Democratization in Central and Eastern Europe

This book is based on a study which brought together scholars from each of the potential member countries of the European Union to develop a methodology for assessing the process of democratization as a condition of eligibility for membership.

The enlargement of the European Union eastwards will be one of the dominant issues at the beginning of the twenty-first century. This book is based on a study which brought together scholars from each of the potential member countries to develop a methodology for assessing the process of democratization as a condition of eligibility for EU membership.

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A dozen essays affirm that there is more to democracy than implied by the Polish Coca-Cola ad on the cover. Derived from a 1995 European Council meeting in Madrid, the contributors' study assesses the eligibility of their Central and East European countries (CEECs) for European Union membership by the criterion of progress toward democratization. Distinguishing between formal and substantive democracy, they conclude that all 10 CEECs have made strides<-->especially the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovenia<-->but need further work toward realizing a democratic political culture. The substantial bibliography includes some foreign language titles. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknew.com)

Mary Kaldor is Director of the Programme on Global Civil Society at the Centre for the Study of Global Governance, London School of Economics. Among her most recent publications are New and Old Wars: Organized Violence in a Global Era (Polity Press and Stanford University Press 1999) and Global Insecurity (edited) (Continuum 2000).

Ivan Vejvoda is Assistant Professor of Government at Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts.