Informal relations have been one of the major research topics of the social sciences since the 1990s. In order to allow for meaningful comparisons between different combinations of the positive and negative effects of informal relations on democratic representation, this book focuses on post-socialist Central and Eastern Europe as a particular region where formal democratic rules have been established, but competing informal rules are still strong. A broad spectrum of related analytical concepts is discussed from different perspectives and from different academic disciplines, then empirical cases of the relationship between informal relations and democratic representation are analyzed. The contributions span the whole continuum, as we perceive it, from civil society networks seen as supporting democratic representation to the perversion of democratic representation through political corruption. The final part of the book takes a closer look at corruption through four case studies from Russia.

Post-Communist Party Systems examines democratic party competition in four postcommunist polities in the mid-1990s, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland. Legacies of precommunist rule turn out to play as much a role in accounting for differences as the institutional differences incorporated in the new democratic rules of the game. The book demonstrates various developments within the four countries with regard to different voter appeal of parties, patterns of voter representation, and dispositions to join other parties in legislative or executive alliances. The authors also present interesting avenues of comparison for broader sets of countries.

Post-Communist Party Systems examines democratic party competition in four postcommunist polities in the mid-1990s, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland. Legacies of precommunist rule turn out to play as much a role in accounting for differences as the institutional differences incorporated in the new democratic rules of the game. The book demonstrates various developments within the four countries with regard to different voter appeal of parties, patterns of voter representation, and dispositions to join other parties in legislative or executive alliances. The authors also present interesting avenues of comparison for broader sets of countries.

Nach 1989 sind auch in Osteuropa politische Parteien als die fur Wettbewerbsdemokratien typischen Hauptakteure entstanden. Neben dieser Tendenz zur Angleichung lassen sich aber ostliche Eigenarten beobachten: eine dominante Stellung der "Nachfolgeparteien" im Parteiensystem vieler Staaten, trotz umfassenden Institutionenimports deutliche Kontextdiskrepanzen, schnell abnehmende Partizipationsneigungen der Burger auf dem Hintergrund postrevolutionarer Frustrationen, ein hoher Grad an politischer Instabilitat. Die Autoren vertreten die These, dass die Geschichte des Staatssozialismus die spezifischen Parteibildungsprozesse in diesem Raum am starksten beeinflusst hat. Der vergleichenden Analyse liegen Einzelstudien zu den Parteiensystemen in Ostdeutschland, Polen, der Sowjetunion/Russland, Tschechien und Ungarn zugrunde.
"(...) Das vorliegende Buch bietet eine fundierte Informationsquelle zur politischen Entwicklung im ostlichen Europa und geht uber die Darstellung des Parteiengefuges hinaus. (...) Die grosse Zahl von Schaubildern und Statistiken unterstreicht und veranschaulicht die Ergebnisse, eine Auswahl von Kurzbiographien zu den wichtigsten Politikern sowie eine Auflistung und Charakterisierung der bedeutenderen Parteien in allen untersuchten Landern erleichtern dem Leser die Orientierung. (...)"
WGO Monatshefte fur Osteuropaisches Recht, 5/96
"(...) Der Band gibt insgesamt eine gute und anregende Analyse uber die charakteristischen Zuge der mit Schwierigkeiten des Ubergangs kampfenden postsozialistischen Region dar und wird so (...) fur die sich interessierenden Forscher zu einem grundlegenden Handbuch."
Welt Trends, 1