journal of Economic Growth, 9(3), 271-303.
- Acemoglu, D., Johnson, S., & Robinson, J. A. (2005). Institutions as a fundamental
cause of long-run growth. Handbook of economic growth, 1, 385-472.
- Acemoglu, D., Naidu, S., Restrepo, P., & Robinson, J. A. (2014). Democracy does
cause growth (No. w20004). National Bureau of Economic Research.
- Assiotis, A., & Sylwester, K. (2015). Does Law and Order Attenuate the Benefits of
Democracy on Economic Growth?. Economica, 82(328), 644-670.
- Knutsen, C. H. (2013). Democracy, state capacity, and economic growth. World
Development, 43, 1-18.
- Piątek, D., Szarzec, K., & Pilc, M. (2013). Economic freedom, democracy and
economic growth: a causal investigation in transition countries. Post-Communist
Economies, 25(3), 267-288.
- Voigt, S., Gutmann, J., & Feld, L. P. (2015). Economic growth and judicial
independence, a dozen years on: Cross-country evidence using an updated Set of
indicators. European Journal of Political Economy, 38, 197-211.
- Sylwester, K. (2015). Does Democracy Increase Growth More in New Countries?.
Economics & Politics, 27(2), 266-289.
- Gerring, J., Bond, P., Barndt, W. T., & Moreno, C. (2005). Democracy and economic
growth: A historical perspective. World Politics, 57(03), 323-364.

Péter Mihályi, CUB, Topic: Renationalization and Recentralization in Hungary, 2010-2016

09.26.) European Union and democracy

- Sedelmeier, U. (2014). Anchoring democracy from above? The European Union
and democratic backsliding in Hungary and Romania after accession. JCMS:
Journal of Common Market Studies, 52(1), 105-121.
- Levitz, P., & Pop-Eleches, G. (2009). Why no backsliding? The European Union's
impact on democracy and governance before and after accession. Comparative
Political Studies.
- Epstein, R. A., & Jacoby, W. (2014). Eastern Enlargement Ten Years On:
Transcending the East–West Divide?. JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies,
52(1), 1-16.
- Rupnik, J., & Zielonka, J. (2013). Introduction: The State of Democracy 20 Years on
Domestic and External Factors. East European Politics & Societies, 27(1), 3-25.
 - Fossum, J.E. (2015) “Democracy and differentiation in Europe”, in Journal of
European Public Policy, 22:6, 799-815

10.03.) European Union and economic development

- Caporaso, J.A., Kim, M., Durrett, W. N., Wesley, R.B., 2015 “Still a regulatory
state? The European Union and the financial crisis”, in Journal of European
Public Policy, 22(7), 889-907.
- Moravcsik, A. (2002). Reassessing legitimacy in the European Union. JCMS: Journal
of Common Market Studies, 40(4), 603-624.
- Cuaresma, J. C., Doppelhofer, G., & Feldkircher, M. (2014). The determinants of
economic growth in European regions. Regional Studies, 48(1), 44-67.

10.10.) The impact of financial crisis on the economic and political development of CEE
countries
- Connolly, R. (2012). The determinants of the economic crisis in post-socialist
Europe. Europe-Asia Studies, 64(1), 35-67.
- Farkas, B. (2011). The Central and Eastern European model of capitalism. Post-
Communist Economies, 23(01), 15-34.
- Aidukaite, J. (2011). Welfare reforms and socio-economic trends in the 10 new EU
member states of Central and Eastern Europe. Communist and post-communist studies,
44(3), 211-219.
- Prochniak, M. (2011). Determinants of economic growth in Central and Eastern
Europe: the global crisis perspective. Post-communist economies, 23(4), 449-468.
- Myant, M., Drahokoupil, J., & Lesay, I. (2013). The political economy of crisis
management in East–Central European Countries. Europe-Asia Studies, 65(3), 383-
410.
- Győrffy, D. (2015). Austerity and growth in Central and Eastern Europe:
understanding the link through contrasting crisis management in Hungary and Latvia.
Post-Communist Economies, 27(2), 129-152.

10.17.) Illiberal states in Central- and Eastern Europe

- Hanley, S. L., & Dawson, J. (2016). East Central Europe: The Fading Mirage of the
‘Liberal Consensus’. Journal of Democracy, 27(1).
- Innes, A. (2014). The political economy of state capture in central Europe. JCMS:
Journal of Common Market Studies, 52(1), 88-104.
- Börzel, T. A. (2015). The noble west and the dirty rest? Western democracy promoters
and illiberal regional powers. Democratization, 22(3), 519-535.
- Berend, I. T., & Bugaric, B. (2015). Unfinished Europe: Transition from Communism
to Democracy in Central and Eastern Europe. Journal of Contemporary History,
50(4), 768-785.
- Rupnik, J. (2007). From Democracy Fatigue to Populist Backlash. Journal of
Democracy, 18, 17-25.
- Rupnik, J. (2012). How Things Went Wrong. Journal of Democracy, 23, 132-137.

Guest: later announced

10.24.) Populism and governance
- Weyland, K. (2001). Clarifying a contested concept: Populism in the study of
Latin American politics. Comparative Politics, 1-22.
- Enyedi, Z. (2016). Paternalist populism and illiberal elitism in Central Europe. Journal
of Political Ideologies, 21(1), 9-25.
- Pappas, T. S. (2014). Populist democracies: Post-authoritarian Greece and post-
communist Hungary. Government and Opposition, 49(01), 1-23.
- Deegan-Krause, K. E. V. I. N., & Haughton, T. (2009). Toward a more useful
conceptualization of populism: Types and degrees of populist appeals in the case of
Slovakia. Politics & Policy, 37(4), 821-841.
- Vachudová, M. A. (2006). Democratization in Postcommunist Europe: Illiberal
Regimes and the Leverage of International Actors. Minda de Gunzburg Center for
European Studies, Harvard University.
- Krastev, I. (2007). The strange death of the liberal consensus. Journal of democracy,
18(4), 56-63.
- Dornbusch, R., & Edwards, S. (1991). The macroeconomics of populism. In The
macroeconomics of populism in Latin America (pp. 7-13). University of Chicago
Press.
- Popov, V. (2012). Russia: austerity and deficit reduction in historical and comparative
perspective. Cambridge Journal of Economics, 36(1), 313-334.

András Bozóki, CEU – Populism in Hungary and in Europe

10.31. – National Holiday

11.07.) The party systems of Central- and Eastern Europe

- Bértoa, F. C. (2014). Party systems and cleavage structures revisited A sociological
explanation of party system institutionalization in East Central Europe. Party Politics,
20(1), 16-36.
- Tzelgov, E. (2011). Communist successor parties and government survival in
Central Eastern Europe. European Journal of Political Research, 50(4), 530-558.
- Kostadinova, T., & Kostadinova, P. (2016). Party Promises, Voter Understanding, and
Mandate Responsiveness in East European Politics. Politics & Policy, 44(1), 5-34.
- Hanley, S., & Sikk, A. (2014). Economy, corruption or floating voters? Explaining the
breakthroughs of anti-establishment reform parties in eastern Europe. Party Politics,
1354068814550438.

Guest: József Péter Martin, Transparency International, Topic: Corruption

11.14.) The Russian managed democracy

- Schleifer, A., & Treisman, D. (2004). A normal country. Foreign Affairs, 83(2),
20-25.
- Desai, P. (2005). Russian retrospectives on reforms from Yeltsin to Putin. The
Journal of Economic Perspectives, 19(1), 87-106.
- Whitefield, S. (2009). Russian citizens and Russian democracy: perceptions of state
governance and democratic practice, 1993-2007. Post-soviet affairs, 25(2), 93-117.
 - Hale, H. E., McFaul, M., & Colton, T. J. (2004). Putin and the" delegative democracy"
trap: Evidence from Russia's 2003-04 elections. Post-Soviet Affairs, 20(4), 285-319.
- Lipman, M., & McFaul, M. (2001). “Managed Democracy” in Russia Putin and the
Press. The Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics, 6(3), 116-127.

