Strengthening the rule of law and consolidating democracy is still a challenge facing countries in Southeastern Europe (see). Despite the prospective for eu accession for the Western Balkan states and full eu membership for others, issues regarding the quality of democratic institutions and the efficiency of legal procedures are still at stake. There are multiple factors that contribute to the weakened state of constitutional democracy in see countries while also blocking their political and social development.
This article offers a sober view on the democratic consolidation process, emphasizing that a decline from democratic politics may happen at any moment. For one, defective democracies in Southeastern Europe are exposed to nationalism and populism, suffering from weak institutional performance and a burdensome communist legacy. Furthermore, negative stereotypes and practices of exercising political power in see countries hamper the development of the rule of law, efficient democratic systems, and accountable governments. Corruption and clientelism likewise seem embedded in the social structures. Thus, in the absence or inefficiency of the rule of law, the political situation in see countries is often described in terms of a âstate captureâ, not democratic consolidation.
However, according to a mid-term perspective, positive change is still possible, but it requires active civil society participation as well as eu institutional commitment to the rule of law and democracy building in the region. In some cases, moreover, coordinated endeavors between active civil society groups and eu institutions could exercise effective pressure on the national political elites to introduce necessary institutional reforms.
Purchase
Buy instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Institutional Login
Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials
Personal login
Log in with your brill.com account
Balkin J.2004. âRespect Worthy: Frank Michelman and the Legitimate Constitutionâ, Tulsa Law Review, 39: 485â508.
Barber S. A.2006. âFallacies of Negative Constitutionalismâ, Fordham Law Review, 75 (2): 651â667.
Carothers T.2002. âThe End of the Transition Paradigmâ, Journal of Democracy, 13 (1): 5â21.
Carothers T.2007. âThe âSequencingâ Fallacyâ, Journal of Democracy, 18 (1): 12â27.
Chalakov I., , Hristov I. et al. 2008. Mrezite na prehoda. Kakvo vsustnost se sluchi v Bulgaria sled 1989 [The Networks of Transition: what did in fact happen in Bulgaria after 1989] (Sofia: Iztok-Zapad Publishing).
Christodoulidis E., 2007. âAgainst Substitution: The Constitutional Thinking of Dissensusâ, 189â208, in Loughlin M., and Walker N. (eds.), The Paradox of Constitutionalism (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
Collier D., and Levitsky S.. 1997. âDemocracy with Adjectives: Conceptual Innovation in Comparative Researchâ, World Politics, 49 (3): 430â451.
Dahrendorf R.2005. Reflections on the Revolution in Europe (Piscataway, NJ: Transaction Publishers).
Diamond L.1999. Developing Democracy: Toward Consolidation (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press).
Dimitrov G., , Haralampiev K., , S. Stoychev, Toneva-Metodieva L.. 2014. The Co-operation and Verification Mechanism: Shared Political Irresponsibility (Sofia: St. Kliment Ohridski University Press).
Ganev V. I.2007. Preying on the State: The Transformation of Bulgaria after 1989 (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press).
Hayek F.1978. The Constitution of Liberty (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press).
Holmes S., 1996. âCultural Legacies or State Collapse? Probing the Post-communist Dilemmaâ, 22â77, in Mandelbaum M. (ed.) Post-communism: Four Perspectives (New York: Council on Foreign Relations).
Hristov I. (ed.). 2012. (Ne)stanaloto pravovo obstestvo v Bulgaria [The (Un)Established Rule of Law in Bulgaria] (Sofia: Centre for Advanced Study Sofia/ Riva Publishers).
Kaplan R.1997. âWas Democracy Just a Moment?â, Atlantic Monthly, 55â80.
Linz J., and Stepan A.1996. Problems of Democratic Transition and Consolidation. Southern Europe, South America, and Post-Communist Europe (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press).
Loughlin M., and Walker N.2007. The Paradox of Constitutionalism: Constituent Power and Constitutional Form (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
Merkel W.2004. âEmbedded and Defective Democraciesâ, Democratization , 11 (5): 33â58.
Michelman F.2003. âIs the Constitution a Contract for Legitimacyâ, Review of Constitutional Studies, 8: 101â128.
OâDonnell G.1994. âDelegative Democracyâ, Journal of Democracy, 5: 55â69.
OâDonnell G.1996. âIllusions about Consolidationâ, Journal of Democracy, 7 (2): 34â51.
OâDonnell G.2001. âDemocracy, Law and Comparative Politicsâ, Studies in Comparative International Development, 36 (1): 7â36.
OâDonnell G.2007. Dissonances: Democratic Critiques of Democracy (Notre Dame, in: University of Notre Dame Press).
Offe C.1996. Varieties of Transition (Cambridge: mit Press).
Popper K.1996. In Search of a Better World. Lectures and Essays from Thirty Years (London: Routledge).
Sadurski W.2012. Constitutionalism and the Enlargement of Europe (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
Sharlet R.1998. âLegal Transplants and Political Mutationsâ, East European Constitutional Review 7 (4): 59â68.
Tamanaha B.2004. On the Rule of Law: History, Politics, Theory (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).
Tamanaha B.2006. Law as a Means to an End: Threat to the Rule of Law (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).
