Paradox of Policy: European Enlargement and Democratic Consolidation in the Czech Republic and Poland

Lars Krister Hallstrom, Purdue University

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the enlargement of the European Union to include the Czech Republic and Poland on democratic participation in policy-making. While integration into the EU has the potential to benefit the CEECs by providing economic prosperity and political stability, the patterns of decision-making and influence that have come to characterize the EU are also acting to alienate and distance key groups from policy-making. This alienation, a consequence of the export of the “democratic deficit” and the socio-cultural legacy of Soviet control, is believed to counter in part those elements of European integration that can contribute to democratic consolidation, changing the speed of transition in these countries. In the present study, both interview and survey data were used to trace the democratic responses that policy officials and environmental groups have had to integration since the early 1990s. It was found that while there are strong similarities between the two countries for the first five to seven years after beginning the integration and enlargement process, the final years of the 1990s show important differences. Specifically, while both countries initially show declines in terms of democratic involvement in politics, participation, and trust, Poland has made considerable increases in this regard at both the general level, and within environmental policy-making since the late 1990s. In contrast, while the Czech Republic has adopted democratic institutions, the political history under Communism and the effects of lustration are slowing or perhaps even negating the Czech move to a more participatory culture of politics and policy-making.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Theen, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Political science|International law

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