Guest: András Deák, HAS. Russia under Yeltsin and Putin

11.21.) The illiberal state of Central- and Eastern Europe (Hungary)

- Kornai, J. (2016). The system paradigm revisited: Clarification and additions in
the light of experiences in the post-socialist region. Acta Oeconomica, 66(4), 547-
596.
- Szelenyi, I. (2016). Weber’s theory of domination and post-communist
capitalisms. Theory and Society, 45(1), 1-24.
- Greskovits, B. (2015). The hollowing and backsliding of democracy in East Central
Europe. Global Policy, 6(S1), 28-37.
- Hajnal, G., & Rosta, M. (2016). A New Doctrine in the Making? Doctrinal
Foundations of Sub-National Governance Reforms in Hungary (2010-2014).
Administration & Society, 0095399715626202.

Guest: Ivány Szelényi: Weber’s theory of domination and post-communist capitalisms

11.28.) The illiberal state of Central- and Eastern Europe (Slovakia and Poland)
- Fomina, J., & Kucharczyk, J. (2016). Populism and protest in Poland. Journal of
Democracy, 27(4), 58-68.
- Jasiewicz, K. (2008). The new populism in Poland: The usual suspects? Problems of
Post-communism, 55(3), 7-25.
- Kubik, J. (2012). Illiberal Challenge to Liberal Democracy: The Case of Poland.
Taiwan Journal of Democracy, 8(2).
- Henderson, K. (2004). The Slovak Republic: explaining defects in democracy.
Democratization, 11(5), 133-155.
- DEEGAN-KRAUSE, K. E. V. I. N., & Haughton, T. (2009). Toward a more useful
conceptualization of populism: Types and degrees of populist appeals in the case of
Slovakia. Politics & Policy, 37(4), 821-841.
- Krause, K. D. (2003). Slovakiais Second Transition. Journal of Democracy, 14(2), 65-
79.
- Carpenter, M. (1997). Slovakia and the triumph of nationalist populism. Communist
and Post-Communist Studies, 30(2), 205-219.
- Bugaric, B., & Kuhelj, A. (2018). Varieties of Populism in Europe: Is the Rule of Law
in Danger?. Hague Journal on the Rule of Law, 1-13.

Guest: later announced

12.05.) The illiberal state of Central- and Eastern Europe (Croatia, Romania and Ukraine)
- Chen, C. (2003). The roots of illiberal nationalism in Romania: a historical
institutionalist analysis of the Leninist legacy. East European Politics & Societies,
17(2), 166-201.
 - Fisher, S. (2006). The Battle between “Nationalists” and “Europeanists”. In Political
Change in Post-Communist Slovakia and Croatia: From Nationalist to Europeanist
(pp. 3-22). Palgrave Macmillan US.
- Spendzharova, A. B., & Vachudova, M. A. (2012). Catching up? Consolidating liberal
democracy in Bulgaria and Romania after EU accession. West European Politics,
35(1), 39-58.
- Gallagher, T. (2000). Romania: nationalism defines democracy. In Transformations of
Post-Communist States (pp. 185-201). Palgrave Macmillan UK.

Guest: Judit Bayer: Media policy in Hungary after 2010

12.12.) Turkish Muslim democracy

- Taş, H. (2015). Turkey–from tutelary to delegative democracy. Third World
Quarterly, 36(4), 776-791.
- Acemoglu, D., & Ucer, M. (2015). The Ups and Downs of Turkish Growth, 2002-
2015: Political Dynamics, the European Union and the Institutional Slide (No.
w21608). National Bureau of Economic Research.
- Nasr, S. V. R. (2005). The Rise of" Muslim Democracy". Journal of Democracy,
16(2), 13-27.
- Yavuz, M. H., & Özcan, N. A. (2015). Turkish Democracy and the Kurdish Question.
Middle East Policy, 22(4), 73-87.
- Öniş, Z. (2012). The triumph of conservative globalism: The political economy of
the AKP era. Turkish Studies, 13(2), 135-152.

Zoltán Egeresi, Topic: Turkey under Erdogan