No Cover Image

Journal article 1275 views

Post-Communist Democratization: Democratic Politics as the Art of the Impossible? (review article)

Robert Bideleux

The Review of Politics, Volume: 71, Issue: 2, Pages: 303 - 317

Swansea University Author: Robert Bideleux

Full text not available from this repository: check for access using links below.

Abstract

Since the early 1990s, the dominant rubrics for the study of post-Communist transformations have been provided by the relatively naive and simplistic concepts of 'democratic transition' and 'democratic consolidation' , which portray democratization as a finite, once-and-for-all,...

Full description

Published in: The Review of Politics
ISSN: 0034-6705 1748-6858
Published: Cambridge Cambridge University Press 2009
Online Access: Check full text

URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa13137
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
first_indexed 2013-07-23T12:09:32Z
last_indexed 2018-02-09T04:43:41Z
id cronfa13137
recordtype SURis
fullrecord <?xml version="1.0"?><rfc1807><datestamp>2011-10-01T00:00:00.0000000</datestamp><bib-version>v2</bib-version><id>13137</id><entry>2012-10-29</entry><title>Post-Communist Democratization: Democratic Politics as the Art of the Impossible? (review article)</title><swanseaauthors><author><sid>c3b880aac6e4c2a1536185702a45d443</sid><firstname>Robert</firstname><surname>Bideleux</surname><name>Robert Bideleux</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author></swanseaauthors><date>2012-10-29</date><deptcode>FGHSS</deptcode><abstract>Since the early 1990s, the dominant rubrics for the study of post-Communist transformations have been provided by the relatively naive and simplistic concepts of 'democratic transition' and 'democratic consolidation' , which portray democratization as a finite, once-and-for-all, and largely unilinear and unidirectional process. This article, by contrast, argues that it is far more realistic and accurate to regard democratization as a never-ending struggle to realise great democratic ideals which are largely unattainable in practice. Democrats sometimes appear briefly to gain the upper hand, but it is extremely difficult to maintain much effective democratic participation, scrutiny, control, and accountability in the face of the ever-growing economic disparities generated by increasingly unaccountable global capitalism, which has resulted in ever-increasing concentration of incomes, power and wealth in ever-fewer hands. These key challenges or constraints are universal, afflicting advanced capitalist countries just as much as they affect post-Communist states and less developed countries. To think otherwise is sheer complacency, self-delusion, or myopia. Consequently, this article argues that the thousands of books and articles portraying post-Communist democratization as a unilinear and unidirectional process, leading almost automatically (much as day follows night) from &#x2018;democratic transition&#x2019; to &#x2018;democratic consolidation&#x2019;, are peddling seriously misleading and complacent make-believe. In reality, the majority of post-Communist states have sooner or later succumbed to various more or less overt forms of authoritarianism or semi-authoritarianism, or are much closer to &#x2018;illiberal democracy&#x2019; or highly personalist &#x2018;delegative democracy&#x2019; than to (largely illusory) idealized Western conceptions of liberal democracy. However, while it has become increasingly apparent that most post-Communist &#x2018;democracies&#x2019; are even more flawed and corrupt and even less liberal and law-governed than most Western variants, it is also important to remember that &#x2018;democratic consolidation&#x2019; is a bogus concept and that all &#x2018;democratic&#x2019; countries are in much the same boat when it comes to trying to sustain meaningful democratic participation, scrutiny, control, and accountability in the face of the ever-growing concentration of incomes, wealth and power in ever-fewer hands under neoliberal global capitalism.</abstract><type>Journal Article</type><journal>The Review of Politics</journal><volume>71</volume><journalNumber>2</journalNumber><paginationStart>303</paginationStart><paginationEnd>317</paginationEnd><publisher>Cambridge University Press</publisher><placeOfPublication>Cambridge</placeOfPublication><issnPrint>0034-6705</issnPrint><issnElectronic>1748-6858</issnElectronic><keywords>Post-Communist democratization, democratic transition, democratic consolidation, concentration of wealth and power</keywords><publishedDay>31</publishedDay><publishedMonth>3</publishedMonth><publishedYear>2009</publishedYear><publishedDate>2009-03-31</publishedDate><doi>10.1017/S0034670509000357</doi><url/><notes/><college>COLLEGE NANME</college><department>Humanities and Social Sciences - Faculty</department><CollegeCode>COLLEGE CODE</CollegeCode><DepartmentCode>FGHSS</DepartmentCode><institution>Swansea University</institution><apcterm/><lastEdited>2011-10-01T00:00:00.0000000</lastEdited><Created>2012-10-29T06:22:13.6253232</Created><path><level id="1">Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences</level><level id="2">School of Culture and Communication - Politics, Philosophy and International Relations</level></path><authors><author><firstname>Robert</firstname><surname>Bideleux</surname><order>1</order></author></authors><documents/><OutputDurs/></rfc1807>