Teitel R.2005. âTransitional Rule of Lawâ, 279â293, in A. Czarnota, M. Krygier and W. Sadurski, Rethinking the Rule of Law after Communism (Budapest: ceu Press).
Upham F.2002. âMythmaking in the Rule of Law Orthodoxyâ, Rule of Law Series, Democracy and the Rule of Law Project, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 5â33.
Zakaria F.2003. The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad (New York: Norton).
Alpha Research 2014, Sociological survey, âThe Transition: Myths and Memory, 25 years laterâ, <http://alpharesearch.bg/bg/socialni_izsledvania/socialni_publikacii/prehodat_-mitove-i-pamet-25-godini-po-kasno.831> (accessed on 1 December 2014).
The eu Framework 2014, Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council, Brussels, 11.3.2014 com(2014) 158 final, <http://ec.europa.eu/justice/effective-justice/files/justice_scoreboard_2014_en.pdf> (accessed on 1 December 2014).
The Economist, 21 September 2013. âBulgaria: Birth of a civil society. Will Bulgariansâ daily protests have a lasting impact?â, <http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21586571-will-bulgarians-daily-protests-have-lasting-impact-birth-civil-society> (accessed on 1 December 2014).
fh 2014, Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2014, <http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/freedom-world-2014#.UxsUVj95ONL> (accessed on 1 December 2014).
fh 2012, Freedom House, Nations in Transit 2012, <http://www.freedomhouse.org/article/hungary-and-ukraine-forefront-democratic-decline-central-and-eastern-europe> (accessed on 1 December 2014).
fh 2014, Freedom House, Nations in Transit 2014, <https://freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/NIT2014%20booklet_WEBSITE.pdf> (accessed on 1 December 2014).
fh 2015 Hungary, Freedom House, Nations in Transit 2015, Report on Hungary, <https://www.freedomhouse.org/report/nations-transit-2015/democracy-defensive-europe-and-eurasia#.VdG3d_ntmko> (accessed on 1 December 2014).
cvm 2014 Bulgaria, Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on Progress in Bulgaria under the Co-operation and Verification Mechanism, Brussels, 22.1.2014, com(2014) 36 final, <http://ec.europa.eu/cvm/docs/com_2014_36_en.pdf> (accessed on 1 December 2014).
cvm 2014 Romania, Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on Progress in Romania under the Co-operation and Verification Mechanism, Brussels, 22.1.2014, com(2014) 37 final, <http://ec.europa.eu/cvm/docs/com_2014_37_en.pdf> (accessed on 1 December 2014).
Spiegel, 01.17.2012. âUnlawful Constitution: eu Takes Legal Action Against Hungaryâ, <http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/unlawful-constitution-eu-takes-legal-action-against-hungary-a-809669.html> (accessed on 1 December 2014).
Eurobarometer 81, 2014. Standard Eurobarometer 81, Spring 2014, <http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/eb/eb81/eb81_first_en.pdf > (accessed on 6 December 2014).
ti 2014, Transparency International, Corruption Perception Index 2014, <http://www.transparency.org/cpi2014/results> (accessed on 6 December 2014).
usaid cso Sustainability Index 2014, United States Agency for International Development, Civil Society Organizations Sustainability Index 2014, <https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1863/CSOSI-Report-FINAL-7-2-15.pdf> (accessed on 6 December 2014).
wjp, World Justice Project Rule of Law Index 2015,
<http://data.worldjusticeproject.org/> (accessed on 6 December 2014).
| å ¨é¨æé´ | è¿å»ä¸å¹´ | è¿å»30天 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| æè¦æµè§æ¬¡æ° | 336 | 65 | 3 |
| å ¨ææµè§æ¬¡æ° | 164 | 1 | 0 |
| PDFä¸è½½æ¬¡æ° | 35 | 0 | 0 |
Strengthening the rule of law and consolidating democracy is still a challenge facing countries in Southeastern Europe (see). Despite the prospective for eu accession for the Western Balkan states and full eu membership for others, issues regarding the quality of democratic institutions and the efficiency of legal procedures are still at stake. There are multiple factors that contribute to the weakened state of constitutional democracy in see countries while also blocking their political and social development.
This article offers a sober view on the democratic consolidation process, emphasizing that a decline from democratic politics may happen at any moment. For one, defective democracies in Southeastern Europe are exposed to nationalism and populism, suffering from weak institutional performance and a burdensome communist legacy. Furthermore, negative stereotypes and practices of exercising political power in see countries hamper the development of the rule of law, efficient democratic systems, and accountable governments. Corruption and clientelism likewise seem embedded in the social structures. Thus, in the absence or inefficiency of the rule of law, the political situation in see countries is often described in terms of a âstate captureâ, not democratic consolidation.
However, according to a mid-term perspective, positive change is still possible, but it requires active civil society participation as well as eu institutional commitment to the rule of law and democracy building in the region. In some cases, moreover, coordinated endeavors between active civil society groups and eu institutions could exercise effective pressure on the national political elites to introduce necessary institutional reforms.
| å ¨é¨æé´ | è¿å»ä¸å¹´ | è¿å»30天 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| æè¦æµè§æ¬¡æ° | 336 | 65 | 3 |
| å ¨ææµè§æ¬¡æ° | 164 | 1 | 0 |
| PDFä¸è½½æ¬¡æ° | 35 | 0 | 0 |