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210091 SE BAK15: SE East European Studies (2018S)

Theories of Transformation: Lessons from Post-Socialist Europe (engl.)

6.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 21 - Politikwissenschaft
Continuous assessment of course work

A registration via u:space during the registration phase is required. Late registrations are NOT possible.
Students who miss the first lesson without prior notification will lose their seat in the course.

Follow the principles of good scientific practice.

The course instructor may invite students to an oral exam about the student’s written contributions in the course. Plagiarized contributions have the consequence that the course won’t be graded (instead the course will be marked with an ‘X’ in the transcript of records).
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 50 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Thursday 08.03. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3 (H3), NIG 2. Stock
  • Thursday 15.03. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3 (H3), NIG 2. Stock
  • Thursday 22.03. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3 (H3), NIG 2. Stock
  • Thursday 12.04. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3 (H3), NIG 2. Stock
  • Thursday 19.04. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3 (H3), NIG 2. Stock
  • Thursday 26.04. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3 (H3), NIG 2. Stock
  • Thursday 03.05. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3 (H3), NIG 2. Stock
  • Thursday 17.05. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3 (H3), NIG 2. Stock
  • Thursday 24.05. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3 (H3), NIG 2. Stock
  • Thursday 07.06. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3 (H3), NIG 2. Stock
  • Thursday 14.06. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3 (H3), NIG 2. Stock
  • Thursday 21.06. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3 (H3), NIG 2. Stock
  • Thursday 28.06. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3 (H3), NIG 2. Stock

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

The great and widespread transformation from planned economies and one-party rule towards democracy and market economy in post-socialist Europe began in 1989. In the light of the breakdown of the USSR and the defeat of the state socialist model, “Western” liberal democracy appeared to be superior (see Francis Fukuyama’s “end of history”).
Since the early 1990s, this perspective has changed both in parts of academia and in the region of Central and Eastern Europe. Liberal democracy is no longer seen as the end of history; it is rather a potential goal of the transformation process that many countries have not fully accomplished yet. According to well-established reports such as Nations in Transit (Freedom House), only the Visegrád-4 with the exception of Hungary, the Baltic States and Slovenia are considered to be consolidated in post-socialist Europe. The remaining states are termed “Semi-Consolidated Democracies”, “Transformational Governments” or “Hybrid Regimes” or “Consolidated Authoritarian Regimes”.

The first part of the seminar will provide an overview of how transformation theories evolved and critically assess the key elements of the central approaches in the literature. The aim of the section is to build-up an advanced understanding of the debates, theories and essential concepts relevant to transformation.
In the second part, this knowledge is applied to the case of post-socialist Europe, in particular to the Central and Eastern European EU member states. The case will serve to contextualize the already discussed concepts and theoretical approaches. It focuses on regional specifics such as the heritage of state socialism, the effects of the manifold transformation since 1989 and the tools to measure democracy in the region.
The third part of the seminar deals with current debates on democratic backsliding, de-democratisation and the crisis of democracy in post-socialist Europe (and beyond). It brings together the first two parts by discussing the lessons from post-socialist Europe for transformation theories almost 30 years after the beginning of the transformation in the region. Furthermore, it also includes the current crisis of democracy in some Central and Eastern European member states of the EU, e.g. Poland and Hungary.

The seminar readings cover key texts on transformation theories, post-socialist Europe and the transformation in the region. Over the seminar, the following questions will be answered:
- Which theoretical approaches to transformation exist in the literature?
- What are the preconditions for a successful transformation?
- What are the positive and negative consequences of the transformation in post-socialist Europe?
- What can we learn from the region regarding current theoretical debates on democracy?

Assessment and permitted materials

The seminar is set up in a way that students have to prepare given articles and texts prior to each session. Most of the sessions are structured in a way that small working groups discuss the topic at the beginning of the session and subsequently the debate will be shifted to the plenary. The reason for this method is to enable students to participate actively on a constant basis.
Students have to submit three written assignments (1000 words each) over the course of the semester. The purpose of the assignments is to deepen the understanding of the articles and link them to the topic of the session.
Apart from the written assignments (50%), students have to pass a midterm take-home exam (40%). The purpose of the exam is to get feedback on the level of understanding of the content of the course covered until the exam. Moreover, students are expected to briefly review (200 words) the first written assignment submitted by one of their colleagues (10%).

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

In order to receive a positive mark, students have to comply with the mandatory attendance rules (i.e. maximum two missed sessions allowed) and successfully pass each of the assessments.

Examination topics

Readings and plenary discussions.

Reading list

Literature (selection):
Carothers, Thomas. 2002. "The End of the Transition Paradigm." Journal of Democracy 13 (1): 5-21.
Hooghe, Marc, and Ellen Quintelier. 2014. "Political participation in European countries: The effect of authoritarian rule, corruption, lack of good governance and economic downturn." Comparative European Politics 12 (2): 209-232.
Joanna, Fomina, and Kucharczyk Jacek. 2016. "Populism and Protest in Poland." Journal of Democracy 27 (4): 58-68.
Kornai, János. 2015. "Hungary’s U-Turn: Retreating from Democracy." Journal of Democracy 26 (3): 34-48.
Levitsky, Steven, and Lucan Way. 2015. "The Myth of Democratic Recession." Journal of Democracy 26 (1): 45-58.
Mungiu-Pippidi, Alina. 2016. "Learning from Virtuous Circles." Journal of Democracy 27 (1): 95-109.
Myant, Martin, and Jan Drahokoupil. 2013. "Transition Economies after the Crisis of 2008: Actors and Policies." Europe-Asia Studies 65 (3): 373-382.
Plattner, Marc F. 2015. "Is Democracy in Decline?" Journal of Democracy 26 (1): 5-10.
Pop-Eleches, Grigore, and Joshua A. Tucker. 2013. "Associated with the Past?: Communist Legacies and Civic Participation in Post-Communist Countries." East European Politics & Societies 27 (1): 45-68.
Sedelmeier, Ulrich. 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.
Spöri, Tobias. 2015. "… To be Continued? Challenging the Cultural Legacy Argument in Central and Eastern Europe." CEU Political Science Journal 01-02 (10): 84-111.
Szikra, Dorottya. 2014. "Democracy and welfare in hard times: The social policy of the Orbán Government in Hungary between 2010 and 2014." Journal of European Social Policy 24 (5): 486-500.

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:38