spelling 2011-10-01T00:00:00.0000000 v2 13137 2012-10-29 Post-Communist Democratization: Democratic Politics as the Art of the Impossible? (review article) c3b880aac6e4c2a1536185702a45d443 Robert Bideleux Robert Bideleux true false 2012-10-29 FGHSS Since the early 1990s, the dominant rubrics for the study of post-Communist transformations have been provided by the relatively naive and simplistic concepts of 'democratic transition' and 'democratic consolidation' , which portray democratization as a finite, once-and-for-all, and largely unilinear and unidirectional process. This article, by contrast, argues that it is far more realistic and accurate to regard democratization as a never-ending struggle to realise great democratic ideals which are largely unattainable in practice. Democrats sometimes appear briefly to gain the upper hand, but it is extremely difficult to maintain much effective democratic participation, scrutiny, control, and accountability in the face of the ever-growing economic disparities generated by increasingly unaccountable global capitalism, which has resulted in ever-increasing concentration of incomes, power and wealth in ever-fewer hands. These key challenges or constraints are universal, afflicting advanced capitalist countries just as much as they affect post-Communist states and less developed countries. To think otherwise is sheer complacency, self-delusion, or myopia. Consequently, this article argues that the thousands of books and articles portraying post-Communist democratization as a unilinear and unidirectional process, leading almost automatically (much as day follows night) from ‘democratic transition’ to ‘democratic consolidation’, are peddling seriously misleading and complacent make-believe. In reality, the majority of post-Communist states have sooner or later succumbed to various more or less overt forms of authoritarianism or semi-authoritarianism, or are much closer to ‘illiberal democracy’ or highly personalist ‘delegative democracy’ than to (largely illusory) idealized Western conceptions of liberal democracy. However, while it has become increasingly apparent that most post-Communist ‘democracies’ are even more flawed and corrupt and even less liberal and law-governed than most Western variants, it is also important to remember that ‘democratic consolidation’ is a bogus concept and that all ‘democratic’ countries are in much the same boat when it comes to trying to sustain meaningful democratic participation, scrutiny, control, and accountability in the face of the ever-growing concentration of incomes, wealth and power in ever-fewer hands under neoliberal global capitalism. Journal Article The Review of Politics 71 2 303 317 Cambridge University Press Cambridge 0034-6705 1748-6858 Post-Communist democratization, democratic transition, democratic consolidation, concentration of wealth and power 31 3 2009 2009-03-31 10.1017/S0034670509000357 COLLEGE NANME Humanities and Social Sciences - Faculty COLLEGE CODE FGHSS Swansea University 2011-10-01T00:00:00.0000000 2012-10-29T06:22:13.6253232 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Culture and Communication - Politics, Philosophy and International Relations Robert Bideleux 1
title Post-Communist Democratization: Democratic Politics as the Art of the Impossible? (review article)
spellingShingle Post-Communist Democratization: Democratic Politics as the Art of the Impossible? (review article)
Robert Bideleux
title_short Post-Communist Democratization: Democratic Politics as the Art of the Impossible? (review article)
title_full Post-Communist Democratization: Democratic Politics as the Art of the Impossible? (review article)
title_fullStr Post-Communist Democratization: Democratic Politics as the Art of the Impossible? (review article)
title_full_unstemmed Post-Communist Democratization: Democratic Politics as the Art of the Impossible? (review article)
title_sort Post-Communist Democratization: Democratic Politics as the Art of the Impossible? (review article)
author_id_str_mv c3b880aac6e4c2a1536185702a45d443
author_id_fullname_str_mv c3b880aac6e4c2a1536185702a45d443_***_Robert Bideleux
author Robert Bideleux
author2 Robert Bideleux
format Journal article
container_title The Review of Politics
container_volume 71
container_issue 2
container_start_page 303
publishDate 2009
institution Swansea University
issn 0034-6705
1748-6858
doi_str_mv 10.1017/S0034670509000357
publisher Cambridge University Press
college_str Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str School of Culture and Communication - Politics, Philosophy and International Relations{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Culture and Communication - Politics, Philosophy and International Relations
document_store_str 0
active_str 0
description Since the early 1990s, the dominant rubrics for the study of post-Communist transformations have been provided by the relatively naive and simplistic concepts of 'democratic transition' and 'democratic consolidation' , which portray democratization as a finite, once-and-for-all, and largely unilinear and unidirectional process. This article, by contrast, argues that it is far more realistic and accurate to regard democratization as a never-ending struggle to realise great democratic ideals which are largely unattainable in practice. Democrats sometimes appear briefly to gain the upper hand, but it is extremely difficult to maintain much effective democratic participation, scrutiny, control, and accountability in the face of the ever-growing economic disparities generated by increasingly unaccountable global capitalism, which has resulted in ever-increasing concentration of incomes, power and wealth in ever-fewer hands. These key challenges or constraints are universal, afflicting advanced capitalist countries just as much as they affect post-Communist states and less developed countries. To think otherwise is sheer complacency, self-delusion, or myopia. Consequently, this article argues that the thousands of books and articles portraying post-Communist democratization as a unilinear and unidirectional process, leading almost automatically (much as day follows night) from ‘democratic transition’ to ‘democratic consolidation’, are peddling seriously misleading and complacent make-believe. In reality, the majority of post-Communist states have sooner or later succumbed to various more or less overt forms of authoritarianism or semi-authoritarianism, or are much closer to ‘illiberal democracy’ or highly personalist ‘delegative democracy’ than to (largely illusory) idealized Western conceptions of liberal democracy. However, while it has become increasingly apparent that most post-Communist ‘democracies’ are even more flawed and corrupt and even less liberal and law-governed than most Western variants, it is also important to remember that ‘democratic consolidation’ is a bogus concept and that all ‘democratic’ countries are in much the same boat when it comes to trying to sustain meaningful democratic participation, scrutiny, control, and accountability in the face of the ever-growing concentration of incomes, wealth and power in ever-fewer hands under neoliberal global capitalism.
published_date 2009-03-31T03:15:03Z
_version_ 1763750239351603200
score 10.99342